Bottled Blood Bird’s Nest (With A Tweak)

Blood Bird’s Nest (燕窝) – “the caviar of the East” – is one of the most luxurious and expensive but also most controversial delicacies in Chinese cuisine. The shallow cup-shaped nest that hangs from the sides of caves takes the cave-dwelling Swiftlet bird over 30 days to build – made by the forming strands of its own gummy saliva which hardens when exposed to air. For hundreds of years, Blood Bird’s Nest has been prized for its long list of health benefits, especially maintaining youth and increasing libido.

Chinese began consuming Blood Bird’s Nest during the Ming Dynasty and it’s believed tat Zhen He (鄭和), who was a Chinese explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, was the first person in Chinese history to eat Blood Bird’s Nest. The nests have been used in Chinese cooking for over 400 years, most often as Blood Bird’s Nest. According to the Qing Dynasty manual of gastronomy, the Suiyuan Shidan, Blood Bird’s Nest is a delicate ingredient that must not be strongly flavored or cooked with oil.
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The Blood Bird’s Nest is graded by its color- namely Red, Yellow and White. The Red Blood Bird’s Nest is known in Chinese as the “Blood Bird’s Nest (血燕)” – which is the rarest. The belief that the Blood Red Blood Bird’s Nest is made from the Swiftlet’s blood is not true at all. The “blood red” color is due to the Swiftlets different diet and contained more mineral and different kind of nutrition.

Bottled Blood Bird’s Nest (With A Tweak)

Swiftlets nests are harvested from high up in coastal caves of Southeast Asia, mostly in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Harvesters face a considerable amount of danger in having to climb the high cave walls in the dark with harnesses, ropes and ladders to get the nests. One false move could be lethal. On top of that, a lot of effort goes into cleaning them and removing any impurities in order to make them fit for consumption. That would explain why cave Blood Bird’s Nests, are so incredibly expensive – a lot of work goes into getting them onto your dining table. Check out this video below to see all the nitty-gritty behind harvesting the cave nests and U’ll certainly starts to appreciate the astronomical price of this delicacy.
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Fortunately for all of us, there are numerous brands of pre-prepared bottled Blood Bird’s Nest. While the authenticity or quality is questionable (just The VianD’s two cents, no intention of inviting any trouble), there are much cheaper and also without having to go thru the hassle of preparing the raw ones. Now, U can obviously take this straight from the bottle but The VianD like to spruce them a little, sort of giving them a little more flavors as Blood Bird’s Nest should be..😉. A cheaper and lazy alternate way to enjoy a bowl of aromatic Blood Bird’s Nest, if U like – even though U may not have as much Blood Bird’s Nest as U would like..😂. –
For the price paid, one might expect the most incredibly gastronomic experience, ya??? Welll.., in fact, the Blood Bird’s Nest has very little flavor on it’s own, and its gelatinous texture might even be forgettable. But then again, what you’re paying for – is the rarity of the product and centuries of traditional culture, belief and perhaps superstition.
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Now, let’s elaborate a little on how to enrich a pre-prepared bottled Blood Bird’s Nest. The VianD was led to believe that the bottled stuff is rather bland and really does not taste very good. Here’s what The VianD did – get a few Red Dates (Jujube), a few slices of thinly sliced Ginger and a couple of block rock sugar (preference of sweetness). Bring some water to boil, add all the three Ingredients, turn heat low to simmer and render down to make a syrup – this will allow the Jujube and Ginger to diffused its natural mild flavors and aroma. Really, it has to be of syrup consistency so that U do not further dilute the already watery bottled stuff..😁. Mix the bottled Blood Bird’s Nest with the syrup in a serving bowl and steam for about a min or two – just to warm it up. U really do not want to steam any longer than that as a further introduction of heat to the already processed bottled stuff will further disintegrate/dilute the relatively small amount of Blood Bird’s Nest.
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If U do the above, U’ll be rewarded with a bowl of aromatic and sweet Blood Bird’s Nest dessert (barring a relatively small amount of Blood Bird’s Nest). Here’s The VianD’s rendition of “Bottled Blood Bird’s Nest (With A Tweak)” – done in less than 10 minutes.
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IngredientS

• Bottled Blood Bird’s Nest.
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• A few Red Dates (Jujube), a few slices of thinly sliced Ginger and a couple of block rock sugar (preference of sweetness).

MethoD

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• Making the syrup – Start by bringing some water (just abt an inch covering above the Jujube) to boil, add all the three Ingredients, turn heat low to simmer and render down to make a syrup – this will allow the Jujube and Ginger to diffused its natural flavors and aroma. Set aside.
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• Steaming the Blood Bird’s Nest – Mix the bottled Blood Bird’s Nest with the syrup in a serving bowl and steam for about a min or two – just to warm it up. U really do not want to steam any longer than that as a further introduction of heat to the already processed bottled stuff will further disintegrate/dilute the relatively small amount of Blood Bird’s Nest. Viola, ur bowl of aromatic and sweet “Blood Bird’s Nest” dessert (barring a relatively small amount of Blood Bird’s Nest) is ready to be served hot.

Where to Buy the Best Blood Bird’s Nest Online

Blood Bird’s Nest, often called swallow nest, is an ancient Chinese delicacy reserved for the royals and nobles of China. Blood Bird’s Nest is composed of the swiftlet saliva, which is rich in all kinds of vitamins and minerals. In the ancient days, the Chinese had to gather Blood Bird’s Nests from dangerous limestone caves because that was usually where these rare birds would make their nests. Nowadays, Blood Bird’s Nest can be enjoyed by anyone around the world without taking any extreme measures (although natural cave nests are still harvested from time to time).

What are the different types of Blood Bird’s Nests?

Before buying Blood Bird’s Nests, it’s good to know the qualities of each nest, as there are handfuls of different kinds to choose from! Each nest type varies in rarity and quality. We’re going to give you a brief overview of all the important nest characteristics that you should know.

