Now I show them how to process the seaweed and birds nest.
"Gentlemen, you know these ingredients, right? These are ingredients that I ask you to process yesterday. Now I will show you how to process it. First, this bird nest, since it will take longer time, let process this ingredient first. Can you put this on a pot and soak it with warm water?"
"Yes, young master"
A cooks immediately bring a pot and take the birds nest from my hand to soak it with warm water.
"Alright, are we having chicken meat or pork loin too?"
"Yes, we have them, young master"
"Good, please make some parboiled meat from those meats for me"
"Right away, young master"
The cooks immediately make what I ask from them
The birds nest that I pick from the cave in the cliff has the white color. According to my knowledge, white birds nest is the most expensive among other birds nests which also have yellow and red color. The price can reach US$ 4,500 per pounds for white color birds nest. That's why I treat them carefully. Since bird's nest made from hardened saliva of swallows bird, it can dissolute if boiled directly in high temperature.
The right way to process this ingredient is by soaking them in cold water, this meant to remove any impurities like feather or dirt that still attached to the nest beside to make the nest a bit softened. When the nest is ready to cook, it should not directly cook on the pot but use slow cooker method, which put the nest in a smaller pot with water before putting the smaller pot into a larger pot filled with water before simmering the pot for couple hours.
Bird's nest soup is nutritious and delicious! This savory soup is perfect to warm up to after a cold day. Coveted for its rich proteins and minerals, taking bird's nest regularly helps stimulate the appetite, speed recovery from illness, invigorate the lungs, boost immunity, and improve the body's overall metabolic functions. The bird's nest lends a delicate egg-like aroma to the soup and delightful silky firm texture when bitten into.
Ingredients
• Meat choices: skinless chicken, pork loin, partridge
• 10 ounce dried bird's nest
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Additional salt for seasoning
Directions
1. Soak bird's nest in warm water to soften. Drain and rinse. Remove any excess feathers, if any.
2. Parboil meat and rinse with cold water to rid of excess fat.
3. Put parboiled meat and salt in a double boiler and add enough hot water to barely cover ingredients.
4. Place in a pot half submerged in water.
5. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for 2 hours.
6. Remove and add salt (if desired) before serving.
7. Serve hot and enjoy!
When all birds nest already put in the pot and simmered on the stove, while waiting for its cooked, I teach the cooks about processing the seaweeds.
"Thank you, gentlemen, now while waiting the birds nest dish done, I will show how to process this seaweeds ingredient, please prepare some other ingredients too"
I show the seaweeds in my hand to the cooks.
"I will need vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, salt, ginger essence, and scallion that chopped finely into small slices"
"We will get them immediately young master"
The cooks go to take the spices that I ask from them and prepare it in the table in front of me.
"Thanks, it doesn't need a long time to process this dried seaweed gentlemen. Just soak them in cold water for some minutes to make it tender and add some spices only. Can you give me a big bowl with cold water here?"
A cooks get me what I needed and put it in the table.
"Thank you, now I shall show you how to process this seaweeds ingredient"
Ingredients
• 30 grams (1 ounce) dry mixed seaweed
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar (you can substitute a 1/2 tablespoon agave)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
Cooking direction:
1. Put the dry seaweed in a large bowl and fill it with cold water. If you like your seaweed crunchy, soak it for 5 minutes, if you like it more tender, soak it for 10 minutes.
2. To make the dressing, combine the rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt and ginger juice in a small bowl and whisk together.
3. Drain the seaweed and use your hands to squeeze out excess water. Wipe out any excess water in the bowl, and then return the seaweed along with the dressing and sesame seeds. Toss thoroughly to combine. Plate the salad and garnish with scallions.
After finish made wakame salad and while waiting the birds nest soup done, I use the time to enhanced castle cooks knowledge about cooking. Like how to make the good dough and best ratio between flour and dough and explain them about the yeast.
"Guys, tell me how you usually make bread. Are you use certain measurement between the flour and water that you use to make the dough?"
"Err…we usually make it by pour the flour in the bowl and add the water little by little until the dough made from mixtures between flour and water. If the dough feels sticky we just add more flour to the dough"
Ugh! Just as I thought, they don't use certain measurement to make the dough. As long as the dough looks good they just baked it immediately.
"Start from now, change the way you make dough guys. Use a certain measurement to make the dough become good bread. Use this cup for example, with this composition of ingredients, you can make good dough for nice bread"
• 1½ cups warm water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. yeast
• 3½ cups flour
• 1 tsp Salt
That's the ratio for flour and water I gave to the cooks to make the dough.
"And this thing I add to the dough before called yeast. This makes the bread's texture become soft. Keep this ingredient here and you can use it to make bread again tomorrow using the composition that I just told you. And this other ingredient that I use to process seaweeds called soy sauce, keep this ingredient in here also for seaweed cooking in another day"
I handed the jars with yeast and soy sauce to the cooks
"Young master…we can use this yeast to make bread? Really?"
"Sure, I want everyone in this castle can enjoy eating good bread as well. Tell me if the yeast about to run out"
I don't know how long 1 kilogram of yeast will last to make bread for whole castle resident, but I hope it can last for several days. If I must buy yeast every day from the online shop, that would be bothersome because I also want to buy another ingredient or other things from there.