Serves: 6
Total Calories: 446

1/4 pound dried bird's nest
6 cups Stock, Chicken or favorite stock
1/2 cup white chicken meat
1 tablespoon sherry
1/3 cup Stock, Chicken or favorite stock
2 egg whites
1/2 stalk scallion
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons Stock, Chicken or favorite stock
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Soak bird's nest.

2. Bring stock to a boil. Add soaked bird's nest and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile mince chicken. Mix with sherry and the second quantity of cold stock until smooth then blend in egg whites.

4. Mince scallion. Blend cornstarch and remaining cold stock to a paste.

5. Add salt to heated stock, then chicken mixture, stirring constantly to blend well.

6. Stir in cornstarch paste to thicken stock. Sprinkle with scallion and serve.

NOTE: Bird's nest soup may be made in advance, refrigerated and reheated. The stock should be clear and rich with no trace of fat. A concentrated stock can be prepared by cooking a 3-pound chicken in 8 cups of water. (The bird may be served as white cut chicken at the same meal.)

VARIATIONS:
* In step 3, mince the chicken as in Chicken Velvet (see chapter, Chicken and Other Poultry), adding water instead of stock one drop at a time. Then add to the cornstarch paste 1 tablespoon sherry. Add the paste after the salt in step 5, and when the soup thickens, remove pan from heat and pour in chicken mixture in a thin stream, stirring gently to blend. Garnish with scallion.
* Omit the cornstarch paste. After adding the salt in step 5, remove pan from heat and stir in chicken mixture. Return to stove for a moment to reheat. Garnish with scallion.
* Instead of adding the egg whites in step 3, stir them in after step 5 to thicken the soup. Omit the cornstarch paste.
* For the minced scallion garnish, substitute 1/4 cup smoked ham, shredded or minced or 4 snow peas, blanched and shredded.

The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 6
Total Calories: 446
Calories from Fat: 46

More Recipes from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook:
*Banquet Dishes
Bird's Nest Soup I
Bird's Nest Soup II
Peking Doilies
Peking Duck (Modified Version)
Peking Duck Dips
Shark's Fin Soup I
Shark's Fin Soup II
Shark's Fin in Ham Sauce
Steamed Chicken Stuffed with Bird's Nest
Winter Melon Pond
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken II
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken III
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Duck I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Duck II
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Subgum I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Subgum II