Copycat Trader Joe’s Vegetable Bird’s Nests Recipe (Kakiage Tempura) – FOOD is Four Letter Word (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in Trader Joe's bird's nest? ›

Nutrition Label

(tempura Mix, (wheat Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder (sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Salt, Glucose, Beta Carotene (color)), Onion, Carrot, Kale), Soy Dipping Sauce (water, Fermented Soybeans, Sugar, Cornstarch, Yeast Extract, Expeller Pressed Soybean Oil).

We've reviewed one other tempura dish from TJ's, which got a low-ish score, although this extraordinarily unique vegetable tempura concoction redeems Trader Joe's reputation with tempura completely, at least in my book.

I air fry them on 350° for 10 minutes (flipping halfway through) and they come out perfectly crispy with no oil! I usually dip them in TJ's Sweet Chili Sauce, which is another one of my all time favorite products🌶

The truly bizarre secret ingredient: saliva. Male birds gorge themselves on seaweed, which causes them to salivate like a Labradoodle at a picnic. Saliva threads, which contain a bonding protein called mucilage, spew out of the bird's mouth. Once dry, the saliva acts as cement.

Edible bird nest contains mainly carbohydrates, amino acids and mineral salts. The major ingredients of edible bird nest are glycoproteins [2]. Sialic acid (9%) is the major carbohydrates found in edible bird nest.

This tempura batter is delicate, light, and soooo crispy! It's a blend of egg yolks (save the whites for breakfast), ice water, all-purpose flour, and cornstarch. It's important to not over mix the batter, to keep it light. It's good to see a few lumps in the batter.

Kakiage is a type of tempura made with mixed vegetable strips, such as onion, carrot, and burdock, and sometimes including shrimp or squid, which are deep fried as small round fritters.

Kakiage (かき揚げ)

Kakiage is a type of tempura patty made out of a variety of julienned vegetables and seafood mixed together in tempura batter and deep fried. Kakiage may be served as an appetizer or side dish, or as a topping over rice or noodles.

Birds use a range of materials to build their nests, including sticks, lichen, spider silk, bark and mud. Different birds make different nests. Some nests are as simple as a scrape on the ground, others are carefully engineered structures.

Is bird nest healthy? ›

Bird's nest health benefits include overall immune system improvement and energy-boosting. Edible bird's nests have a certain type of protein that accelerates the creation of B cells, which are the white blood cells that produce antibodies that are meant to protect you from illnesses.

It has been consumed for centuries due to their perceived health benefits and nutritional value. They are rich in collagen, essential amino acids, and minerals. Bird's nests are believed to have nourishing properties that can improve digestion, boost the immune system, and enhance overall vitality.

It's the high cost of these saliva nests that makes bird's nest soup so expensive. Here in New York City's Chinatown, for example, a couple dozen were selling for more than a thousand dollars. Until recently, the most common way of getting the nests was by harvesting them from the wild.