Blood Bird’s Nest Grades

First of all, Blood Bird’s Nests are often categorized into grades. Each grade depicts the different concentration levels, shapes, and purity of the Blood Bird’s Nest. Grade AAA is generally the highest grade quality, with AA, A, B, and C following thereafter. Needless to say, Grade AAA nests are the most prized and rare Blood Bird’s Nests of all because of how difficult it is to come across perfectly shaped nests in farms or caves. Grade AAA nests have the perfect cup shape, even ‘strands’ of saliva, and are free of all natural impurities (such as dirt and feathers). A good thing to keep in mind is that the higher the nest quality, the more you should keep an eye out for fakes. We’ll talk further about that in a bit.
Grade AA nests also have perfect cup shapes and concentration levels but slightly more impurities. Impurities don’t take away from the actual bird saliva quality; they only present more grime to clean up. Luckily, Company workers diligently hand-wash each nest to ensure that you will receive contaminant-free products. Hand-washing Blood Bird’s Nests take an incredible amount of time and attention to detail, but we are committed to providing the best natural Blood Bird’s Nest products. Traditional hand-washing saves the consumer from eating Blood Bird’s Nests laced with bleach and other harmful chemicals often found in the cleaning process.

Where to Buy the Best Blood Bird’s Nest Online

The outcome of cleaning the nests, though, is that the more impurities a nest has, the less saliva there turns out to be. So, the C quality nests are essentially the same quality as the Grade AAA nests, but only with less bird saliva after the thorough cleaning process.
Furthermore, if you’re just looking for nests that are both affordable and high quality, Grade A nests might be exactly what you need. Grade A nests are considered to be one of the most economic options for those who are simply looking for high quality nests on a budget. Company gives our customers plenty of price options because we believe that authentic, quality Blood Bird’s Nests should be made available to everyone of all economic backgrounds.

Types of Nests

Now, we’ll go into the different types of Blood Bird’s Nests. That’s right—there isn’t just one kind! You’d be surprised by how many different colors there are—and if you purchase them from Company, you can be confident that even the rarest nests are naturally occurring and never artificially colored.
Red Nests – Arguably the rarest of all Blood Bird’s Nests, red nests get their unique coloration from the oxidization of iron in the bird saliva during extremely humid conditions. The red nest keeps its color even after cooking, adding a beautiful red sheen to soups and desserts of all kinds. Even though the red nest looks different, it is chemically similar to the other nests, and it comes categorized into different grades, just like the other types of nests.
Gold Nests – Gold nests are the next rarest swallow nests on the market. In fact, many notable Blood Bird’s Nest stores don’t even stock on gold nests because of how difficult they are to come across. Gold nests are generally dark yellow in coloration, although they have quite a large color range (all shades of gold, of course).
Cave Nests – Cave nests are rare, but they are more dangerous to attain than anything else. Cave nests are simply swiftlet nests that are formed in limestone caves, cliff sides, and other rocky, cavernous areas. Cave nests generally have a higher concentration of impurities, but are highly pursued by Blood Bird’s Nest enthusiasts, anyway, because they are (literally) hard to get. Anyone would like a good backstory to their Blood Bird’s Nests!
White Nests – White nests are the most common Blood Bird’s Nests found in the swallow nest industry. Just because they are common, however, does not mean that they are any less nutritious or high quality. On the contrary, because they are easier to farm, the Grade AAA white nests are extremely high quality and smooth in texture.

Where to Buy Authentic Blood Bird’s Nests

The best place to buy Blood Bird’s Nests is actually online. It’s convenient, easily verifiable, and technical support is usually at your disposal. In-person stores are also good, although you might have to go a bit out of your way to get the price and nest selection you want. Driving around town to find the right Blood Bird’s Nest product is also not the most convenient thing, whereas if you go online, you can literally sort through thousands of selections right from the comfort of wherever you are. You can find Blood Bird’s Nests on Amazon, eBay, or straight from the Company store.

Advantages of Buying from Company

Company exceeds all top safety regulations with our meticulous manufacturing process. Only about 30% of our total harvest makes it into production by the third examination because of how strict we are with nest quality. We also have numerous nest products, not just dry swallow nests. Some of our products include:
All of these products were made with genuine swallow nests. There is no doubt that our customers consume the highest quality Blood Bird’s Nest products on the market. Our premium Blood Bird’s Nest products are all manufactured in the USA in FDA-approved facilities. Company’s incredible dedication to quality has earned us the highest ratings on Better Business Bureau, as well as loyal, repeat customers of more than a decade.
The quality of our products can be tasted. Those who purchase our authentic Blood Bird’s Nest products on the store or on Amazon continually express their firm approvals of Company. Our products simply taste amazing and are of the highest quality, yet still affordable for the average American.

6 Important Things You Should Know Before Buying Blood Bird’s Nest

In Southeast Asia, Blood Bird’s Nest is known as one of the most precious natural remedies of numerous diseases and ailments. It is so deeply integrated into the Chinese culture that even those who live in rural villages would know about Blood Bird’s Nest, where to purchase it, and basic attributes of different Blood Bird’s Nest qualities. In the United States, however, Blood Bird’s Nest is not nearly as widely known. It’s tough to even find facts about Blood Bird’s Nest on the web, let alone tips and tricks on how to purchase the best quality Blood Bird’s Nests.

Despite the fact that this already-rare delicacy is even rarer in the US, there are informative blogs, like ours, dedicated to providing you with the most accurate and updated information. As a customer, you have the right to know what goes into your Blood Bird’s Nest products. That’s why our highly experienced team of researchers works hard to deliver the most sustainable and natural manufacturing processes to keep our products clean of GMO, dangerous chemicals, and other harmful impurities.
Without further ado, let’s discuss the six important things you should know before you purchase any Blood Bird’s Nest products.

6 Important Things You Should Know Before Buying Blood Bird’s Nest

Blood Bird’s Nest is Made of Nutritious…Bird Saliva! Yum!

The Blood Bird’s Nest is made of the swiftlet’s saliva. Swiftlets form their nests in rocky, cavernous areas, such as limestone caves, steep cliff sides, and even imitation caves (or manmade Blood Bird’s Nest farms). Saliva in general might not sound very appetizing, but the swiftlet’s saliva contains an incredible amount of vitamins and minerals. In fact, our tests have confirmed that the average nest contains:
• Essential proteins
• Calcium
• Phosphorus
• Iron
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Iodine
• Carbohydrates
• 18 types of essential amino acids
• 6 types of hormones
The plentiful bioactive molecules in Blood Bird’s Nests stimulate tissue development, so many health-conscious individuals drink Blood Bird’s Nest as an effective anti-aging solution. In addition to cell regeneration and tissue repairing, quality Blood Bird’s Nests also boosts the immune system, enhances metabolism, improves digestion, and maintains bodily equilibrium. You can see from the various health benefits why this nutritious delicacy can be so costly and hard to find.

