Like shark’s fin soap, bird’s nest soup reaches the heights of Chinese cuisine, though Westerners are often put off by the name and the fact that it is produced by swallows’ saliva. Alone, bird’s nest is bland, and its function is to provide texture, rather than taste, to the soup. A very rich prime stock is therefore essential as a base, as is the chicken velvet. And yet, without the bird’s nest, no amount of prime stock or chicken velvet could produce the unique quality of this soup.

Ingredients:

4 ounces (115 grams) loose bird’s nest
4 thickish slices fresh ginger root, peeled
2 large scallions
4 to 5 cups prime stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
salt to taste
1⁄2 to 1 quantity chicken velvet
1 ounce (25 grams) best ham, ideally
Chinhua or Virginia, chopped fine

Directions:

Soak the bird’s nest in about 5 cups of tepid water for several hours or overnight. Drain through a fine sieve. It will have increased about 4 times in weight. 2 With a pair of tweezers, remove any feathers or other impurities. Depending on the quality of the bird’s nest, this can be a time-consuming task. Rinse in cold water 2 or 3 times and drain.

Put into a saucepan, add the ginger, scallions and about 6 cups of boiling water. Return to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the ginger and scallions. Drain but leave damp. (The bird’s nest can now be left in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 or 3 days before making the soup.)

Put the bird’s nest and prime stock into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and let the soup thicken. Add salt to taste.

Stir about 2 ladles of hot soup into the chicken velvet to make the purée thinner. Slowly pour into the simmering soup, stirring to make a smooth consistency. Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked.

Transfer to a warm soup tureen. Sprinkle the chopped ham on top in the center. Serve hot.

Serves 10. Any leftover soup can be frozen.