Italian Sponge Cake and Swiss Roll (歐式海綿蛋糕、蛋糕卷)

Sponge cake is the go-to snack for Pa Pa's aging and ailing mom. Its' sweet and soft, a perfect fit, considering grandma's teeth conditions. We often buy sponge cakes from bakeries nearby. Along with Pa Pa's previous interest in making Italian Sponge Cake, that could be used to replace Lady Fingers as the base for making Tiramisu, Pa Pa found himself turning into an enthusiastic student of sponge-cake making. The recipe here is a somewhat more elaborate way of making Italian Sponge Cake, without using Baking Soda, which could possibly lead up to a Tiramisu roll or a version of the Japanese Sponge Cake, the Castella Sponge Cake, or, the Honey Castella.  The recipe is a filtered combination of these two excellent YouTube Videos (v1, v2), both in English.

I. Italian Sponge Cake (歐式海綿蛋糕)

1. [Prep Work] Take 6 eggs out of fridge, and leave them in room temperature for 30 minutes.  Line the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper (bottom only).  Now, separate 6 egg whites from egg yolks (place egg yolks into a small mixing bowl, and egg whites into the bowl of a Stand Mixer).  Note- Consult this YouTube Video for more info on separating egg whites. 
2. Add 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of veggie oil into the mixing bowl with yolks. Whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes (with a balloon-shaped whisk).
3. Sift 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (with a strainer) into the mixing bowl with yolks.  Whisk vigorously until there is no clumps at all in the mixture (2-3 minutes). 
4. [Whip Egg Whites to Stiff Peaks] Turn on Stand Mixer (using a Wire Whip), at low speed (Level 2-3 out of max-10), till the egg whites start to bubble, then to foam (1-2 minutes).  [Optionally, but preferably,] add 1/2 tsp of Cream of Tartar.  Start to gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar (1/3 cup, if you're sugar conscious:-). Now, increase Mixer speed to 8 (max-10), if you want to speed up things a bit, till the egg whites show stiff peaks (~1.5 - 2 minutes, stop the mixer every 30 seconds or so, to check on the stiffness of egg whites with a spoon).  Note- Whipping to Soft-to-Medium Peaks works equally well.  Cream of tartar helps in stabilizing the whipped egg whites in the baking process. Consult this YouTube Video for more info on separating and whipping egg whites. 
5. Scoop ~1/4 - 1/3 of the whipped egg white into the mixing bowl with egg yolks and flour (Step 3).  Stir and mix thoroughly (with a silicone spatula).
6. Scoop all the mixture from Step 5 into the Mixer bowl with the whipped egg white (from Step 4).  Use a silicone spatula to gently fold the egg whites up from the bottom of the bowl, to mix the whipped egg white with the egg yolk-flour mixture. Gently fold, in broad motions, until thoroughly mixed.
7. As part of the Prep Work in Step 1, we've lined the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper (bottom only).  Pour the batter (from Step 6) into the baking pan.  Gently spread the batter to the four corners of the pan and even the surface level.  Shake the pan horizontally a few times to further even the surface.  Now find a solid wooden surface (like that of a solid dining table).  Tap the bottom of the pan on the wooden surface a few times (i.e., bring the pan up 2-3" from the wooden surface and pound the pan down on the surface), to even the surface level and rid the air bubbles in the batter.
8. Preheat oven to 250-degF, place the 9" x 13" baking pan in the oven (on the bottom rack), and bake till the surface turns slight golden (~20 - 25 minutes). Increase the oven temperature to 300-degF, and bake till the surface is golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean (~10 -15 minutes after setting the temperature to 300-degF).  Cover the top of the cake pan with aluminum foil when the cake surface reaches the desired color.  
9. Take the pan out.  Let the cake cool for 5 minutes.  Loosen the four sides of the cake (with a plastic knife if it's a non-stick pan), then flip the sheet of cake out onto parchment paper (i.e., to cover the baking pan with a cutting board that's covered with parchment paper, and then flip the baking pan onto the cutting board).  The cake is now bottom side up.  Remove the parchment paper that was placed at the bottom of the baking pan previously (now attached to the bottom of the cake facing up). Let cool for 5 minutes.

II. Make the Swiss Roll

1. (Continue from Step 9 above) Roll the cake up tightly with the parchment paper underneath, like doing a sushi roll (see either one of the two excellent YouTube videos cited above for details).
2. Tighten both ends of the parchment paper, and leave the roll in fridge for 30 minutes or longer.  Cut and serve.  This cake remains fresh in the fridge under plastic wrap for 3-4 days, but not much longer. To increase shelf life to 7-8 days, leave the cake in the oven for 15-20 minutes after turning the oven off (this makes the cake slightly drier).  Here is the outcome from our kitchen.  

Cantonese White Sugar Cake (白糖糕)

This is a popular dessert served in most, if not all, Cantonese Dim-Sum places.  This cake, seemingly easy to make, presents some challenges that might be both interesting and intriguing.  The cake must be soft and springy in its texture, and the cross section of the cake is expected to look like a two-layered sponge (see the end of Step 2 for more details of the layers).   It took us about a dozen tries to come up with a reliable and repeatable method below.  Hope it works in your kitchen as well!

1. [Mix Rice Powder] In a 4-cup measuring cup (or a small mixing bowl), add 1 1/2 cups of rice flour (粘米粉).  Gradually add 1 cup of hot, but not boiling, water into the measuring cup (bring water to hissing, but not boiling, and let cool for ~30 seconds; water temperature must be below 200 degF;  we use 195 degF water from a water boiler & warmer. Important- rice flour curdles around 212 degF).  Stir and mix evenly, with a pair of chopsticks, into thick paste form.  Note- Next time, will add 3 Tbsp of Water Chesnut Flour (grind first, if not in powder form).  Also, see left-side image in the picture for the product package, i.e., the Rice Flour, with labels in Red Letters. Please take care NOT to use the Glutinous Rice Flour, 糯米粉, i.e., the package with labels in Green Letters.
2. [Add White Syrup] In a 1-cup measuring cup, add 1/2 cup of hot, but not boiling, water first, then add 1/2 cup of sugar, stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.  Pour the water+sugar mix into the rice-flour+water mixture above, stir and mix evenly for 2-3 minutes (until it is about as thick as heavy cream, with no clumps anywhere).  This process produces almost-cooked "rice milk" (半熟米漿).  Let it sit and cool down to lukewarm to the touch, around 100-degF, i.e., slightly warmer than body temperature (for about 30 minutes).  Note- Most of the online recipes for this cake apply direct heat under the rice flour+sugar+water mixture (by stirring constantly and taking the pot off heat frequently), where the mixture could curdle without much a sign of warning, because rice flour curdles around 212 degF, i.e., the boiling point for water.  If your water is too hot and the rice flour curdles, add 1/4 cup of water and stir for a minute or two to get the lumps fully dissolved (add another 1/4 cup of water and stir again if the rice flour is still too thick; need to be as thick as heavy cream, not as thick as paste), and the end product will have honeycomb-like small holes throughout (see picture below), unlike what we produced here with two layers (a top layer with honeycomb pattern and a bottom layer with vertical-line-pattern, see end of this post for a picture).