How to Identify Fake Nests

Since authentic Blood Bird’s Nests are difficult to harvest but the demands are so high, many dubious companies resort to creating fake nests to trick the consumer. Thankfully, we’ve developed a few effective tricks to helping you tell the difference between real Blood Bird’s Nests and fake ones.
• INVEST WISELY – The best way to avoid fake nests is to always purchase from a trustworthy source. We’ve written before on how to determine the credibility of your supplier, but the gist of it is this: check for official certifications, open customer support, and professional advocacy from the FDA or the BBB (Better Business Bureau). Of course, all approves Company because our manufacturing process is incredibly strict. We care deeply about our customers’ health.
• PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS – Mass-produced artificial nests often look identical to one another, without the unique intricacies often present in real nests. Real Blood Bird’s Nests are always off-white (not a bright, reflective white) and vary slightly in coloration from one nest to the next. If you see any nests that are interestingly pure bright white, test the other characteristics as well.
• TAKE A WHIFF – Real dry nests have a mild fishy and raw smell to it when it’s uncooked. If you take a good whiff and it smells like plastic or has absolutely no scent at all, it might just be artificially produced. Be careful, though—many fake nests use seaweed as its base, so smell alone might not be 100% accurate.
• TEST ITS STRENGTH – Real Blood Bird’s Nests are actually quite fragile to the touch, so if you have a hard time breaking it apart, you should probably toss the nests and file a complaint to the company.
• ARTIFICIAL COLORING – Like we mentioned before, there are many different types of Blood Bird’s Nests with different colorations. The red nests and gold nests are generally the hardest to produce, so be careful with these the most. To test if your nests are artificially colored, soak them in water. If the color leaks out from the fibers, you’ll know immediately that it’s fake.

The Different Types of Blood Bird’s Nests

Aside from the different grade categories, which depict the nests’ purity, concentration levels, and physical shapes, there is also a diverse range of colorations. The four main Blood Bird’s Nest colorations include:
• RED NESTS – Red nests range from a blood-orange color to a deep, mesmerizing maroon color. The red tint comes from the oxidization of iron in the saliva under extremely humid conditions. Red nests are highly sought after because they are exceptionally rare to come across in nature and even harder to produce in farms.
• GOLD NESTS – Gold nests are also extremely rare to find and produce in farms. Not many Blood Bird’s Nest manufacturers carry the gold nest because of this very reason. However, you can find several grades of gold nest and a diverse set of gold nest products through our online store.
• WHITE NESTS – White nests are the most common Blood Bird’s Nests, but their incredible texture makes them highly sought after. Since it’s generally easier to produce white nests in farms, Grade AAA white nests are truly impeccable in both texture and taste.
• CAVE NESTS – Cave nests are simply wild swallow nests found in caves, cliff sides, and other hidden, rocky terrains. Cave nests are rightfully costly because of their high demand and rarity.
Company carries all four types of nests in all different grades and groupings. We want our pricing model to be as flexible as possible so that customers who want to enjoy Asia’s finest delicacy can do so without breaking their wallets!

How to Prepare the Blood Bird’s Nest for Consumption

Blood Bird’s Nest preparation actually takes longer than most people think. The level of preparation depends on the nest grade level, type of nest, and seller manufacturing practices. At Company, we meticulously hand-wash all of our nests beforehand so your preparation process won’t be too arduous. Nonetheless, this is the standard swallow nest preparation prior to cooking:
• STEP 1. Set aside the amount of nests needed for the recipe.
• STEP 2. Soak the Blood Bird’s Nest(s) in water for 24 hours. Change the water at least twice during the soaking process.
• STEP 3. Using a pair of tweezers, remove any pinfeathers or foreign particles.
• STEP 4. Drain the last batch of water.
• STEP 5. Put the Blood Bird’s Nest in a clean container.
• STEP 6. Pour hot water into that bowl and then drain immediately. The Blood Bird’s Nest is now ready for cooking.

The Production Integrity of Your Blood Bird’s Nest Supplier

We talk about the production integrity of the Blood Bird’s Nest industry because we believe that customers have the right to be 100% informed about what they consume. The Blood Bird’s Nest has long been promoted as a health product, yet so many manufacturers dilute the benefits of the nest, strip the benefits completely using harmful bleaching chemicals, or create fake nests altogether. It’s no secret that this industry is a lucrative one, so it’s not easy to find a Blood Bird’s Nest supplier that refuse to take any shortcuts. One of the best ways to figure out whether or not a company is trustworthy is by looking at their official certifications. Are their facilities FDA-approved? Do they bother making any USDA-Certified organic products? Does the Better Business Bureau advocate for them? If your supplier has none of these qualifications, then you can never really be sure of their production integrity. They simply refused to get official accountability.
On the other hand, there are rare companies, such as Company, that go out of their way to make sure that their customers get the highest quality Blood Bird’s Nest products without worrying about hygiene or production integrity. Company uses the traditional hand-washing method to clean our authentic nests, even though this process takes an incredible amount of hours to complete. We don’t want any of our health products to be associated with chemicals or harmful contaminations. Our criteria is so strict, in fact, that only about 30% of our nests end up making it to production after critical examinations. All of our production plants are in the US and are FDA-approved, among many other certifications.
Company refuses to take shortcuts. We are dedicated to providing the purest quality Blood Bird’s Nests and Blood Bird’s Nest products in the United States.

The Origins of Your Blood Bird’s Nest

Knowing where your Blood Bird’s Nests came from is just as important as knowing who processed it. There have been multiple bans on Malasian-imported Blood Bird’s Nests due to excessive amounts of nitrates found in the nests, so it’s probably not the best place to get your Blood Bird’s Nests. The industry in general is quite tricky to navigate; that’s why consumers should rely on unbiased third party qualifications, such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) Certification, FDA-approved facilities, and even USDA-Certified products. Company holds all of these certifications and more, so you can purchase with full confidence.
To explore our wide range of genuine Blood Bird’s Nest products today!

