Bamboo rice • Banana rice • Mochi • Bird’s nest fern I three ways

A: Fern salad: bird’s nest fern, salad dressing.

B: Fried fern: bird’s nest fern, all purpose flour, eggs.

C: Fern and dry anchovy stir-fry: bird’s nest fern, dried anchovies, fermented beans.

1. Harvesting bird’s nest fern. For our experimental course, we asked Ms. Hsiu-shu Wen of community, who plants a lot of bird’s nest fern, to teach us how to harvest the fern. Ms. Wen told us that we should look for the curling tender shoots of the bird’s nest fern, and break it off about 15 centimeters from its tip. When we tried harvesting ourselves, the tender leaves of the bird’s nest fern broke off with a crisp sound. While we were in the fern garden, Ms. Wen kindly reminded us to watch out for poisonous snakes that might be hiding under the fallen leaves, which made us all really nervous and jumpy during our harvest. Fortunately, we completed our mission of harvesting bird’s nest fern without further incident!

2. Washing bird’s nest fern. We thought bird’s nest fern could be directly cooked just as it is, but Ms. Hsiu-shu Wen told us that the fine fuzz on the tender shoot of the bird’s nest fern to give it a better taste and texture.

A. Bird’s nest fern salad:

1. Break the fully washed fern leaves into segments of 4 or 5 centimeters, blanch them in boiling water, and when the leaves change color cool them immediately in ice water. Ms. Hsiu-shu Wen reminded us that a little bit of cooking oil and salt can be added to the boiling water to help retain the fern’s fresh green color.

2. Drain the leaves dry of ice water, place them into a dish, and squeeze on some salad dressing! Now wasn’t that simple! [up]

B. Fried bird’s nest fern:

1. Add two eggs to a packet of all purpose flour, then add some water and mix well.

2. Break the fully washed fern leaves into segments of 4 or 5 centimeters, dip them in the batter, and fry them in hot oil. When the battered leaves turn a golden color, remove from the pot and drain dry.

3.Freshly fried bird’s nest fern is steaming and fragrant, and tastes great when seasoned with salt and pepper. When you bite through the crisp batter, you get a taste of the crunchiness of the fern leaves. It’s the kind of dish you can’t help asking more of, and is our favorite pick from all the dishes we made.[up]

 C. Fern and dry anchovy stir-fry:

1. Pour a little oil into a cooking pot, and fry the dried anchovies and fermented beans.

2. Add the fully washed fern leaf pieces, a little water, and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes on high heat. If you cook the fern leaves for too long they become wilted and yellow!

3. Dried anchovies and fermented beans are both salty ingredients, so it’s okay to not add any salt. If you like heavier dishes, you may add a little salt towards the ending of the cooking process.

4. Freshly stir-fried bird’s nest fern has a sparkly glaze. The wonderful crunchy texture and salty flavor of the anchovies and fermented beans makes you wish for bowl of rice to go with it! [up]

1. How do you harvest bird’s nest fern?

When harvesting bird’s nest fern, you can use scissors of knives, but the easiest way is just to break it off with your hands. If you use a knife, be careful not to cut yourself. Bird’s nest ferns must be planted in gardens, so watch out for the snakes and biting insects that also live in the habitat.

2. Where can you find bird’s nest fern?

Bird’s nest ferns are usually found in the mountains, but for convenience sake, farmers cultivate them on flatlands as well. Bird’s nest fern belongs to the fern species, and has a fresh, crispy texture.

3. Which part of the fern should you use for stir-fries?

Always pick the tender parts of bird’s nest fern and remove any tough parts. Before you stir-fry anything, always make sure it is washed completely clean, therefore bird’s nest fern must always be fully washed in clean water then drained dry before it’s okay to pop it into the pot.

4. What other details do you need to pay attention to when making fern stir-fry?

Don’t stand too near the pot when stir-frying, and don’t use too much oil when cooking bird’s nest fern. Keep the stove on high heat, move fast, and never cover the pot with a lid when you stir-fry either ferns or any other vegetables. They are usually ready in just 3 to 5 minutes.

Bird’s nest fern retains its crunchy texture if you stir-fry it lightly, if you overcook it, it loses its unique taste and texture. The amount of bird’s nest fern you need to prepare depends on how many people there are, if there are many to feed, you can always cook a little more.

5. Can bird’s nest fern cooked in other ways?

There are many ways of cooking bird’s nest fern. You can deep fry it, stir-fry, or make it into a cold dish. If you’re making a salad, blanch the bird’s nest fern in boiling water, then add some dressing; if you’re deep frying it, you would need flour and eggs, salt and pepper, as well as oil; if you’re stir-frying it, you can pair it up with strips of meat, fermented beans, garlic or dried anchovies. You may use either regular cooking oil or black sesame oil, but whatever you use don’t put too much of it.[up]

Reference:
1. 2011.4.29, Sinbaiyang Cultural Information Club Experimental Course Process (Fried fern: bird’s nest fern)

2. Jianching Village, Wanrong Township, Hualien County. Interviewee: Ms. Li-lan Wang, Ms. Xiu-shu Wen, , Date of Interview: 2011.5.26