   

   Not a two-layered sponge

3. [Proof Yeast] In the same 1-cup measuring cup used in Step 2, add 2 Tbsp of water (i.e., half of 1/4 cup), 1/2 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of yeast (use Original type yeast, not the Instant Rising type) into the cup.  Stir and mix evenly.  Cover the measuring cup with plastic wrap and let sit for 5-10 minutes. If the yeast mixture foams up to ~1/4 cup mark of the measuring cup, the yeast is "proven" to be active and usable.  Add 1 tsp of baking powder into the yeast mixture, stir and mix thoroughly.  Now, pour the resulting mixture into the 4-cup measuring cup with "rice milk" (created in Step 2).  Stir and mix evenly for a minute or two.   Cover the measuring cup tightly with plastic wrap. 
4. Let the 4-cup measuring cup sit in a warm room-temperature environment (~68 degF or higher) for 3 hours, until foam wells up nicely.  Note- Consider using an artificially created warm environment for the yeast to do its magic: Set oven temperature to 200-degF, turn on oven for 1-1.5minutes, and leave the 4-cup measuring cup in the oven for 1.5 hours.
5. Add 1/2 tsp of veggie oil into the mixing bowl, stir and mix evenly.  Oil a 9" or 10" glass pan (or any bakeware that's suitable for steaming).  Carefully pour the content in the mixing bowl into the glass pan (the content should be 1/2"-3/4" thick).  Let the glass pan sit for another 5-10 minutes, while turning on heat for the steamer (needs at least 1" water for the 25 minutes of steaming in the next step).  Note- Will try 1-2 tsp veggie oil next time.
6. Steam the glass pan for 25 minutes (under consistent full-steam, by staying on medium-to-high heat).  The cake should rise up a bit, by ~1/4" (to 3/4"-1" thick)
7. Take the glass pan out, let it cool.  Cut and serve.  The cake will keep for a couple of days under room temperature (cover with plastic wrap after it's cool).  The cake becomes harder if refrigerated, and it needs to be heated in the microwave, then serve.  Here is the outcome from our kitchen.
   

Pumpkin Soup (南瓜濃湯）

It is fall and time for pumpkin harvest.  My mom used to cook pumpkins when I was small and I loved its sweetness and its texture.  In my first Halloween in US, I tried to cook the big orange American pumpkin in the way my mom did,  I was disappointed because its taste was totally different from what I remembered.  In recent years,  the Chinese markets in LA have the green and smaller Japanese pumpkins (see picture below) on sale and they do have the same sweetness and texture as the ones I had in Taiwan.  According to Wikipedia, it's called "Kabocha" in North America and it has the following description which I think is quite accurate:  "It is similar in texture and flavor to a pumpkin and sweet potato combined."

Last week, I tried to make the creamy pumpkin soup for the first time. After reviewing a few online recipes, I decided to use a simple recipe from Allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/9191/pumpkin-soup/) with some changes based on my own preference. The result was quite satisfactory so I made it again today in order to get accurate measurements to write the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 small Japanese pumpkin (about 3 cups of pumpkin cubes)
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of chicken broth
1 cup of half and half
2 Tbsp sugar, 3/4 tsp salt for seasoning
1 cup of water

Steps:

1. Remove the pumpkin seeds, skin and cut it into inch-size cubes.  Note-  Kabocha's skin is very very hard and very difficult to cut when it is raw. I learned a trick to make the task easy from a Taiwanese celebrity chef. First boil water in a large pot that is big enough to submerge the pumpkin entirely in the water. After the water is boiling, turn off heat, and put the pumpkin into the water and close the lid for 5 minutes.  Flip the pumpkin and let it sit in the hot water for another 5 minutes. By now the skin should be soft enough to be poked through with a fork without much force. Take the pumpkin out from the hot water, let it cool for a while, then remove the seeds, slice, remove the skin from each slice, and then cut into cubes.

2. Steam the pumpkin cubes in a Rice Cooker for about 30 minutes (I put 1.5 cup of water in the rice cooker and let the rice cooker go through its Cook/Warm cycles). The pumpkin should be very soft when it is done.

3. chop the onion finely and mince the garlic cloves. In a sauce pan, heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil, then sauté onion and garlic until they turn light brown.

4. Puree three cups of pumpkin, along with the sautéd onion and garlic, and one cup of chicken broth, using a blender or a food processor.

5. Put the puree into a pot, bring it to boil in medium-to-low heat. Add 2 Tbsp of sugar and 3/4 tsp salt for seasoning. Add one cup of Half-n-Half.  Add more water until the desired thickness is reached. (I added another cup of water).  Simmer for another 5 minutes and the soup is ready.

Moussaka from Lebanon (地中海茄子)

Over the weekend we went to Old Town Monrovia, to see Arrival, an interesting Sci-Fi movie.  After the movie, we strolled into a new Mediterranean restaurant nearby, and fell in love with this vegetarian appetizer, Mousakah (how it's named on the menu).  It's served as a cold dish, along with warm pita bread.  As it turns out, what we had in the restaurant was a streamlined version of the dish known as Moussaka from Lebanon (how it's named online), vs the Greek Moussaka, an eggplant casserole dish.  We tried to recreate the restaurant version of this dish and patterned our recipe below after two online recipes (1 and 2), but we left out the chick peas and oven baking.  We also followed the restaurant owner's suggestion of using vegetable oil, in place of olive oil.  The result is quite satisfying!  BTW, it's easy and quick to make this dish.

