One Way to Utilize Leftover Lady Fingers - Coffee and Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

I made some tiramisu a while back, the non-alcoholic version. So I got a pack of lady fingers but ended up with more than half of the portion unused. That's why this ice cream cake recipe was born, just a simply way to use up all the leftover lady fingers that's been sitting in the shelf for weeks.

Coffee and chocolate ice cream cake using lady fingers - 

Ingredients?

• 18 to 22 lady fingers
• 2/3 cup coffee (black or milky kind)
• 400ml cookie and cream ice cream (just pick something you like)
• 400ml milk ice cream (just pick something you like)
• Some dark chocolate shavings
• Some cocoa powder

How? 

Brew the coffee of your liking, let it be black coffee or the milky kind, both work find. We need about 2/3 cup. Once done, pour over to a dish with some depth, a dish wide enough to soak in the entire lady finger. Set aside and let cool.

Line a meatloaf pan with cling foil. It doesn't have to be pretty, just helps pulling out the cake in the end.

Remove one of the ice cream from the freezer and wait till soften enough to scoop and reshape, but not too watery or soggy.

When ready to assemble, dip the lady finger to the coffee both sides, then arrange one single layer on the bottom of the pan.

Scoop the softened ice cream all over and try to smooth out the surface. I used cookie and cream ice cream to begin with, but my optimal choice was coconut milk, no luck finding that.

Shave some dark chocolate all over the surface.

Loosely cover the pan with cling foil and into the freezer till set. At least semi-set, that'll be a minimum of 30 minutes just to be safe. Meanwhile, remove the second ice cream choice from the freezer and wait to be softened.

Once ready, take out the pan, uncover, and add another layer of coffee-dipped lady fingers. Scoop the second ice cream flavor all over and smooth out the surface.

Loosely cover with cling foil again and into the freezer till fully set this time. I waited 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, remove the pan from the freezer and invert to a cutting board. Take out the cling coil. Dust some cocoa powder all over the top. Slice and serve right away.

I took too long setting up the plate and table, so by the time I'm ready to take some pictures, the bottom ice cream nearly all melted.

Also I guess the consistency of the milk flavored ice cream I chose had something to do with it too. It was a bit softer than the cookie and cream one, making it harder to hold up the shape once removed from the fridge. 

Oh well, still not too bad in the end especially I didn't get to use my top choice coconut milk ice cream. What would you use instead? I suppose a bit exotic matcha flavored ice cream should tastes pretty good too.

Extended reading:

• No alcohol no heavy cream tiramisu (quality eggs will do)

Tuna and Olive Linguine for Two

Usually I would just cook big portions of food, like finishing the entire pasta package at once. So there must be a reason why I only made linguine for two here. Well, it's because the price for sashimi grade tuna is $$$$.

You know, unlike back in the states, I think it's how people used to cook their fish here in Taiwan, so it's a bit hard for me to simply find tuna "steak" at the supermarket. The only whole chunky tuna that I can find is sashimi grade tuna. And it'll come in either sliced version or sometimes they'll have a box or two uncut pieces on the side.

That's why instead of making tuna pasta for six plates, I think this time a lovely meal for two will do.

Tuna and olive linguine - 

Ingredients (for two servings)?

• 220 grams sashimi grade tuna or tuna steak
• 2 servings linguine pasta
• Some extra virgin olive oil
• 4 green olives
• 2 anchovies in oil
• Small bundle of parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bundle shallots (about 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped)
• Some salt
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup pasta water 

 

How?

Prepare a pot of water and season with few pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and toss in enough pasta for two servings. Cook till almost al dente. Save some pasta water first then drain the rest.

Meanwhile, cube the tuna. Depit the green olives then give it a rough chop. Peel and chop the shallots. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Finely chop the parsley.

Have a pan ready and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I simply used extra virgin olive oil throughout. Use medium heat and add in chopped shallots and garlic. Sear till aromatic but not burnt. Add in anchovies, sear and break the anchovies apart with a spatula.

Add in olives and continue to cook for about 30 seconds.

Add in cubed tuna. Stir-fry till about half cooked through.

Pour in 1/3 cup of dry white wine and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a little bit longer than pour in 1/3 cup of pasta water we saved earlier. Bring to a boil again and add in drained pasta. 

Let the pasta cook in the liquid for about a minute while stirring the ingredients in order to mix in some air. Still bubbling too.

Taste and season with salt. I used 1 teaspoon of salt myself. When all checked and set, drizzle some more extra virgin olive oil over. Toss then plate. Garnish with chopped parsley.

