Every Chinese New Year, people get frantic over savouries. Pencai, yusheng, fatt choy, Buddha Jumps Over The Wall, fish maw soup—all these tend to get the limelight on the reunion dinner table. What we often neglect, though, are desserts. A heavy meal needs something refreshing to end it, so for that, I’ve come up with three easy dessert recipes centred around a CNY favourite treat: bird’s nest.
Most of us enjoy bird’s nest for its health benefits, especially for its immunity-boosting and anti-ageing properties. While we’re mostly used to having warm bowls made from soaking bird’s nest overnight, New Moon has a selection of convenient bottled bird’s nest beverages that are also easy to use as an ingredient in post-reunion dinner desserts.
Try them out with our 3 bird’s nest dessert recipes, including bird’s nest ice jelly and matcha jelly bubble tea.
Ice jelly, or aiyu jelly, is a very easy dessert to make, and is a lovely palate cleanser. Instead of using lime and sugar, I’ve come up with a healthier, more IG-worthy alternative, starring butterfly pea and osmanthus tea, as well as New Moon’s Bird’s Nest with White Fungus.
New Moon’s Bird’s Nest with White Fungus features generous threads of silky bird’s nest and white fungus, as well as a lightly-sweetened syrup, so you won’t have to worry too much about the sugar content of this jelly.
To balance out the butterfly tea and osmanthus flavours, I’ve chosen some Mili Longan in Light Syrup to dress the bowl, giving it a fruity, familiar finish.
This Bird’s Nest Butterfly Pea Ice Jelly only takes 15 minutes to cook, and an hour to set in the fridge. Set them in small bowls, individual jelly moulds, or a large bowl, depending on your preference for presentation.
Yield: Serves 8
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 packet of ice or konnyaku jelly powder
1 tbsp osmanthus flowers
1 tbsp butterfly pea flowers
3 bottles of New Moon Bird’s Nest with White Fungus
150g sugar
Water
1 can Mili Longan in Light Syrup
Ice cubes
Directions:
When it comes to Asian desserts, Hong Kong-style mango sago pudding is one of the most iconic, hence my idea to create a Mango Pudding with Bird’s Nest Sago.
Apart from sago, you often see this comforting pudding topped with white fungus, which inspired a twist on the sago topping with New Moon’s Bird’s Nest with White Fungus.
Made with no artificial flavourings and no preservatives, this collagen-rich beverage is tasty enough to drink on its own. When used as a topping for pudding, it brings a soft, jelly-like texture that enhances the QQ sago balls.
Pro-tip: store-bought mango puree can be pricey, so make your own by blitzing fresh mango in a food processor or blender, and straining it before use.
Feel free to let the pudding set in bowls if you don’t have pots, but do note that the yield may be lesser.
Yield: 10 pots
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup mango puree
1 cup + ⅓ cup coconut milk or evaporated milk
½ cup sugar
½ cup hot water
1 tbsp unflavoured gelatin powder
½ cup diced fresh mango
½ cup sago pearls
2 bottles New Moon Bird’s Nest with White Fungus
1 litre water
Directions:
Recipe adapted from Little Sweet Baker.
I’m reviving the days when fresh milk with jelly was a hot bubble tea favourite with this recipe for Matcha Fresh Milk with Bird’s Nest Jelly. It’s also a great drink to serve guests during bai nian, instead of fizzy, processed beverages.
The drink has a base of antioxidant-rich matcha layered over fresh milk, and an ultra-easy-to-make bird’s nest jelly. I used the New Moon Superior Bird’s Nest Strips with Rock Sugar for this, as each 75g bottle is just right for a single serving of jelly. Also, the rock sugar helps sweeten the bitter matcha if you don’t want additional sweeteners.
Do note that the jelly needs a minimum of two hours to set.
If you do find that you need more sugar in the drink, though, feel free to make your own simple syrup by boiling one cup of sugar with one cup of water, and stirring till the sugar dissolves. One tablespoon of this simple syrup per serving should do.
Alternatively, create your own bubble tea creation with this jelly base to serve your family and friends. From earl grey to Thai milk tea, it’s really up to your tastes. Feel free to tailor the measurements if your glasses at home are smaller.
Yield: 1 serving
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tsp matcha powder
1 cup cold water
1 cup fresh milk
1 bottle New Moon Bird’s Nest Strips with Rock Sugar
½ tbsp unflavoured gelatin powder
½ tbsp hot water
1 tbsp simple syrup, optional
Ice
Directions:
This Chinese New Year, end your feasts on a light, sweet note with New Moon’s Superior Bird’s Nest Strips with Rock Sugar, and Bird’s Nest with White Fungus & Rock Sugar. New Moon Bird’s Nest White Fungus & Rock Sugar are priced at $19.90 (U.P $39.80) for a pack of six, and $49.80 (U.P. $139.60) for a pack of 24 exclusively for the festive season at selected FairPrice outlets. New Moon’s Superior Bird’s Nest Strips with Rock Sugar is having a promotion at $39.90 (U.P. $46.90).
Apart from their use as an ingredient in bird’s nest desserts, they’re great to enjoy on their own, especially chilled, after a long day of bai nian. Stock up on cartons of New Moon bird’s nest products and bring a toast of health to your loved ones this festive season.
The bird’s nest items and more New Moon products are now available on the New Moon website, major supermarkets, pharmacies, and petrol kiosks islandwide. They are also sold on major online marketplaces, while stocks last.
For more reunion dinner ideas, check out our easy tuan yuan fan recipes to create a banquet-style reunion dinner under two hours.
Photos taken by John Lery Villanueva.
This post was brought to you by New Moon.
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