1. [Prepare the ingredients] Rinse and cut 3 Chinese Eggplants (or 1.5 regular eggplant) into ~1/2" cubes.  Slice 6-8 cloves of garlic.  Slice 1 large (or 2 smaller) onions (1/2"- 1" long slices).  Cut 1 green bell pepper (or half a green and half a red bell pepper) into ~1" long slices. Dice 1-2 tomatoes (into 1/2" cubes).  Note- Regular eggplant might take longer to cook.  
2. Add 1-2 Tbsp of veggie oil into a saute pan, add 1/4 tsp salt, turn on medium-to-high heat, pour in the eggplant cubes, stir, mix, and cook till it's almost soft (4-5 minutes). Take the eggplant cubes out and set aside.  Note- As the main ingredient for this dish, eggplant's texture is the key to this dish's success. Don't overcook eggplant at this point (if not sure, under-cook it).  If under time pressure, conduct this step at the end of Step 3.
3. Add 1-2 Tbsp of veggie oil into the same saute pan, turn on medium-to-high heat, add the garlic and stir till fragrant.  Add the onion and stir till almost translucent (2-3 minutes).  
4. Add bell pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes.  Now, season with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp of paprika, and 2 Tbsp of tomato paste.  Stir and mix evenly.
5. Add the almost-cooked eggplant into the pan.  Add 1/2 cup of water.  Stir and cook till the eggplant cubes are soft, but not mushy (2-3 minutes for Chinese Eggplant, maybe longer for regular eggplant).  Turn off heat, season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. 
6. Chill and serve as a cold dish, with warm pita bread.  See picture below for the outcome in our kitchen.
   

Chive Pocket (韮菜盒子)

This is another delicious treat as part of the Northern Chinese Cuisine.  We used to make it regularly when our kids were younger.  And then we found an excellent source for frozen Chive Pocket that is as good, if not better, than the homemade version.  Recently we came across an occasion that made it necessary to make it at home again, actually at a home away from home that is too far to bring frozen food over.

Ingredients for filling:

Chinese chives    1 big bundle (~1 lb, i.e., 16 oz)
bean curds           1 package (4 pieces)
bean vermicelli    3 small rolls (or 1/3 of a 16 oz package)
eggs                     8
black wood ears   a handful  (6-8 small pieces, optional)

I. Preparing the Chive Filling

1. Wash chives thoroughly, cut off 1/4 inches of the white part at the top.  Then chop them into small pieces.
2. Chop the bean curds by first slicing one square horizontally into 4 or 5 slices, then cut them into strips in one direction and into bits in the other direction (~1/4"or smaller cubes).
3. Beat the eggs, add 1/2 tsp salt, then scramble them.  Chopped the scramble eggs into small pieces.  The piece doesn't need to be as fine as bean curbs or chives (1/4"squares).
4. Soak wood ears for 20 minutes, then chopped them into small pieces.
5. Soak bean vermicelli in cold water till turning soft (10-15 minutes).  Drain the water, then submerge the wood ears in hot water for a minute or so (the water from a thermo, ~195 deg-F, works fine).  Take them out and cut them into 1/4 inch squares.  Note 1- See the right-side picture for product package (use 1/3 of the bag, ~1/3 lb).  The Pagoda Brand (塔牌) shown here seems to work pretty well. 
6. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl,  Season it with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp sesame oil (see picture below).

II. Preparing the dough and the flour skin 

This part is almost identical to Part II of this previous post, Beef Xian Bing (牛肉餡餅), with the exception that we do not use veggie oil to make the dough.

1. Place 4 cups of all purpose flour in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in 1.25 cups of hot water (~200-deg-F, hissing but not boiling yet) with a pair of chopsticks, then stir in 0.25-0.5 cup of room temperature water gradually.  While adding water gradually, stir the flour mix with a pair of chopsticks until the flour is mostly bunched together (this is when we stop adding more water).  Knead the dough in the mixing bowl till its surface is smooth.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes.  
2. Place the dough on a flour-dusted kneading board, cut the dough in half.  Work on one half of the dough first, by cutting it into 8 roughly even parts (doses).  Each part needs to be rolled into a round-shaped skin that is 7-8" in diameter.  Note- We need thicker skin to make the chive pocket, thicker than what's used for Beef Xian Bing.  Here is a method of rolling a dough part into a round shaped skin. If we roll the rolling-pin along the edge of the skin with one hand in an up-and-down motion, while turning the dose in counter-clockwise motion with the other hand handling the dough part with the thumb on top and the other 4 fingers underneath, we can roll the dose into a round in 15-20 seconds.  It takes some practice, but quite doable.  This method results in a skin that is thicker in the center.  For Chive Pocket roll the rolling-pin from the center out 3-4 times along different directions to flatten the center.

III. Wrapping the filling inside the skin

1. Set a piece of flour skin flat on the kneading board.  Place a large blob of filling in the center of a flour skin (3-4 table spoons), leaving 1/2" open along the edge of the skin.  
2. Fold the flour skin gently in half and press the edges tightly together between your thumb and forefinger, until the pocket is tightly sealed.  

IV. Cooking the Chive Pockets

1. (Medium Heat) Heat 1/2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a 10-12" frying pan.  Place 2 pockets in the pan, and let cook for 2 minutes. 
2. Add half a cup of cold water in the frying pan, cover the pan and turn the heat to low-to-medium.  Cook until the water is all vaporized (about 5-7 minutes).  Note- Don't let the pockets cook for too long, because all the ingredients in the filling are cooked already.  
3. Open the pan cover, check the bottom side of the pockets.  If the bottom is not golden brown, turn the heat to medium and let cook for a couple of minutes more, until the bottom is golden brown.  
4. Flip both pockets over and cook for another 2-3 minutes until both sides are golden brown.  Take them out and serve.  Note- The chive pockets can be served with some soy sauce and sesame oil.  Papa likes to add some rice vinegar.  I sometimes add some chili sauce.  It goes well with a bowl of Hot and Sour soup.

Shrimp Fried Rice (蝦仁蛋炒飯)

A Facebook friend asked about this dish, We suggested an online recipe as a start, until we got a chance to try our hands on it.  Albeit a simple dish, the fried rice should be dry (not soggy), and the shrimps taste fresh.  As it turns out, the recipe below is the combination of two previous posts, Cantonese Yang Zhou Fried Rice (揚州炒飯) and Sautéd Crystal Shrimp (水晶蝦仁).