Facts About Different Types of Blood Bird’s Nests

Blood Bird’s Nest Types: Red, Gold, White and Wild

If you’ve heard of Blood Bird’s Nest, then you’ve probably seen photos of eager – and sometimes unsure – diners lifting to their mouth a spoonful of broth mixed with gelatinous nest fibers.
What you probably don’t know is that there are multiple types of Blood Bird’s Nests that vary based on where they were harvested and what color they are.
We sell four different types of nests: red, gold, white and wild.

Facts About Different Types of Blood Bird’s Nests

Red Blood Bird’s Nests: The Legendary Delicacy

The rarest and most expensive Blood Bird’s Nests are red, and rightly so. Their crimson coloration is breathtaking and creates an unmatched aesthetic for soups and desserts.
While the rarity of these nests is undisputed, exactly why they’re red has long been a point of controversy and wonder.
There are those who believe the nests are red because the saliva of the swallow building a red nest is laced with blood. The bird bleeds, they say, because the bird’s mouth is worn out from building multiple nests over its lifetime.
Others say the red Blood Bird’s Nests are produced when swallows consume lotus seeds, whose reddish hue mixes with the bird’s saliva.
Recently, scientists have put forth a more plausible explanation. They say that the nests turn red because moisture and oxygen in the air react with minerals the nest pulls from the rocks to which they cling. The result is a magnificent rust color.
These nests’ striking coloration demands a high price, making them the most sought-after Blood Bird’s Nests on the market.

Gold Blood Bird’s Nests: Rare in Their Own Right

While red Blood Bird’s Nests are the rarest of the four we sell, gold Blood Bird’s Nests are also a prized ingredient for diners across the world.
These nests account for 10% of the global Blood Bird’s Nest supply, which makes them the second-rarest type of Blood Bird’s Nest on the market.
The story behind the color of these nests is very similar to that of the red nests. They also extract minerals from the rocks around them, and those minerals interact with oxygen and humidity to produce an elegant gold color.
While they aren’t quite as stunning as the red nests, gold Blood Bird’s Nests still add a tremendous color element to your dish.

White Blood Bird’s Nests: The Popular Choice

White nests are widely regarded as the “Caviar of the East” and are beloved for their unique taste.
These nests are built in the same way that red and gold nests are built. However, the chemical reactions that make gold and red nests don’t take place with white nests.
While these nests may be white when they’re packaged, they undergo a change in color as they’re soaked during the prep process.
Instead of maintaining their white tint, they become translucent. While white nests may not have the color pop of their more expensive counterparts, their taste more than makes up for it.

Wild Blood Bird’s Nests: A Rare Type

The final type of nest is the wild Blood Bird’s Nest. This type of nest contrasts the house nests we mentioned earlier.
Wild nests are nests that swallows build on the walls of limestone caves throughout Indonesia and Asia.
These wild nests are often the most prized – red wild nests are even rarer – and have been the source of secrecy in the industry.
Swallow caves are kept under lock and key by the harvesters who own rights to their caves, and rightly so; poachers are on the prowl at these natural-occurring habitats.
These nests also grow on the sides of cliffs; removing them can be a dangerous proposition.
Over the past few years, intense harvesting in countries like Malaysia have greatly reduced swallow populations.

Company Edible Nests: Responsibly Sourced

Some companies will cut corners in Blood Bird’s Nest production because they can demand such a high price for their nests. This leads them to use harmful chemicals to die white nests red.
Company has always prided itself in sourcing its nests from cruelty-free swallow houses, where workers take the utmost care in harvesting nests. Our nests are cleaned by hand with the utmost concern for hygiene and safety.
We are also one of the few vendors in the United States authorized to sell wild Blood Bird’s Nests.

Fake Blood Bird’s Nests: How to Tell If You’re Blood Bird’s Nest is Authentic

Can you tell the difference between fake Blood Bird’s Nest and real Blood Bird’s Nest?

If you’ve had the courage and curiosity to try the prized soup, there’s a good chance you were so enamored by the new experience that you weren’t too concerned about whether or not what you were eating was fake.
Unfortunately, the Blood Bird’s Nest market is overrun with fake producers who are looking to cash in on what is a booming niche food market: one pound of Blood Bird’s Nests can sell for more than $4,000 per pound.
Couple that with tourists’ increasing interest in the Asian delicacy and you’ve got a formula for fraud.

Fake Blood Bird’s Nests: How to Tell If You’re Blood Bird’s Nest is Authentic

As experts in the edible bird’s-nest industry, our goal is to help you distinguish between fake Blood Bird’s Nests and authentic ones.
So, we’ve put together a list of things you’ll want to check once you’ve got your Blood Bird’s Nest in hand.

Blood Bird’s Nest: A Culinary Tradition

Before we jump into our list of ways to spot fake Blood Bird’s Nests, we want to give you a little background on Blood Bird’s Nest.
The soup has been popular in China for more than 1,000 years. It’s made with nests built from the saliva of the swiftlet, a bird native to several countries along the east coast of Asia, Malaysia, the Philippines and into the South Pacific.
The nests are harvested, cleaned and shipped to buyers around the world who use them in restaurants, give the nests as gifts or enjoy them in their own homemade soups.

Fake Blood Bird’s Nests: The Crumble Test

The biological make-up of a real Blood Bird’s Nest is such that, when you crumble it between your fingers, the nest breaks down into a powder like substance.
Man-made, chemical-based Blood Bird’s Nests are fragile just like the real version, but, when you try to crumble a fake between your fingers, it breaks off into big chunks.

