Chilled bird's nest with longan and wolfberries is a traditional pairing of three ingredients that East Asian kitchens have valued for centuries. It's the cool summer bowl we at Ten Lei Yen like to make ahead: lightly sweet, fragrant, and ready to serve straight from the refrigerator the next day.
Soak the dry bird's nest in cold water for 4–6 hours or overnight before cooking, then double-boil it for 40 minutes for a silky, tender texture. Fresh longan adds natural sweetness and wolfberries bring a mild, earthy note. Serve it well chilled; the dessert tastes best after several hours in the refrigerator. One dry nest (8–14 g) is a generous whole-nest portion, roughly 2 to 4 standard servings.
What you'll need
Ingredients (2-4 standard servings)
- 1 dry bird's nest (approximately 8–14 g)
- 150 g fresh longan, peeled and pitted (or canned longan in syrup, drained)
- 1 tablespoon (about 10–15 g) dried wolfberries (goji berries), rinsed; use more if you like their mildly tart flavor, less if you want the longan and bird's nest to lead
- 30–40 g rock sugar, adjusted to taste
- 200 ml clean water for cooking the nest
Equipment
You'll need a double-boiler, or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, plus a fine-mesh strainer or tweezers for cleaning the nest.
How to make it, step by step
Step 1: Soak the dry bird's nest
Put the dry nest in a bowl and cover it with clean, cold water. Soak for 4–6 hours at room temperature, or soak it overnight in the refrigerator. The nest will expand a lot, turning from a firm amber structure into a translucent, gel-like form.
After soaking, rinse the nest gently under running water and use tweezers or your fingers to pick out any remaining feathers or debris. Drain well.
Step 2: Double-boil the bird's nest
Put the drained nest in a heatproof bowl and add 200 ml of fresh water and the rock sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
Cover and double-boil over low to medium heat for 40 minutes. The nest will turn tender and slightly translucent. Stir gently once or twice so the sugar dissolves evenly.
Step 3: Add the longan and wolfberries
Take the bowl off the heat. Stir in the rinsed wolfberries while the liquid is still warm; that softens them a little without overcooking them. Let everything cool to room temperature, then fold in the fresh longan.
If you're using canned longan, add it at this stage and taste before adjusting the sweetness, because canned longan usually brings its own sugar to the liquid.
Step 4: Chill and serve
Spoon the dessert into individual bowls or a sealed container. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Serve cold.
Tips for the best bowl
Use rock sugar. It dissolves without clouding the liquid and gives a clean, mild sweetness that lets the longan and bird's nest come through.
Don't rush the soak. Less than 4 hours leaves the nest dense rather than silky. An overnight soak gives the most consistent results.
Fresh longan is best in season. Outside longan season, good-quality canned longan in natural juice is a reliable substitute.
Rinse the wolfberries. A quick rinse under cool water removes surface dust and helps them plump up evenly in the warm liquid.
Which bird's nest should you use?
This recipe works with any grade of edible bird's nest. If presentation matters, a whole nest or a large piece holds its shape during cooking. For everyday bowls, broken nest cooks just as well and is better value. Ten Lei Yen's Blue Label and Red Label nests suit this recipe well, and so do the economical Red Label Broken Nest pieces.
Can I use pre-cleaned bird's nest for this recipe?
Yes. Pre-cleaned nests already have the feathers and debris removed, so you can skip the cleaning step. They still need to soak for 4–6 hours to expand fully before cooking.
How long does this dessert keep in the refrigerator?
In a sealed container, it keeps well for up to 3 to 5 days. The texture is best in the first day or two; as it sits longer, the nest may absorb more liquid and soften slightly.
Can I use frozen longan instead of fresh?
Yes. Thaw the frozen longan completely and drain off any excess liquid before adding it. The flavor is close to fresh longan, though the texture may be a little softer.
Can I use a different sweetener instead of rock sugar?
Yes. Granulated white sugar is a straightforward substitute. Palm sugar or raw sugar adds a deeper, caramel-like flavor; some people love that, though it changes the character of the dish.
or
or