1. Cook your rice with slightly less water.  Or, store your cooked rice in the fridge overnight. Either way your rice will be a bit too dry to consume in any regular fashion, perfect for making fried rice. Set aside 4 cups.
2. Defrost a pound of frozen shrimp (shelled and deveined, medium size, available from almost any market).  Marinate for 2-3 hours with 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 Tbsp of corn starch, 1/4 tsp of baking soda, and 1 Tbsp of veggie oil.  Note- Baking soda helps preserve the liquid inside the shrimps, and make the shrimp meat taste slightly crunchy.  Might consider use half of the shrimps here. And half for Sautéd Crystal Shrimp. 
3. Beat 3 eggs and add 1/4 tsp of salt into the egg fluid.
4. Mince 2-3 chunks of scallions.  
5. [Pre-cook shrimps] Add 2-3 Tbsp of vegetable oil into a flat bottom cooking pan.  Turn on high heat for a minute.  Pour in the marinated shrimps and stir till the shrimps are almost cooked, i.e., turning pale pink (but not bright pink), about 1-2 minutes.  Take out and set aside.
6. [Pre-cook scrambled eggs] Add 2-3 Tbsp of vegetable oil into the flat bottom cooking pan.  Turn on medium-to-low heat for a minute.  Pour in the egg fluid.  Turn the pan and let the egg fluid spread across the bottom of the pan as much as possible.  Let cook for 15 seconds.  Turn on high heat.  Stir and scramble the egg for a minute.  Take out and set aside.
7. [Fry the rice] Add 2-3 Tbsp of vegetable oil into a flat bottom cooking pan.  Turn on high heat for a minute.  Pour in half of the minced scallions prepared in Step 4.  Stir till fragrant.  Pour in the rice prepared in Step 1.  Stir and mix for 2-3 minutes.  Pour in the scrambled eggs.  Stir for another 2-3 minutes.  Now season to taste with salt and pepper (add 1/4 tsp of salt a time, and a pinch of black pepper, i.e., 1/8 tsp, a time).  At this point, the fried rice is ready. Note- No need to add any water, or soy sauce.  Keep the rice Dry!
8. Now, pour in the shrimps prepared in Step 5 (still cooking under high heat).  Stir and mix for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. Add the other half of the minced scallions, stir and mix.  Here is a picture of the finished product.  Note- The rice shown here is half brown rice and half short-grained white rice.
   

Bean Sprouts with Three Shreds (銀芽三絲)

This is quite a treat, an all-vegetable treat, that's surely enjoyable for meat-lovers and for those who may not have liked veggies that much (no greens in this dish :-). This dish can be chilled and served cold as an appetizer, good on a hot summer day.  BTW, Din Tai Fung's appetizer, Seaweed and Beancurd in Vinegar Dressing, might have been derived from this traditional Shanghai-style appetizer.

1. [Prepare the Veggies] (1) Rinse ~8oz (half pound) of sprouts, and (optionally) remove both tips from each sprout (綠豆芽, aka 銀芽); (2) Peel 1-2 carrots and and shred with a Julian Slicer (紅蘿蔔絲); (3) Soak 10-12 wood ears in water for 60 minutes, remove harder knots, and cut into thin slices (木耳絲); (4) thinly slice 6-8 chunks of green onions (蔥絲). 
2. [Sauté the Veggies] Add 2-3 Tbsp of vegetable oil into a flat bottom cooking pan. Turn on medium-to-high heat, add shredded carrots into the pan, stir for a minute. Add sliced wood ears into the pan, stir till the shredded carrots are slightly soft (2-3 minutes). Season with 1/4 tsp of salt, (optionally) 1/2 tsp of light soy sauce (Light-colored soy sauce only!), and 3 tsp of sugar. Add bean sprouts into the pan, and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 tsp of white vinegar around the circumference of the pan (鍋邊醋). Turn off heat. 
3. Stir and mix the veggies thoroughly.  Season to taste with salt (1/4 tsp a time), sugar (1 tsp a time), and white vinegar (1/2 tsp a time), to your own liking of the sweet-and-sour taste.  At the end, add the sliced green onion into the pan, and stir (please note the late addition of the green onion, to keep it green). Note- Salt, Sugar, and Vinegar is the ingredients for a Shanghai-style Vinegar Dressing. 
4. Sprinkle sesame oil liberally on top of the veggies, and mix evenly.  Chill and serve cold as an appetizer. Here is a picture of the finished product. 
   

Hainanese Chicken Rice (海南雞飯)

A Facebook friend asked about this dish, the dish that's often referred to as Singapore's National Dish.  After looking at some online recipes and videos, we tried our hands on it, hoping to make it easy to reproduce at home. We used chicken thighs (with skin and bone), instead of a whole chicken, and the essential scallion, ginger, and garlic (蔥、薑、蒜), salt, pepper, and rice cooking wine as seasonings.  The results turned out to be quite satisfactory.  BTW, it might be interesting to compare this dish with the Spanish Rice we posted earlier this year.

1. [Prepare the chicken] Take about 3 pounds of chicken thighs (with skin and bone), rinse thoroughly, trim off excess fat, and rub a thin layer of salt on both sides evenly.  Let sit for about 30 minutes. Note- We used 2 packs of Costco's 6-pack chicken thighs,
2. [Cook the chicken] Place the chicken thighs in a medium-sized pot.  Add 4 cups of water, and 3-4 chunks of scallions (chopped into 2-3 inches segments), 6-8 thick larger slices of ginger, 3-4 cloves of garlic (peel and press flat with the side of chef's knife).  Season with 3-4 Tbsp of Rice Cooking Wine and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Turn on high heat, bring to boil, reduce to low heat, cover the lid, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat, but leave the lid on for another 10 minutes.  Take out the chicken pieces, rub a thin layer of sesame oil and salt on both sides of the chicken, and let cool.  Filter out the stuff in the chicken soup and set the soup aside. Note- Use the poke-through test to determine if the chicken is fully cooked.  The chicken is fully cooked if a single chopstick can easily poke through the chicken meat and the fluid coming out of the meat is clear (with NO pinkish color).
3. [Prepare the rice] Rinse 3 cups of long-grained rice and soak the rice in water for 20 minutes.  Drain the water out from the rice thoroughly.  Set aside.  Note- This step can be conducted while the chicken is being marinated in Step 1.
4. [Prepare the seasoning for the rice] Mince and set aside 10-12 chunks of scallions, 5-6 inches of ginger, and 3-4 cloves of garlic. 
5. [Cook the rice] Add 2-3 Tbsp of veggie oil (or sesame oil) into a large-sized flat-bottom non-stick cooking pan.  Turn on medium-to-high heat.  Add 1/3 of minced scallions and ginger and all the minced garlic (from Step 4), and (optionally) 2-3 Tbsp of Fried Shallots (油蔥酥), into the pan.  Stir and cook till fragrant.  Add the rice prepared in Step 3 into the pot.  Stir constantly for 5-6 minutes.  Then pour 3 cups of chicken soup prepared in Step 2. Stir evenly, cover the lid, bring to boil, reduce to low heat, and let simmer for 5-6 minutes (with the lid on).  Stir the rice, and turn on medium-to-high heat.  Continue to stir until the chicken soup is fully absorbed into the rice (another 3-4 minutes).  Note- Use 3 cups of chicken soup for 3 cups of rice, i.e., equal number of cups for the soup and the rice. No need to add salt into the rice. 
6. [Prepare the dipping sauce for the chicken] Mix the remainder of the seasoning prepared in Step 4, i.e., 2/3 of the minced scallions and ginger, in a small bowl.  Add small amount of veggie oil (or sesame oil) into the mix to soak the seasoning.  Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of white pepper into the seasoning mix and stir evenly.  
7. [Serve the dish] Remove the bone from each chicken thigh, and cut the thigh into slices.  Place the slices on a plate.  Slice and place half a Persian Cucumber and half a tomato on the same plate.  Fill a small bowl with the cooked rice, and place the rice into the plate by carefully and slowly flipping the bowl onto the plate.  Serve the plate along with the dipping sauce (for dipping, or sprinkling on top of, the chicken slices).  Here is a picture of the finished dish.
   