Fake Blood Bird’s Nests: The Soak Test

An important part of making Blood Bird’s Nest is soaking the nest in water for 1-2 hours. This rehydration process gives the nest the consistency it needs to integrate into your soup.
Post-soak shape: Fake nests are more uniform
A real Blood Bird’s Nest will, after about 30 minutes, transform into a gelatinous, formless shape.
The fibers of the nest will be somewhat visible, but not nearly as uniform as they were when they were dry. You may also find a feather or two; this is completely normal.
Fake Blood Bird’s Nests, on the other hand, will maintain a uniform shape during the soaking process and will have a minor chemical or fatty/fried smell. The surface of the fake Blood Bird’s Nest will be bumpy.
Post-soak size: Fake nests don’t expand
Real Blood Bird’s Nest usually double in size after the soaking stage, whereas fake Blood Bird’s Nests remain the same size.
In fact, real nests can absorb up to seven to nine times their weight in water.
Soak color: Fake nests bleed
Arguably the most prized Blood Bird’s Nest type is the blood nest, a red Blood Bird’s Nest thought to be colored by blood in the swiftlet’s saliva.
Once your soak is done, the real red Blood Bird’s Nest will retain its blood-red color. The red coloring of a fake Blood Bird’s Nest will bleed into the water, a sign that artificial colors were used to tint the nest.

Soak Consistency: Fake nests cloud water

Because Blood Bird’s Nests are made from a swiftlet’s water-based saliva, they mix well with water. For example, if you were to stir a Blood Bird’s Nest while it was soaking, a bubbly foam would appear on the surface of the water.
Fake Blood Bird’s Nests are made from chemicals. So, if you were to stir a fake Blood Bird’s Nest, it would cloud the water instead of creating a surface foam.

Company: The Industry Leader in Authentic Blood Bird’s Nests

As we mentioned earlier, we emphasize quality control so that you can order your Blood Bird’s Nests without worry of fakes or counterfeits.
If you want to put your next Blood Bird’s Nest to the test, take a random nest from your order and soak it at room temperature for between one and two hours.
Company swiftlet nests will maintain their shape and expand considerably. You’ll be able to shred our nests just like you would boiled chicken – the nest will separate into long strands and the water will remain clear; no sediment or discoloration.

How to Cook Blood Bird’s Nest

Blood Bird’s Nest might be a delicacy, but there is no shortage of recipes for Blood Bird’s Nests.

Recipes range from simple ingredients and basic processes to ingredients as exotic as the nests themselves and painstaking steps for preparation.

Because of this, you have a lot of different options for how to cook Blood Bird’s Nest based on your skill level.

Over the next few minutes, we’ll cover how to prepare your Blood Bird’s Nest and how to cook it in a way that brings maximum flavor, texture and nutrition to your next meal.

Preparing Your Blood Bird’s Nest for Cooking

As you plan out your Blood Bird’s Nest, you should plan on using about 15g of Blood Bird’s Nest per person – a small kitchen scale will be helpful.

Soaking the Blood Bird’s Nests

Once you’ve got your nests selected and weighed, you’ll need to move on to the soak step.
We recommend soaking your Blood Bird’s Nest for 24 hours. Doing so rehydrates the nests, gives time for their yellow tint to fade and gives you a chance to spot any impurities.
Use a white bowl to soak your nests; the pale background helps you see dirt, feathers and other inclusions.
We suggest you change the water at least twice during this process, as small impurities and feathers tend to settle in the bowl.

How to Cook Blood Bird’s Nest

Removing impurities and foreign objects

If you spot any impurities – pinfeathers are common – use tweezers to remove them.
While the highest-grade nests will have fewer feathers and other impurities, plan on using a few minutes during the cooking prep process to inspect your soaked nests for leftover feathers and particles.
Once you’ve picked out the impurities, run the water and the nests through a hand-held strainer to ensure the nests are clean and foreign particles are filtered out.

Hot-water rinse

After the initial strain, place the nests back in your bowl and add hot water. This final step is one additional rinse – it is vitally important that you present the nests in their purest form.

Cooking Your Blood Bird’s Nest

Now that your Blood Bird’s Nests are clean, soft and ready to cook, you have a variety of options for authentic Blood Bird’s Nest dishes.
Egg and Ginger Blood Bird’s Nest
A popular version of Blood Bird’s Nest includes Company Blood Bird’s Nests, soy sauce, white pepper, ginger and egg whites.
Pour two cups of chicken stock into a small saucepan and add two slices of ginger. Add your Blood Bird’s Nests, a dash of rice cooking wine vinegar (2 tsp) and a splash of soy sauce (1 tsp).
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove ginger. Add a teaspoon of tapioca starch mixed with water.
The final step is to stir in one beaten egg white. The stirring is important here – it keeps the egg white from clumping up and provides an excellent aesthetic.
Garnish with small bits of diced ham and scallions.

Rock Sugar Blood Bird’s Nest

While many Blood Bird’s Nests are intended as a pre-dinner starter or part of the main course, there are a significant number of recipes devoted to using Blood Bird’s Nests as a dessert item.
One of the most popular methods of cooking a Blood Bird’s Nest dessert is boiling the nests with rock sugar, ginseng and red Chinese dates.
This recipe is pretty simple. Pour four cups of water into a small saucepan, add three to four slices of ginseng, five dried dates and two ounces of yellow rock sugar.
Bring to a boil, then let it cool to room temperature. Once the liquid has cooled, add two Blood Bird’s Nests and serve.

Reminders for Cooking Blood Bird’s Nests

When you’re boiling a soup that includes Blood Bird’s Nests, be sure to monitor the nests. If you leave them boiling for too long, they’ll dissolve into the water and lose their gelatin-like texture.
Second, be as methodical as you can with the cleaning process. You don’t want any feathers, bits of dirt or other objects in your food.
Tweezers are an excellent way to remove any foreign objects because they are precise – heavy-handed cleaning can break the nests fibers down into smaller chunks and mar the consistency of your dish.
We recommend using only the highest-grade nests for cooking. However, we offer varying levels of Blood Bird’s Nests ranging from AAA (highest) down to C (lowest). Our grading system accounts for color, size and shape.

Medicinal Value of High Quality Genuine Blood Bird’s Nest

Blood Bird’s Nest has been used as medicine for a long time. Literature witnesses the consumption of Blood Bird’s Nest as “Blood Bird’s Nest” by Chinese populations from almost 1200 years ago.

Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends Blood Bird’s Nest as one of the most important bioproducts with health improving effects such as growth promoting, anti-aging, immunity boosting, anti-cancer, anti-aging, dissolving phlegm, immunity-enchancing, alleviating asthma, curing tuberculosis, stomach ulcers and hematemesis, suppressing cough, improving voice, etc.
The uniqueness of Blood Bird’s Nest in TCM is mainly due to its dual nature as it is being used as medicine on one hand and food on the other hand. There has been significant amount of research of Blood Bird’s Nest as medicine, and some of the findings are discussed in the following sub-sections.

