Treasured in Chinese medicine, the bird's nest is a traditional food that in ancient times was enjoyed only by royal families. It can be stewed, but Dong Yuzhen takes the fragile morsel back to its imperial glory. The executive Chinese chef of the Shang Restaurant at the Futian Shangri-La in Shenzhen fries bird's nest and egg white with a few drops of milk, and serves it in an outer crust of deep-fried spring-roll flour that is not a bit greasy. The combination of crystal bird's nest, bright egg white and golden crust gives the dish an elegant look, while the egg white's chewiness parlayed against the crispy pastry makes the package as interesting to eat as to look at. It's 138 yuan ($22) per person.

Shang Restaurant, Futian Shangri-La, 4088 Yitian Road, Futian district, Shenzhen. 755-8828-4088.

(China Daily 01/20/2015 page24)