If you prefer a stronger savory taste, use more anchovies in the beginning. Perhaps up to 4 slices instead. It's like umami packed in these little fish fillets and will highly enhance the flavor of the final pasta. 

Other recipes using sashimi grade tuna:

• Sashimi grade tuna otsumami served with nori sheet
• Paccheri with tuna in red bell pepper sauce (portion for two)
• Tuna tataki coated with double roasted white sesame seeds

Braised Soy Sauce Chicken Over Rice

Two ways to enjoy this chicken over rice meal, one you can leave the chicken leg as it is and dive into chewing the meat off the bones. Then there's a more elegant way but of course leaving most of the deboning work to the person who's cooking it.

Being a nice cook here, I've decided to pick out all the bones after braising the chicken legs, so whoever's eating it can save the hassles and enjoy mouthful of meat all the way through.

Braised soy sauce chicken over rice -

Ingredients (about 4 to 6 bowls)?

• 4 or about 1200 grams chicken legs
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 stalks scallion

Actual cooking:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bulbs shallots (about 1/3 cup peeled and chopped)
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 stalks scallion
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/4 cup aged Shaoxing wine
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 star anises
• 1 aged tangerine peel
• 1 teaspoon rock sugar
• 4 to 6 portions cooked rice
• 1 pack bok choy
• 1 pinch salt 

 

How?

Marinate the chicken legs with 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 6 peeled garlic cloves, and 2 stalks of destemed and sectioned scallion. Massage the sauce into the meat then let it marinate in the fridge overnight.

Remember to flip the chicken legs to the other side half way through.

Cook the rice when close to serving time, I prepped some quinoa white rice for extra nutrition boost.

For the braising part, peel 2 extra garlic cloves, destem and section 2 more stalks of scallion. However, do chop or slice some scallion greens diagonally for garnish in the end. Scrape the skin off the ginger then slice to about 2mm thickness pieces, we need 2 slices here. Peel and chop the shallots.

Bring out a big pot, drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil and switch to medium heat. Add in garlic, shallot, ginger, and scallion sections. Sear till aromatic but not burnt.

Move the aromatics aside and transfer marinated chicken legs over skin side down first. Just the chicken legs, in which we will add the marinade later. Once the skin gets that slightly browned sear, flip and cook the other side till colored again.

Pour in all the remaining marinade along with the ingredients inside. Also add additional seasonings over, that means 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce, 1/4 cup of aged Shaoxing wine, 2 star anises, 1 aged tangerine peel, and 1 1/2 cups of water.

Bring to a boil then adjust the heat to keep it at a medium bubbling stage. Continue to braise for about 20 minutes. Remember to flip the chicken half way through.

Towards the end, add 1 teaspoon of rock sugar and cook till all melted and blended evenly with the sauce.

While braising the chicken, let's prep the veggies. Have a medium pot filled with water. Bring to a boil then add in one pinch of salt. Add in trimmed bok choy and cook for just about one minute. Drain and set aside for later use.

If you want to be more professional or looking for that perfect way of prepping the bok choy, go ahead and dump the cooked leafy greens in icy cold drinkable water. Quickly cool down the temperature in order to better keeping that vibrant green color. As for me? Nah.

So when the chicken is ready, remove the chicken and set side to cool off. When cool enough to handle by hand, pick out the meat and tear to threads. I actually chew on the leftover bones as my reward for cooking this meal. Some might not know, but the meat close to the bones tastes really delicious.

As for the remaining braise, drain and keep the sauce. You'll use it to drizzle all over the rice bowls. And if there's any leftover sauce, use it for future meals such as base sauce for dry noodles.

Scoop some rice to serving bowls, arrange bok choy around it, then add shredded chicken in the center. Drizzle braised sauce all over and garnish with scallion greens we saved earlier.

I didn't realize how much meat I can get from 4 big chicken legs. Thought that skin and bones occupy a huge portion of it. But ended up I got so much meat, more than enough for 4 to 6 portions.

Of course you can braise 2 chicken legs instead, but considering all the work and time involved, if let me choose again I'll still go for bigger portion. The most I'll just store cooked meat in the freezer right?

Extended reading:

• Spicy gochujang chicken rice bowls

Japanese Pickled Napa Cabbage with Shio Kombu 白菜漬け

Sometimes when you get a Japanese meal set, on top of the main dish, there are usually couple more side dishes plus a bowl of miso soup to go with it. And among many common side dishes, you'll often see a lighter colored pickled napa cabbage.

Usually lighter than the version I made here. However, the basic ingredients are the same, I'm guessing it's either the Japanese tsuyu used or the shio kombu, or even longer marinate time that caused the slightly darker version. Put the color aside though, the taste is equally good.