Medicinal Value of High Quality Genuine Blood Bird’s Nest

Anticancer Properties

Cancer stands as the second most deadly disease after cardiovascular diseases. It has created major public health havoc globally and, therefore, the agents for its treatment have always been in great demands.
Natural products as anticancer agents have always been appealing to researches owing to their promising effects within large safety margins. Presently, several natural product-based anticancer agents are used for treating different cancers. Rashed and Nazaimoon demonstrated the effects of Blood Bird’s Nest on the proliferation of caco-2 cells by using the MTT assay.
The edibe Blood Bird’s Nest samples were collected from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Kuala Lumpur comprising of two commercial brands and four unprocesed samples. Only 84 and 115% cells were found to proliferate on treatment with the two commercial Blood Bird’s Nest samples. However, 91, 35 and 47% cells proliferations, respectively were reported on treatment with unprocessed Blood Bird’s Nest samples from East Coast, North and South Zones. These results suggested the anticancer potential of Blood Bird’s Nest.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) defines a group of medical and health care systems, practices and products, which are not considered as part of conventional medicine. In Singapore, both cancer patients from western and eastern cultures were exposed to CAM ranging from health supplements to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), traditional Malay (Jamu) medicine and traditional Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine. CAM usage is quite popular among cancer patients. Dietary changes, health supplements, herbal tea and Blood Bird’s Nest were the main threapeutic ingredients of CAM.
There are documented usage of Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Singaporean adult cancer patients. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was completed by 403 adult cancer patients under treatment at the Ambulatory Treatment Unit of National Cancer Centre Singapore, among all the patients, 46% testified CAM usage including TCM, Blood Bird’s Nest and special diet. 54% respondents updated their oncologists about CAM usage and interestingly, 66.4% of the oncologists agreed with CAM usage. The effective working of CAM against cancer was felt by majority of the patients.
This report indicates the benefits of the the consumption of Blood Bird’s Nest in cancer patients, however, it is very important for health-care professionals to be updated with Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research and to actively provide appropriate advise and counselling.
Of course, the studies involving the anticancer evaluation of Blood Bird’s Nest and its extracts have not been carried out over a large range of cancer cells. Only one preliminary study was found in the literature. One of the reasons for the lack of research may be that Blood Bird’s Nest is a rich food and, therefore, a growth promoter, and it is unlikely to kill cancer cells. However, this may not be true as well. Therefore, it is important to screen Blood Bird’s Nest over a range of cancer cell lines before any meaningful conclusion can be drawn.

Antiviral Properties

Viruses are microscopic infectious agents that replicate only inside living cells of orther organisms. They infect all life forms including animals, plants, bacteria and archaea. Viruses exhibit several structural and biochemical effects on host cells, the cytopathic effects. Most of the viral infections lead to the lysis of cells, alterations in cell membranes and ultimately the death of host cells. Cold, influenza, chickenpox, cold sores, AIDS, avian influenza and SARS, etc. are some of the most common diseases caused by viral infections.
Influenza is a viral infection caused by influenza virus. Its symptoms include high fever sore throat, runny nose, muscle pains, headache coughing and tired feeling Blood Bird’s Nest helps to neutralize influenza virus infection in MDCK cells and also causes the inhibition of hemmaglutination of human erythrocytes caused by influenza A viruses.
After hydrolyzation with Pancreatin F, Blood Bird’s Nest inhibits the infection caused by human, avian, and porcine influenza viruses in a host range-independent manner. However, Blood Bird’s Nest does not inhibit influenza virus sialidase, and the active inhibiting ingredient of Blood Bird’s Nest is susceptible to neuraminidase of influenza virus of all strains.
The Collocalia mucoid is an established substrate for influenza virus sialidase, wherein the inhibition can be destroyed by neuraminidase to some extend. Owing to the activites of Blood Bird’s Nest against influenza viruses, the presence of a mixture of inhibitory substances in Blood Bird’s Nest was suggested.
It was demonstrated by further studies that N-acetylneurominic acid, which is the major ingredient in Blood Bird’s Nest might be responsible for this activity. It was very interesting to note that Blood Bird’s Nest showed no side effects such as hemolysis and cytolysis on erythrocytes and MDCK cells even at high 4mg/ml. Thus, Blood Bird’s Nest with molecules smaller than 25 kDa after Pancreatin F treatment will be an effective and safe material as anti-virus. Further studies were carried out in this direction by Yagi and co-workers who demonstrated the N-glycosylation profile of Blood Bird’s Nest. A tri-antennary N-glycan containing the alpha 2,3-N-acetylneuraminic acid residues was displayed as a major component. The sialylated high antennary N-glycans were thought responsible for the inhibition of influenza viral infection.
A thorough look into the literature indicated that there are not so many studies that could fully demonstrate the antiviral properties of Blood Bird’s Nest, and therefore, further studies are needed against different pathogenic viruses to fully explore the antiviral properties of Blood Bird’s Nest. Further, it would be more advantageous if some studies are carried out wherein Blood Bird’s Nest are synergistically evaluated for antiviral properties with other antiviral agents.

Proliferation Effects on Human Adipose-derived Stem Cells

Stem cells represent a class of undifferentiated cells with ability of self-renewal, and differentiation into more than one types of cells. Generally, adipose stem cells (ASC’s) occur in almost every type of white adipose tisue. The pluripotent ASC’s differentiate into most of the mesenchymal cell types including adipocytes, chondrocytes, osteoblasts and mycocytes. The mesodermal origin of adipose cells make unlikely their differntiation into neural tissue of ectodermal origin. However, in vitro exposure to anti-oxidants makes adipose cells assume a bipolar morphology similar to neuronal cells. Stem cells are functionally vital for the repair of regeneration of damaged or diseased tissues. ASCs have been suggested as the best among the mesenchymal stem cells because of sufficient reverlations of their pluripotency, proliferating power and low donor morbidity. They are attractive candidates in regenerative medicine because they can be harvested in large numbers with low donor-site morbidity.
Roh and associates reported the proliferation of hADSCs by treatment with Blood Bird’s Nest. Blood Bird’s Nest strongly promoted the proliferation of hADSCs via the production of IL-6 and VEGF. IL-6 and VEGF production was triggered by the activation of AP-1 and NF-kB. Interestingly the production of IL-6 and VEGF was promoted by Blood Bird’s Nest. The Production of IL-6 and VEGF was inhibited by PD98059 (ap44/42 MAPK inhibitor) and PDTC (a NF –kB inhibitor), but not SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor). Similarly, Blood Bird’s Nest-induced proliferation of hADSC was also reduced by PD98059, SB203580 and PDTC but not SP600125. This report favoured the fact that Blood Bird’s Nest-induced proliferation of hADSCs primarily occurred through augmented expression of IL-6 and VEGF genes, which was mediated by activation of NF-kB and AP-1 through p44/42 MAPK and p38 MAPK.