Stewed Bean Curd Chunks (王媽媽滷豆乾)

This is a recipe I learned from a dear friend of mine, who learned to make this extraordinary dish/snack from her mom.   The recipe calls for 6 pounds of bean curd chunks at a time.  For my first try, I reduced the volume to 4 pounds.   But they tasted so good, and they were all gone in one week when I shared them with friends.   Since then,  I have made 6-pound runs for three times, a total of 22 pounds of bean curd chunks so far.

The cooking method is very simple, with the right bean curds and a bit  patience.

Ingredients:

1. 6 lb bean curds (the factory of Furama Tofu 福臨門 is located in our neighboring city Druate.  They have a retail store and we can buy the side strips of the baked bean curds 五香豆干邊條 in 2 pound bags. (see picture on the left) If you buy a package of 4 piece bean curds in the supermarket, it is about 12 oz per bag and you will need 8 packages.  You can certainly reduce the quantity accordingly.)
2. 1 cup soy sauce
3. 2/3 cup vegetable oil
4. 3/4 cup rock sugar (冰糖）

5. 3/4 cup rice wine
6. 3 star anise (八角)
7. 3 dried hot peppers
(Note, original recipe requires 1 cup of ingredient #2 to #5, I reduced #3 to #5 to less than one cup because it is a bit too sweet to me and there is always excess oil left after it is done)

Steps:

1. cut the bean curds into half inch cubes. (see left)
2. put #2 to #7 into a big cooking pan (12-inch in diameter, 3-inch deep), bring to boil.
3. Add bean curds, mix with the sauce well and bring to boil again.   Cook with the lid closed for 20 minutes in medium to low heat.  Stir and mix thoroughly once after 10 minutes of cooking.
4. Turn off the heat, keep the lid closed and let it cool for 20 minutes.  
5. Turn the heat on again in medium to low heat, mix the bean curds with the sauce and cook for 5 minutes after it is brought to boil.  Turn the heat off, let it cool for 20 minutes.  Repeat the process for 4 times.  Monitor the liquid in the pot, make sure it doesn't dry out and burn the food.  If the liquid is drying out, turn the heat lower.
6.  The reason for the step 4 is to allow the bean curds to be fully soakedwith the sauce.  For the last time, you can cook it with open lid and turn the heat up until the liquid is dried.

If there is any liquid left in the pan, it should be mostly oil.  Drain the oil and let the bean curd chunks cool.  Then you can put them in the container and keep it in the refrigerator for months.  It is great as snack food or appetizer -- full of flavor and protein, no Carb, no fat, very healthy!

Japchae -- Korean Sweet Potato Noodle Dish (韓國粉絲）

This is my favorite Korean cold dish.   Based on the recipe a friend of mine gave me many years ago,  I made some changes according to my own tastes.  It doesn't taste exactly like the one served in the Korean restaurants, but my kids like it and my guests seem to like it too.  It is often made as a cold dish in my summer BBQ parties over the years.   The other day, my daughter called and asked me for its recipe.  So, I made it tonight and here it is.

Ingredients: 1. Sweet Potato Noodles- half a bag (There are all kinds of brands from Korea, China or Taiwan in Chinese markets.  Some noodles are thinner, some are thicker.  I like to buy thicker ones, see picture below for product package) 2. Two carrots, medium size 3. One medium onion 4. 8 dry mushrooms 5. 2 stalks of green scallion 6. Seasoning: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt

Steps: 

1.  Cut off the stem from dried mushrooms, soften them in water for at least 30 minutes.  
2.  Shred carrots into strips (not too thin), cut onions, mushroom, and green scallion into strips.
3.  Add 3 TSB vegetable oil in a flat bottom cooking pan.  Stir-fry onion, carrots and mushroom until soft.  Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1 TSB soy sauce and 2 TSB oyster sauce.  Add green scallion at last and turn off the heat. This dish is supposed to be a bit sweet, oyster sauce adds to the taste of sweetness.
4.  Boil water in a big pot.  Put the sweet potato noodles in, when the water is boiling.  Cook for about 7-8 minutes (Or, follow instruction on the package).  The cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the noodle.
5. The sweet potato noodles are a bit chewy, which is expected.  Use a strainer to drain water from the pot, and cool the noodle with cold running water.  Pour noodle into a big bowl, season with 1 TSB sesame oil, 1/2 TSB soy sauce and 1/2 TSB oyster sauce.  Mix the noodle with the vegetables from Step 3.  Sprinkle some roasted white sesames before serving.  

With the ingredients above, I made two plates of japchae as shown in the picture.  It is plenty for a dinner of 6.  If you want to make it for a big party, you can double or triple the quantity of the ingredients.  The noodle tends to harden if you put it in the refrigerator,  a reason not to make too much.  In the original recipe I got, it also added some beef strips (marinate and stir-fry separately) and spinach leaves (boil them and mix).   I like to keep it a vegetarian dish.  Since spinach doesn't really add more favor, it's not used here.  The roasted sesames are for decoration only, it is optional.