Japanese pickled napa cabbage with shio kombu 白菜漬け - 

Ingredients?

• 1/4 medium napa cabbage
• 1/2 medium carrot 
• 1 teaspoon salt

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon double-condensed Japanese tsuyu
• 2 tablespoons shio kombu 塩昆布
• 2 grams dried bonito flakes 鰹節
• 1 dried red chili
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

How?

Destem the napa cabbage and slice each big pieces of leaves in half lengthwise. Then slice to smaller rectangular chunks. Peel and julienne the carrot. Destem and slice the dried red chili to smaller rings.

Add the napa cabbage and carrot to a container. 

Mix in 1 teaspoon of salt. Give it a quick massage then put aside for 10 minutes. You'll start to see some liquid drawing out on the bottom.

After 10 minutes, squeeze out the liquid really hard and transfer the veggies to a big Ziploc bag. In that bag, also add 1 tablespoon of Japanese tsuyu, 2 tablespoons of shio kombu, 2 grams of dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi), dried red chilies, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Use 2 teaspoons of sugar instead if a sweeter taste is preferred.

Mix till evenly blended. Flatten the area and store in the fridge overnight. Remember toss a few times or flip to the other side half way through.

Enjoy the pickled napa cabbage as it is the next day. 

You can move the rest of the pickles to a seal-tight container. Continue to store in the fridge and it'll still be good over the next few days.

The pickles are best when serving along side some heavy or stronger-tasting main dishes, such as fried pork cutlet or curry. That refreshing acidity will help cutting through the fat and sometimes remedy the spicy numbing sensation. 

Extended reading:

• Spicy Korean cucumber salad
• Japanese pickled daikon 大根漬け

Pesto Orzo with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Do you know that orzo is not rice, but a type of pasta shaped like bigger and plump rice grains? As much as I love risotto, but the skills and price involved have swapped me from cooking orzo instead of risotto. 

I know I know you can't really compare these two just because they share similar appearance, but it is actually what's happening in my kitchen. So this time I'm making a pesto-themed orzo meal, supposedly the flavors and seasonings both work with risotto too. But like what's being said, let's stick with orzo this time.

Pesto orzo with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes - 

Ingredients (about 5 to 6 portions)?

• 500 grams orzo
• 375 grams chicken (I used chicken tenders)
• 1 bundle/about 250 grams spinach
• 3/4 cup peas
• 135 grams pesto sauce
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• 1 teaspoon mixed dried Italian herbs
• Some sun-dried tomatoes and oil

How?

Cut the chicken to medium bite size pieces. Destem and section the spinach to shorter length. Peek and chop the garlic cloves.

Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, I used a Dutch oven. Switch to medium heat and add in chopped garlic. Sear till aromatic but not burnt.

Add in orzo and give it a quick mix, making sure every grain has been coated with the oil. Add 1 teaspoon of mixed dried Italian herbs. Continue to stir and cook for 10 seconds.

Pour in 5 cups of vegetable stock. Cook the orzo till half way done, about 6 minutes.

Add in chicken and mix a little, cook for couple more minutes. Add in spinach and peas, mix and cook for about a minute. Spoon in the pesto sauce. Mix and cook till orzo reaches desired texture. 

Taste and adjust with salt if needed. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt here. However, the amount of salt used depends, especially we might be using different vegetable stock and pesto sauce here.

Once all checked, plate and dot the orzo with some sun-dried tomatoes. Perhaps drizzle some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for a gentle flavor boost. Crack some black pepper on top then ready to go.

You don't have to use such big pieces of sun-dried tomatoes like I did here. Use smaller ones or give the sun-dried tomatoes a few chops all work great.

Other orzo recipes:

• Dairy-free chorizo and colorful bell pepper orzo
• Big big servings of chicken orzo soup

Misoyaki Onigiri 味噌焼きおにぎり

Some onigiri specialty stores will emphasize on how great the rice they're using, often imported from Japan too. Well, let me show you one trick and maybe save you some money on buying expensive high-end rice grains.

Use less water when cooking the rice. Yes, it's that simple. You know some people also do that when making fried rice? It's kind of similar to using leftover or overnight rice. Storing rice in the fridge will help drawing out some moisture. So why not start from the beginning and simply use a wee bit less water to cook the rice? I ensure you the end result can be wowing and amazing. I know I was super happy with the rice texture for this batch of misoyaki onigiri.

Misoyaki onigiri 味噌焼きおにぎり - 

Ingredients (for two rice balls)?