Epidermal Growth Factor like Property

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) causes the proliferation, growth and differentiation of cells by binding to its receptor EGFR. Human EGF is a 6045 Da protein containing of 53 amino acids residues with three intramolecular disulfide bonds. EGF is known to bind to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) with high affinity on cell surface. This binding interaction stimulates ligant-induced dimerization, which in turn activates the intrinsic protein-tyrosine kinase activity of the receptor.
The activation of tyrosine kinase activity results in a signal transduction cascade causing several biochemical changes within the cell, the rise in intracellular calsium levels, increased glycolysis and protein synthesis, and the expression of certain genes including the gene for EGFR. All these cellular changes ultimately lead to DNA synthesis and cell proliferation. Kong and associates demonstrate for the first time that some ingredient is present in Blood Bird’s Nest with EGF-like activity. The authors observed that the EGF-like agent in Blood Bird’s Nest stimulated thymidine incorporation in quiescent culture of 3T3 fibroblasts.
A critical analysis indicates that the EGF-like component of Blood Bird’s Nest may be responsible for its rejuvenating properties. However, studies are needed to identify the substance, elucidate its structure and explore its possible potential for other biological effects alone, and in Blood Bird’s Nest as a formulation both in vitro and in vivo.

Bone Strength Enchancement

Bones are hard and strong structures in human body forming the skeleton system and provide enormous support and protection to important organs of the body. Besides, bones are the resevoirs of red and white blood cell production, store minerals in addition to helping in movements and locomotion.
It is a well-known fact that strong bones make a strong body and vice versa. Matsukawa and co-workers documented that the enhancement in bone strength and dermal thickness due to supply of Blood Bird’s Nest in diet in ovariectomized rats.
They observed that oral administration of Blood Bird’s Nest enhanced calcium concentration and therefore, bone strength in femur of ovariectomized rats was improved. Additionally, ermal thickness also increased by the administration of Blood Bird’s Nest. However, Blood Bird’s Nest had no effect on the serum estradiol concentration. These results were an indication of the fact that EBNE was effective in the improvement of bone strength and skin anti-aging in postmenopausal women.
Osteoarthritis (OA); a degenerative disease degrades joints including articular cartilage and subchondral bone This disease is characterized by acute pain and often causes loss of ability and stiffness. Blood Bird’s Nest has been documented to contain some important ingredients reducing the development of osteoarthritis and helping the regeneration of cartilage.
The effect of Blood Bird’s Nest on the catabolic and anabolic biochemical activities of the human articular chondorcytes (HACs) isolated from the knee join of OA patients was described by Chua. The study indicated that 0.50-1.00% of the Blood Bird’s Nest hot-water extract addition promoted the proliferation of HACs. Besides, the reduction in the expression of catabolic genes such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMP1 & MMP3), Interleukin 1, 6 and 8 (IL-1, IL-6, IL8), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cultured HACs was observed due to Blood Bird’s Nest supplementation. Additionally, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) Production was significantly reduced in HACs. However, type II collagen, Aggrecan and SOX-9 gene expressions in addition to sGAG production was increased as revelaed by anabolic activity assessment. This report revealed the in vitro chondro-protection potential of EBNE on human articular chondrocytes. Thus, Blood Bird’s Nest may be suggested as a potential agent for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Eye Care Properties

Eyes are the sensory organs that react to light resulting into the sensation of sight. Rod and cone cells forming retina allow conscious light perception and vision. Human eye distinguishes approximately 10 millin colours. Cornea forms the transparent frontal portion of the eye covering iris, pupil and the anterior chamber; and consists of three cell layers: epithelium, stroma, and endothelium.
Each layer carries specific function and ensure the optimal functioning of cornea in normal mission in addition to acting as protective barrier from external environment. Corneal stroma, which is filled by keratocytes bound by extracellular matrix forms about 90% of the corneal volume.
Keratocytes originate from mesenchyma of the corneal stroma and ensure the synthesis and maintenance of the extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The cornea is generally damaged by injuries such as abrasions, localized burns or surface or depth injuries.
For the development of medications for the care of keratocytes; Zainal Abidin demonstrated the effects of Blood Bird’s Nest on rabbit corneal keratocytes. The Blood Bird’s Nest effects were investigated on six New Zealand White Rabbits using MTT assay in FDS and FD. The highest cell proliferation was observed when both edia were supplied with 0.05% and 0.1% Blood Bird’s Nest, and cell proliferation was consistently higher in FDS compared to FD. The corneal keratocytes conserved their phenotypes with Blood Bird’s Nest addition, which was confirmed by phase contrast micrograph and gene expression analysis. This report revealed the fact that low Blood Bird’s Nest concentration synergistically induced cell proliferation, especially in serum containing medium. This is a very important breakthrough since both cellular proliferation and proper functioning maintenance are essential during corneal wound healing.