Peanuts with Dried Anchovy and Indonesian-style Peanuts with Silver Fish (花生小魚乾-小菜兩碟)

The lady who helps us take care of my aging and ailing mom showed us how to make an elaborate and delicious Indonesian dish, Peanuts with Dried Silver Fish (印尼花生小魚乾), last week. While trying our hands on a simplified version of that dish, we thought about a similar but popular side-dish that is often served in Shanghai-style restaurants, Peanuts with Dried Anchovy (花生小魚乾).  So we made both dishes over the weekend.  BTW, we left out the fermented soy bean cake （印尼黃豆餅）, an Indonesian delicacy, from the simplified version of the Indonesian dish.  Here are the recipes.

I. Shanghai-style Peanuts with Dried Anchovy (花生小魚乾)

1. Make 4 cups of roasted (or pan-fried) peanuts.  We will use 2 cups for this recipe and 2 cups for the next recipe (see Part A of this previous post).
2. Pan-fry ~2 oz of dried anchovy (丁香小魚乾), with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil, over medium heat, till slightly golden (3-5 minutes). Set aside.  Note- Dried anchovy is available from any Chinese market (in refrigerated food sections, not in freezers).  Need to buy small-size anchovy (<1" in length).  Larger-size anchovy might taste bitter, because of the entrails inside.
3. Turn on medium heat, add 1-2 Tbsp of vegetable oil into a flat bottom cooking pan, add 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced), and 6-8 green chili pepper (sliced), stir till fragrant (1-2 minutes).  Note- Might consider to choose the right chili pepper based on the heat index.
4. Add pan-fried anchovies (from Step 2) into the pan.  Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sugar. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, add 2 cups of roasted peanuts into the pan (from Step 1), mix evenly.  Season with salt (add 1/4 tsp a time), and sugar (add 1/2 tsp a time).  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

II. Indonesian-style Peanuts with Dried Silver Fish (印尼花生小魚乾)

1. Make 4 cups of roasted (or pan-fried) peanuts. We will use 2 cups for this recipe and 2 cups for the previous recipe (see Part A of this previous post).
2. Deep-fry ~2 oz of dried silver fish till golden, slightly brown (high heat, 400-deg-F, ~10-15 minutes).
3. Deep-fry 1-2 finely-sliced small potato (high heat, 400-deg-F, ~10-15 mins).  Note- Use a Julianne Slicer, to create potato slices that are about the same size as the silver fish.
4. [Make the Hot Sauce] Grind 3-4 cloves of shallots, 3-4 cloves of garlic, and 6-8 red chili pepper with a food processor.  Set aside.  Note- Might consider to choose the right chili pepper based on the heat index.
5. Soak a 3/4-1"-cube of tamarind paste in 3-4 Tbsp of warm water for 15-20 minutes.  Stir loose and press down with a spoon.  Strain out the juice, and set aside.  Note- Tamarind paste is available from any Chinese market.
6. Turn on low-to-medium heat, add 1-2 Tbsp of vegetable oil into a flat bottom cooking pan.  Add the hot sauce (from Step 4) into the pan, add the tamarind water (from Step 5).  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 Tbsp of sugar.  Stir constantly, until the the mixture is thick (try to reduce the water content as much as possible, without burning the saauce, 2-3 minutes).  
7. Turn off heat, add deep-fried potato slices (from Step 3), and deep-fried silver fish (from Step 2), and 2 cups of roasted peanuts (from Step 1).  Stir evenly.  Season to taste with salt (add 1/4 tsp a time), and sugar (add 1/2 tsp a time).  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Guacamole and Quesadilla

Guacamole is an Avocado-based dipping sauce.  Quesadilla is an appetizer, commonly served in any Mexican eatery.  Both are very easy to make, quite adaptable to individual preferences and tastes.  

I. Guacamole 

1. Peel and remove the large core from 1 large (or 2 medium) ripe avocado.  Spoon the avocado meat out into a small mixing bowl. Dice and smash into paste form.
2. Add 1/4 onion (diced), 1/2 cup of tomato (diced, canned or fresh), 1-2 Tbsp of lemon juice, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1-2 Jalapeno (diced), [optional], 2-4 Tbsp of Scallions or Cilantro (minced, [optional]), into the mixing bowl.  
3. Mix evenly and serve with pita chips or on top of quesadilla (see picture below).

II. Quesadilla

1. Get a pack of uncooked medium-sized tortilla (fresh, not frozen).  Note- I got a large pack from Costco (from the Salsa and Cheese section).
2. Drizzle a small amount of veggie oil onto a non-stick pan.  Note- Enough oil to coat the pan with oil (1-2 tsp).
3. Turn on medium heat, and place 1 tortilla into the pan.  Add the following on top of the tortilla: (1) 2-4 Tbsp of of fully cooked and diced chicken or 1-2 slices of ham, (2) 2-4 Tbsp of bell pepper (diced), (3) 2-4 Tbsp of tomato (diced, canned or fresh), (4) 2-4 Tbsp of Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (grated, available from any market), (5) 1-2 Tbsp of scallions or cilantro (mined).  Leave 1/2" along the circumference of the tortilla open (without any fillings). 
4. Add one more tortilla on top of all the filling ingredients.  Cook and press the tortilla down with a non-scratch spatula, until the fillings are soft (3-4 minutes). 
5. When the surface of the bottom tortilla is golden with brown spots (flip up with a spatula and take a peek), flip the Quesadilla (flipping with the spatula in one hand supporting the bottom and 2-3 fingers from the other hand pressing on the top).  Drizzle another 2-3 tsp of veggie oil along the circumference of the pan, and cook until the bottom tortilla is golden (another 3-4 minutes).
6. Take the quesadilla onto a cutting board, cut into 4-6 pieces.  Garnish each piece with guacamole (and some hot sauce, for spicy taste), or sour cream, or diced tomato (and scallions or cilantro), and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product (Upper: a quesadilla cut into 4 pieces, Bottom- a piece of quesadilla garnished with guacamole).
   

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Here is another one-pot meal that's easy and quick to make.  Serving this with a salad, such as the Kale Salad we posted earlier, makes a nice dinner for two.