• 2 portions of cooked white rice (bouncier texture preferred)
• 4 grams katsuobushi (dried bonita flakes)
• Some sesame oil

Sauce:

• Some white miso
• Some honey (optional)
• Some drinkable water (optional)

How?

Cook the white rice use slightly less than usual amount of water, that way you'll get bouncier grains in the end.

Brush some sesame oil to a big bowl. Scoop two portions of rice to the bowl. Add in 4 grams of katsuobushi, use smaller pieces katsuobushi. Fluff the rice and mix till evenly blended.

Dip both palms with some drinkable water if needed. This can help preventing the rice sticking on your hands when making onigiri. However, since we already brushed some sesame oil on the bowl, the rice shouldn't that sticky, so it's up to you.

Take half of the katsuobushi-mixed rice and form into onigiri, let it be round or triangular shaped, both are fine. Just make sure to flatten the front and end a little so the onigiri won't roll around in the pan later.

Prepare a small bowl and add in some white miso. The miso I'm using has a more watery consistency, which is ready to use right away. If you have a thick paste type of miso, mix in a little honey or even some drinkable water to thin it out.

Line the pan with aluminum foil to prevent sticking or miso burning directly onto the pan if needed. Either way, brush some sesame oil to the surface you're working on, aluminum foil or directly on the pan.

Spread some miso to one side of the onigiri then transfer to the pan with miso side down. Use medium heat and sear till slightly browned and hardened. Meanwhile spread some more miso on top of the onigiri. 

Once the bottom side is ready, carefully flip the onigiri and continue to sear till the bottom turn slightly browned and hardened.  

Once done, move the onigiri to serving plate.

Don't worry if the miso doesn't get browned nicely or got stuck to the aluminum foil or pan. There's one way to save it. Spread a bit more miso to the onigiri and torch it instead. 

The torching method yields a flavor that is a bit different than searing, but still aromatic. Especially that slightly torched burnt aroma, smells quite appetizing to tell the truth. 

Other onigiri recipes:

• Egg scallion and shio kombu onigiri 蔥蛋塩昆布日式飯糰
• Tuna and sesame oil rice balls
• Hijiki and Inari age onigiri 羊栖菜豆皮飯糰

Crunchy Shallot and Garlic Chili Oil - Especially Good When Added to Noodles

Since I'm completely out of Asian chili sauce at home, it's time to make a new batch. As I scrolled through old blog posts, I saw that there was a chili garlic sauce recipe back in 2022. So why not change the flavor a bit? How about crunchy shallot and garlic chili oil?

Crunchy shallot and garlic chili oil - 

Ingredients?

• 4 bundle shallots (about 6 tablespoons when peeled and chopped)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 8 tablespoons red chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup neutral oil (but even olive oil will do, healthier too)

How?

Peel and chop the shallots to smaller rings. Peel and chop the garlic cloves.

Take a medium pot and pour in one cup of chosen oil. Any neutral flavored oil will do. However, I used olive oil instead because it's much healthier. The decision is yours.

Switch to medium heat and add in the shallots. Slowly fry the shallots till darkened and crunchy. It can take up to 10 minutes plus or minus couple minutes. Just check constantly and make sure not to burn the shallots.

Scoop out the crunchy shallot once ready, leaving the oil in the pot.

Still using the same pot, now add in chopped garlic and cook till golden. Don't get greedy and cook any longer because garlic will brown and turn bitter way faster than the shallots. Just remove the pot from heat once the garlics seemed ready.

So when the pot is still hot but off the heat, add in 8 tablespoons of dried chili flakes, 2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of toasted white sesame seeds. Stir and mix till blended. If the oil sizzles a little when adding these ingredients, that's good, that means the oil temperature is just about hot enough but will not burn the garlic.

Then add in 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Mix till blended then add back the shallots.

Mix, taste, and adjust the seasonings if needed. Once all checked, store in preferred container, also somewhere cool and under the shade.

Sometimes I do keep my chili sauce in the fridge to ensure the best quality over longer period of time. However, the oil might coagulate due to low temperature. Doesn't bother me that much though.

This crunchy shallot and garlic chili oil is not like super spicy but definitely has a kick to it. However, for this recipe in particular, the main stars are the crunchy shallot and garlic. That aroma pop when you bite into it can be quite addicting.

You can definitely use the crunchy shallot and garlic chili oil just like all other chili sauce, simply by dipping food in it. But one other way to enjoy this homemade sauce the most is by adding a big spoonful to Asian noodles. Let it be soup noodles or dry noodles, it'll boost up the flavors without the risk of making you sweat like hell.

Extended reading:

• Chili garlic sauce 蒜蓉辣椒醬