How to Double-Boil Bird's Nest Properly at Home, by Type of Nest

• Dried nest: raw nest, feather-removed nest, refined nest or nest feet.
• A glass jar or porcelain bowl with a lid, leaving some free space because the nest expands when soaked and double-boiled.
• A double-boiling pot (or a pot with a steaming rack) and clean water.
• Tweezers for removing feathers, a white porcelain bowl, and a sieve or thin cloth to drain the nest.
• Optional: rock sugar, red dates, lotus seeds, goji berries, pandan leaf (ingredient list according to Pharmacity (opens in a new tab)).

Every box of nest from Yến Sào Uyên Nguyên comes with red dates and rock sugar for double-boiling, so you only need to prepare a jar and a pot.

According to Pharmacity (opens in a new tab), pre-processed nest (feather-removed or refined nest) is soaked in clean water for about 20–30 minutes. Raw nest needs a longer softening time: Pharmacity advises soaking in cold water for about 5 minutes, draining, wrapping in a damp cloth and leaving it in the refrigerator for a few hours until soft, and only then picking out the feathers.

General practical experience: the nest is soaked enough when the strands are soft, loose and can be separated by hand. Do not soak it for too long or in hot water, because the strands break down easily.

1. 1Step 1: Lift the softened nest into a white porcelain bowl of clean water so the feathers are easy to see.
2. 2Step 2: Use tweezers to pick out each feather and impurity. Raw nest needs the most careful picking.
3. 3Step 3: Rinse the nest gently under clean running water, avoiding hard rubbing that would break the strands.
4. 4Step 4: Let the nest drain on a sieve or thin cloth, then put it in the jar for double-boiling.

Thorough rinsing helps remove dust and fine feathers. A study in Indonesia (Susilo et al., 2016 (opens in a new tab)) recorded that washing bird's nest under running water reduced the nitrite content in the samples tested.

The level of preparation differs by type of nest. The table below applies to the products sold at Yến Sào Uyên Nguyên; the features are taken from the product descriptions on the website.

Yến Sào Uyên Nguyên advises customers to double-boil 8g of nest with 250ml of water. Rock sugar is added to taste, and the store sets no number of grams; add a little first, taste, then add more.

This ratio is for each batch cooked at home. To cook more, keep the same ratio of 8g of nest to 250ml of water and choose a jar with free space, because the nest expands when soaked and double-boiled.

Different sources give different times, so Yến Sào Uyên Nguyên lists both for your reference:

General experience for telling when the nest is done: the strands are evenly swollen, clear and soft but still slightly chewy. Do not boil the nest directly on the stove or double-boil it for too long, because the strands turn mushy and dissolve into the water.

1. 1Step 1: Soak and clean the nest as described in the sections on soaking and removing feathers.
2. 2Step 2: Put the nest in a glass jar and pour in clean water at the ratio of 8g of nest to 250ml of water (the ratio Yến Sào Uyên Nguyên advises), then cover with the lid.
3. 3Step 3: Place the jar in the pot, add water to the pot up to about half the height of the jar, and double-boil over low heat.
4. 4Step 4: When the nest is almost done (about 20 minutes according to Pharmacity), add the rock sugar.
5. 5Step 5: Double-boil for about 10 more minutes until the sugar has fully dissolved, then turn off the heat.
6. 6Step 6: Let it cool, then eat it right away or cover tightly and keep it in the refrigerator's cool compartment.

Rock sugar is added to taste. Add a little sugar first, taste, then add more.

Bird's nest with red dates

Rinse the red dates; you may remove the pits and slice them. Two methods are common: put the dates in the jar with the nest from the start, or cook a red-date water first and use that water to double-boil the nest. Rock sugar is still added when the nest is almost done.

Bird's nest with lotus seeds

Lotus seeds take longer to soften than the nest, so cook or steam the lotus seeds until soft first, then put them in the jar to double-boil with the nest.

Bird's nest without sugar

Skip the step of adding rock sugar; you can add a pandan leaf for fragrance (according to Pharmacity (opens in a new tab)). If you are on a diet prescribed by a doctor, ask your doctor before eating it.

Tam Anh General Hospital (opens in a new tab) advises that prepared nest should be eaten within 24 hours after opening the lid. The sources checked do not give a specific figure for nest double-boiled at home, so Yến Sào Uyên Nguyên advises: double-boil only as much as you will eat, let it cool, cover tightly, keep it in the refrigerator's cool compartment and eat it soon.

Dried nest that has not been double-boiled should be kept in a cool, airy place away from direct sunlight and sealed tightly after opening the box. Yến Sào Uyên Nguyên's dried nest boxes come with a moisture-absorbing sachet and a printed shelf life of 24 months; this applies to dried nest that has not been double-boiled, not to nest that has already been double-boiled.

• Adding rock sugar at the start instead of when the nest is almost done.
• Boiling the nest directly on the stove instead of double-boiling it.
• Soaking the nest too long or in hot water, so the strands break down.
• Double-boiling too long, so the nest turns mushy and dissolves into the water.
• Skipping the feather-picking step for raw nest and feather-removed nest.