1. In a large-size pot or a 4-to-5Qt dutch oven,  add the following into the pot: (1) 4 chicken thighs or 2-3 chicken breasts (coarsely diced), (2) 4 potatoes (peeled and diced), (3) 2-3 carrots (diced), (4) 1-2 cups of frozen peas, (5) 1 onion (diced), (6) 1/2 tsp of garlic powder or 2-3 cloves of garlic (mined), (7) 1/2 tsp of cumin (optional, to rid unpleasant chicken taste, if any), (8) [optional] 1 cup of Half and Half (or milk, or water, for thinner stew), (8) a 22-oz can of Cream of Chicken soup, or, 1.5 cups of chicken broth and 3 cups of water, bought to a gentle boil and thickened by KoKuMaRo Stew Cream (from a Chinese or Japanese market);  or, thickened by stirring in a homemade thickening cream (i.e., 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of corn starch, 1/4 cup of milk, with water gradually stirred in to make a thickened fluid).  Turn on high heat, mix the content in the pot evenly, bring to boil, then let simmer for 30 minutes with lid on (stir every 10 minutes to prevent the bottom from sticking to the pot). At the end, sprinkle 1/4- 1/2 tsp of black pepper (Season to taste with salt).  Note- I used frozen chicken thighs, frozen carrots, and frozen peas.  After peeling, potatoes need to be immersed in water to prevent from discoloring.  Alternatively, add 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil into the pot, saute' garlic, onion, and chicken, season with cumin (5-6 minutes), add cream of chicken soup (or KoKuMaRo Stew Cream), half and half (or milk, or water), potato, carrots, and peas, bring to boil, then let simmer for 25-30 minutes. 
2. While the pot is simmering, bake 8-12 frozen biscuits, following the instructions from the product package.  Alternatively, place frozen (or out-of-a-tube) bsicuit dough on top of the fully cooked chicken stew, and baked in the oven at 375-deg-F till the biscuit is golden brown (~15-20 minutes; must've cooked the stew in an oven-safe pot or dutch oven).  Note- I used Pilsbury Frozen Biscuits (375-deg-F, till golden brown, ~20 minutes from frozen, ~15 minutes if defrosted, in Oven or Toaster Oven).  Also I used a 5-Qt cast iron dutch oven.
3. Place the freshly-baked biscuits on top of the simmering chicken stew to fully cover the surface of the stew.  Bring the whole pot to the table and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product (with the biscuits slightly over-baked).  
   

Spanish Rice, Arroz con Pollo (Rice and Chicken), and Rice Pilaf

Spanish Rice is a basic Mexican side dish.  Adding shredded chicken to it makes a one-pot meal, known as Arroz con Pollo (Rice and Chicken), that is easy and quick to make.  We aim to create a fluffy (not sticky) and relatively dry rice dish.

I.A Spanish Rice- The Rice Pilaf Method

1. Rinse 1.5 cups of long-grained rice (rinse till water is clear, rinse 5-6 times, to rid starch). Note- Use a strainer to strain water out.
2. In a non-stick flat bottom cooking pot, turn on medium heat, add 2-4 Tbsp of vegetable oil, add 1 onion (diced), 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced), 
3. Add the fully rinsed 1.5 cups of long-grained rice into the pot, stir constantly till rice is golden brown (~5 mins).  Add 1.5 cups of chicken broth.
4. Season with 1 tsp salt, 1-2 tsp Chile Powder of your choice, 4-6 Tbsp Ketchup or Tomato Sauce, 1/2 tsp Cumin. Note- Some Chile powder is more spicy than other. Use as you see fit.
5. Bring the pot to boil, and let simmer for 20 -25 minutes with the lid on (till the rice is tender and fluffy).  Stir the rice every 10 minutes (to make sure the bottom is not turning crispy), and add 1/4 cup of water every 10 minutes (twice, at most).  Note- For 1.5 cups of rice, we added 1.5 cups of chicken broth in Step 3, and now 1/2 cup (at most) of water. 
6. In a separate pan, saute' some vegetables, such as 1-2 carrots (diced), 1 cup frozen peas, 1 green and 1 red bell peppers (diced), for 1-2 minutes. Add the veggies into the rice pot, mix and fluff thoroughly, and cook under medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Season to taste by adding salt (1/4 tsp a time).
7. Garnish with minced Scallions (or Cilantro or parsley), and diced Fresh Tomato. Sprinkle black pepper on top, fluff and serve. 

I.B Spanish Rice- The Chinese Fried Rice Method  (see this previous post for the method there) 

1. Cook 1.5 cups of rice in a rice cooker (following the instructions of the rice cooker, use either long-grained or medium-grained rice), let the cooked rice cool and sit in fridge over night, 
2. (same as above)  In a non-stick flat bottom cooking pot, turn on medium heat, add 2-4 Tbsp of vegetable oil, add 1 onion (diced), 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced),
3. Add the rice from Step 1 into the cooking pot, stir and mix, 
4. (same as above) Season with 1 tsp salt, 1-2 tsp Chile Powder of your choice (some Chile powder mild, some spicy), 4-6 Tbsp Ketchup or Tomato Sauce, 1/2 tsp Cumin.
5. Stir till the rice is fully mixed with the seasoning. 
6. (same as above- Saute' veggies separately, then add into the rice pot.)
7. (same as above- Garnish and serve.)

II. Arroz con Pollo (rice and Chicken)
Before cooking rice using the method in I.A or I.B above, boil 2 pieces of chicken leg & thigh in salted water for 30 mins (immerse chicken in water, add 1 tsp of salt).  Drain out water, let cool, remove skin and bones, shred the chicken coarsely by hand. Add the shredded chicken along with the saute'd vegetables in Step 6 above. Garnish and serve as Step 7 above.  Here is a picture of the finished product.

III. Rice Pilaf
Use the same method in I.A above, except for Step 4- season with salt, saffron (optional), Step 6- use pea and carrot (not bell peppers), and Step 7- garnish with scallions (mined), raisins, and slivered almond or pistachios.

Mango Mousse Cake and Tiramisu

We bought a mango mousse cake for grandma's birthday. She likes it a lot, so we make it for her often now. The tiramisu recipe below follows this online recipe closely, with slightly less sugar, a substitute for the mascarpone cheese, the use of Cool Whip, some alternative liquors, and a 2-day waiting period before serving.  The online recipe is picked because it uses a simple and straightforward method to make custard, as opposed to the more traditional French water-bath method.