Neuroprotective Properties

Neurodegeneration involves the progressive loss of the structure and function of the basic units of nervous system, neurons. Neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s occur as eventual results of neurodegenerative processes.
Globally Parkinson’s disease, an age-related progressive neurodegeneration was estimated to be prevalent in approximately 9 million people over the age of 50 years by the end of 2030. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra and consequently leading to dopamin depletion in the striatum. In addition, abnormal accumulation of a-synuclein has also been reported in surviving neurons. The dopamine depletion wanes motor functions and causes the patients to show clinical signs including tremor, rigidity and slow responsiveness. Yew investigated the effect of Blood Bird’s Nest on SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. It was observed that the crude EBNE did not cause the death of SH-SY5Y cells up to 75 ,ug/ml concentrations. Besides, the maximum non-toxic dose (MNTD) of water extract of Blood Bird’s Nest was double to that of crude extract. Moreover, the intensity of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced apoptopic changes in SH-SY5Y cells reduced by Blood Bird’s Nest treatment, which was clear from morphological and nuclear staining observations. Further, it was interesting to note the improvement in cell viability with crude Blood Bird’s Nest extract in coparison to the water extract. However, water extract was more potent in improving ROS build up, early apoptotic membrane phosphatidylserine externalization and the inhibition of caspase-3 cleavage. It is quite evident from this reearch article that Blood Bird’s Nest induce neuroprotective effects agains 6-6-hydroxydopamine-induced degeneration of dopaminergic neurons via the inhibition of apoptosis and, hence, may serve a possible nutraceutical option for the protection against oxidative stress-relateive neurodegenerative disorders.

Anti-oxidant Properties

There are several anti-oxidant systems within the human body that negotiate the oxidative stress from regular metabolic processes. Additionally, the dietary anti-oxidants also fight with the cell-damaging effects of free radicals. Dietary anti-oxidants may act either independently or in association with the endogeneous systems, and have always been beneficent to human health. Their absence in diet causes several diseases due to unrestricted oxidative stress. Several fruits and vegetables have exhibited protective effects against some cancers and other diseases. This is the reason that the people regularly consuming anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables have lesser frequencies of these of diseases.
Blood Bird’s Nest has been shown to to display anti-oxidant properties as it contains several bioactive compounds such as glucosamine, lactoferrin, sialic acid, amino acids, fatty acids, triacyglycerol, minerals, vitamins and other anti-oxidants. The in vitro bioaccessibility and anti-oxidant properties of water extracts of Blood Bird’s Nest are documented by Yida by using ABTS and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays. The undigested water extract of Blood Bird’s Nest demonstrated a little anti-oxidant activity (1 and 1% respectively at 1000 ,ug/mL) in comparison to the digested samples at similar concentrations (38 and 50%, respectively). Importantly, the Blood Bird’s Nest extract were non-toxic towards HEPG2 cells and showed protective effects from hydrogen peroxide induced-toxicity towards HEPG2 cells. This study indicated that the digestion in gut releases the bioactive components of Blood Bird’s Nest from their matrix, which are then absorbsed by passive transport. However, in vivo studies are needed to determine their further clinical significance.

Miscelleneous Properties

Obviously, Blood Bird’s Nest is a nutritious food material and displays a broad spectrum of biological activities. The presence of health promoting ingredients in Blood Bird’s Nest, and its use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM); have made it a subject of great interest. In addition to the biological activities of Blood Bird’s Nest mentioned in the above sub-sections, it has exhibited several other biologically important properties such as lecin binding properties, cure to asthma, dry coughs, tuberculosis, stomach ulcer and gastric troubles.
There has been a great demand of skin care therapies including creams, analgesics, anti-acne and moisturizers throughout the world. Blood Bird’s Nest has the reputation for skin texture and complexion improving properties among the Chinese communities. Its consumption is known to help retain youthfulness and a clean clear facial complexion.
Blood Bird’s Nest also used for skin texture improvements in babies with frequent skin rash outbreaks. Some companies developed a skin-whitening/moisturizing eye mask with compositions of sargassum, Blood Bird’s Nest, hydrolyzed pearl, aloe juice, anglica dahurica powder, soybean protein, euphorbia lathryris, butanediol, tri-thyglycine by weight parts. The formulation was very useful for moisturizing and nourishing skin around the eyes. Besides, it was also quite useful for the treatment of dark circles around eyes, and the repar of the elasticity of skin around eyes.
Li and Peng developed a super elastic moisturizing face mask essence with compositions of WSK Tremella fuciformis extract, hydrolyzed soy protein, allantoin, EDTA-disodium, glycerol, betaine, propanediol, carbopol, triethanolamine, flavour and antiseptic by weights percents, and water as balance. Tremella fuciformis extracts and hyaluronic acid continuosly ensured the release of moisturizing factor, and lock moisture and vitamin E. This mechanism leads to skin nourishment and moisturization, and therefore increasing skin activity along with the enchancement of skin barrier to obtain ideal moisture state.
Blood Bird’s Nest is very useful to people with poor digestion, recovering from illness, and children with weak appetite. It is an easily digestible food and delivers essential nutrients into the body and therefore, brings health to those who are weak. Good quality Blood Bird’s Nest, like the ones supplied by the Company, consumption is beneficent for the restoration of lung functions and in people with dry cough and periodic sputum stains, e.g., in heavy smokers. High quality genuine Blood Bird’s Nest is very beneficial to pregnant women before and after child birth. Pregnant women who consume Blood Bird’s Nest recover faster after delivery of healthy and fair skinned babies, and experience considerably lesser hair loss. For post-pregnancy health of women, the supplementary of Blood Bird’s Nest or drinks provide more energy, better sleep, and give the feeling of vitality to the mothers.
Nephiritis is a painful disorder characterized by the inflammation of kidneys. Glomeruli, tubules and even interstitial tissues surrounding the glomeruli and tubules are jointly involved in this complication. Nephritis is basically caused by infections, some toxins and auto-immune disorders. It is a serious medical condition and represents the eighth highest cause of death in human beings.
Experts formulated a Chinese medicine to treat nephiritis with Blood Bird’s Nest as one of the ingredients. The formulation was prepared by slicing Panax quinquefolium, soaking the Blood Bird’s Nest with water, adding chicken soup and smashing rock sugars in it. Finally, all the contents were decocted for 2 hours. The preparation was highly useful in providing therapeutic relief to nephritic patients.
In conclusion, it can be said that high quality Blood Bird’s Nest is a versatile food with a range of beneficial health effects. Several cosmetical products using Blood Bird’s Nest as one of the ingredients have already hit the market with great responses. However, its investigations for the treatment of diseases are still in early stages. Therefore, more research is needed to fully explore its potential as a product of breakthrough for its medicinal properties.