I. Mango Mousse Cake

1. Preparing a 6" Springform Pan (mandatory), and Making the Base (optional)- First prepare a 6" springform pan (see Note below).  Mix 1/2 cup of Graham cracker crumbs with 1.5 Tbsp of Brown Sugar and 2 Tbsp of melted butter. Spread and press the mixture firmly down into the 6" springform pan (with a spoon).  Leave it in freezer for 15 mins.  Note- Line the bottom of the 6" springform pan with aluminum foil, if it is one with flat bottom (e.g., a Nordic Ware pan), as opposed to one with a recessed bottom (e.g., a Wilton pan).  Line the side with parchment paper, as high as the side of the pan (i.e., 2 & 3/4" or 3" high).  For a springform pan with recessed bottom, replace the bottom with a 6" bake circle wrapped in two layers of aluminum foil (a bake circle made of cardboard and wrapped in aluminum foil is leak proof and suitable for the use here).  Note- It seems that the only way to make parchment paper stick to the side of the pan is to grease the side with a bit of butter or shortening. 
2. Making the Mango Mousse Layer- (1) In a 1-cup glass measuring cup, add 1/4 cup of cold water, sprinkle 1 Tbsp of gelatin (i.e., 1 pack of unflavored Knox Gelatin) into the cup, then add 1/4 cup of water to immerse the gelatin; sprinkle 1 Tbsp of gelatin again,  and add 1/4 cup water on top (total- 2 Tbsp gelatin, 3/4 cup water).  Now let the mixture stand for 1 min.  Heat the measuring cup in microwave for 20 seconds, stir gently, heat in microwave for 20 seconds again, and stir for 2 minutes until the gelatin is fully dissolved.  (2) In a 4-cup measuring cup, pour in 2 cups of Mango Puree' (see Note below), then add the gelatin mixture into the cup, mix evenly.  (3) Now, pour ~3/4 cup of puree-gelatin mix back into the 1-cup measuring cup, so as to keep ~2 cups of puree' in the 4-cup measuring cup for making mango mousse.  (4) In a medium-size mixing bowl, pour in 2 cups of puree'-gelatin mix, and gently fold in 8 oz of Cool Whip (either Original or Lite), until evenly mixed.  (5) Pour the mixture into the 6" springform pan prepared in Step 1 (with or without the Graham cracker base). Take care to scoop off uneven parts of the top surface with a spoon, and leave ~1/2" open on top, for the next layer (pour surplus mousse into glass ramekins and place in fridge).  (6) Now leave the springform pan in freezer for 15 minutes maximum (take it out after 15 minutes and continue to the next step).  Note- Mango puree' can be purchased in any Indian Market. If using Cool Whip Free (the fat free version of Cool Whip),  instead of Cool Whip Original or Lite, add 1 Tbsp of gelatin at the beginning of this step, because Cool Whip Free is a lot thinner than Cool Whip Original.  Note- See picture above for the product image of Mango Pulps (available from Indian grocery stores), as a substitute for Mango Puree'. Use 2.5 cups of Mango Puree' for a thicker layer of Mango Jelly in next step (but pour ~1-1/4 cups out, vs ~3/4 cup out, in Sub-step (3) above, and leave ~1" open, vs ~1/2" open, on top in Sub-step (5) above)..
3. Making the Top Layer, Mango Jelly- Stir the 3/4 cup of mango-gelatin mix (or, 1-1/4 cups, that was set aside in Step 2) for a minute until the mix is smooth (part of the mixture might have jelled in the past 15 minutes), then pour the mixture into the springform pan. Let sit in freezer for 15 minutes maximum, and then refrigerate (not freeze) in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours.  When ready to serve, release the spring-lock mechanism of the springform pan, push the bottom of the cake upward carefully, to get the cake out of the springform pan. [Important! To Preserve the Form of the Cake!] Use a thin knife to circle along the top edge of the cake in-between the parchment paper and the side of the cake, then remove the parchment paper slowly and carefully.  Now, cut and serve (clean and reuse the bake circle, if possible).  Here is a picture of the finished product (without Graham Cracker base).
   

II. Tiramisu

1. Making the Egg Custard- In a small-sized pot (preferably a non-stick pot, e.g., a 3-Qt hard-anodized soup pot), whisk together 6 egg yolks (yolks only) and 1/3 cup of sugar until well blended (use 1/2 cup of sugar if you like it sweeter).  Place the pot over low heat, stir constantly, gradually whisk in 2/3 cups of milk, until the mixture thickens (but NOT boiling yet).  The mixture feels like nectar (or honey) by now. Take the pot OFF Heat right away, and whisk for another 10-15 seconds (i.e., to cook with residual heat, off heat). Allow the pot to cool. Cover the pot and let chill in fridge for 1 hour. Note- This is the most important, and most difficult, step (err on the undercooking side, overcooking causes the egg yolks to coagulate). Might be worthwhile to compare this method with the more traditional (and slightly more time consuming) double-boiler approach to make egg custard, as suggested in this excellent online recipe. 
2. Making the Cheese Custard- After an hour in the fridge, whisk 1-lb of mascarpone cheese into the yolk-milk mixture until smooth (need a strong whisk, a whisk with two layers of wires, for this task).  Note- Mascarpone cheese can be purchased from an Italian Market, e.g., Clario's Italian Market in Southern California.  As a substitute for macarpone, whisk 1 lb of Philadelphia Cream Cheese into the mixture until smooth, then gently fold in 6-8 Tbsp-full (2 spatula-full) of Cool Whip, from an 8-oz tub of Cool Whip, until evenly mixed.  Leave the rest of the Cool Whip for Step 6 below. 
3. In a measuring cup, mix 1/2 cup of strong black coffee with 1/4 cup of Rum.  Note- Use 2/3 cup of black coffee and 1/3 cup of Rum for stronger flavor.  Rum can be replaced by brandy, or coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua, orTia Maria.  Will try espresso powder dissolved in room temperature water next time.
4. Line up ladyfingers side by side at the bottom of a 7" x 11" glass baking dish (at least 1.5" deep), until the bottom of the dish is covered with ladyfingers. Drizzle about half of the coffee-rum mixture over the ladyfingers in the glass baking pan (using a large spoon).  Note- Will try soaking (i.e., dunking/dipping both sides of) ladyfingers in coffee-rum mixture next time, Ladyfingers can be purchased from an Italian Market, or use Italian Sponge Cake as substitute. 
5. Spread half of the mascarpone (or cream cheese) mixture prepared in Step 2 evenly over the ladyfingers.  Note- this is the cheese custard layer.
6. Spread half of the remaining Cool Whip (in the 8-oz product package) evenly on top of the cheese custard layer. Note- this is the whipped cream layer.
7. Repeat Step 4 to 6.  Cover the glass baking pan with plastic wrap, and let sit in the fridge for 2 days. Yes! Two Days!   
8. When ready to serve, sift cocoa powder on top.  Cut into 2" x 2" or any size of your choice, and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.