The Big Kahuna Files: Shrimp Chow Fun & Stir Fried Morning Glory

This one is for FOY "Liver" in hopes that he did, or will soon get his Big Kahuna Burner!

Every so often, when I check referring sites, searches, and other stats, I will without fail, always notice that someone has been using one search engine or another using the phrase "high BTU burner" or "Big Kahuna". And it always seems that I'll get at least one comment on any post where I've used my Big Kahuna (why does that just sound wrong). Even though Amazon seems to have replaced the Big Kahuna with another Eastman Outdoors product called the Outdoor Gourmet New Revolution Burner, it looks like Eastman Outdoors still sells the Big Kahuna. With that in mind, I've created a category called the Big Kahuna Files. My high-heat cooking experience has been limited to various stir-fry and noodle dishes, and I usual don't bother to post. Those posts would contain an ingredient list of only oil, dried shrimp, garlic, salt, and "insert green leafy vegetable of choice". I just let her rip.......and high heat will do her thing.

But for a change, here are a couple of other items I've cooked with the Kahuna recently:

Shrimp Chow Fun:

 

This came out waaaay better than expected, even with the lousy noodles I picked up at 99 RanchMarket. The shrimp were also too large, I had 12-16U, and smaller shrimp would have suited me better. One more thing, I also tried out Lee Kum Kee brand Seafood XO Sauce, which should be renamed, "rancid, second rate chili oil...." Better to go with sesame oil, or even better, make your own XO sauce.... but that's another post.

Some key points - at least for me:

 - Don't crowd the wok, more is not necessarily better.

 - Have your mis "en place". Have everything, including seasonings within easy reach.

- Control of the heat is important.

- Don't disregard your "nose" it'll tell you so much.

The Recipe - though I don't think you'll need one! Let's just call this a "pseudo-recipe"....

1/2 lb Chow Fun Noodles
4 Tb Canola Oil
1/3 Pound Shrimp

For Shrimp:
2 Tb Shao Xing wine
1 Tb Light Soy Sauce
Salt

1/2 Onion Sliced
1 Cup Bean Sprouts (I didn't bother to pick through them)
Up to 1 cup vegetable of your choice sliced. (i.e. celery, green bell pepper, etc)
2 Stalks Scallions, green parts only, sliced in 1" lengths.

2 Tb Dark Soy Sauce
3-4 Tb Light Soy Sauce
White Pepper
Sesame Oil to Taste

1 - Shell and devein shrimp, marinate with wine, soy sauce, and salt for 10-15 minutes.
2 - Remove shrimp from marinade and use 2 Tb oil to cook over high heat for a few minutes. Remove from wok.
3 - Replace oil and add vegetable (in this case all I used was 1/4 of a red bell pepper) and onion to wok.
4 - Stir fry for 1 minute, or until vegetable starts to barely soften.
5 - Move the veggies to the side of the wok using your spatula. If the bottom of the wok is too dry, add another Tb of oil.
6 - Add noodles separating them as you place in the center of the wok. A clump is a no-no.
7 - Let the noodles sit for a few seconds. You'll notice that they'll start to caramelize and blister. Using a pair of long chopsticks, mix noodles, add dark soy and 3 Tb Light Soy and mix. Don't do the "pour around the rim of the wok" thing, unless you want to add a burnt soy flavor to your noodles.
8 - Lower heat to medium and add bean sprouts and shrimp while using chopsticks to combine ingredients.
9 - I add the scallions last, as I like them crisp, with a bit of a "bite". Keep on stirring.(Keep them chopsticks going....)
10 - Lower heat, taste, add white pepper to taste, and more light soy sauce if necessary.
11 - Remove from heat and add sesame oil to taste.

All of this will take just a few minutes.......

Stir Fried Morning Glory:

It just seemed like we couldn't get enough of this during our trip. The Morning Glory in SEA is much more tender than what we have here in the states. The prep is simple, and I guess this is another pseudo-recipe. The results are wonderful:

 

In this case, I didn't use any sugar, and just a few drops of fish sauce, mainly for the fragrance.

1/2 bunch Morning Glory (aka Ong Choy, Pak Boong, Kang Kung, Kang Kong, etc, etc, etc...)
3 - 12(!!!) Thai Bird Chilies.(The 12 is out of respect for Joy from Tamarind, who told me, 12 chilies is Lao heat)
2 Tb Canola Oil.
4-5 Cloves of Garlic sliced
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
1 Tb Oyster sauce
Fish Sauce (optional)
2-3 Tb Light Soy Sauce

1 - Slice rinsed and dried morning glory into 1 1/2" lengths
2 - Remove green stem from chilies, and slice garlic. Alternately, you could bruise the chilies and garlic in a mortar - this will make them significantly hotter.
3 - Mix together Oyster Sauce, sugar(if using) and 2 Tb of the Soy Sauce.
4 - Heat wok over high heat. Add oil, then chilies and garlic. Stir quickly.
5 - When the garlic starts to soften (sometimes in a few seconds). Add morning glory and stir fry.
6 - When morning glory starts to wilt, lower the heat to low, and add oyster sauce mixture.
7 - Taste and add Fish Sauce(if using) and additional soy sauce if necessary.

They'll be no more excuses for soggy Ong Choy.......

 

You know, I haven't been very delicate with my Big Kahuna..... it sits on the back porch, at the mercy of the elements. I should probably treat it better. But it has held together rather well. During their last visit, I cooked a few simple stir-fries using the Kahuna for the In-Laws. They proceeded to tell the Missus that She "shouldn't bother learning how to cook anymore since I've taken my cooking to a whole 'nother level."

Oh the joy of 65,000 BTU's......

Comments

[Chubbypanda]

I don't think I could live without my Big Kahuna. It's awesome!

[sawyer]

very interesting....i think my neighbor has one of these...i never knew what they were
both recipes look good...gona have to try it out with my puny stove... =(
nice title!

[sawyer]

and btw...what happened to 5 dollar fridays?

[freddy]

are you a restauranteur?

[kat]

does this mean you have to cook the missus will give up her post in the kitchen and you will take over permanently?? everything looks good!

[liver]

My wife just said she's envious of your "big kahuna." 8) We need a real backyard before getting one, or else we may burn down the complex. Concidentally, during my wife's holy trek to Golden Gate bakery for her egg custards, we walked by by the Wok Shop here in SF. I thought of you and the Big Kahuna, and now I come back and find a whole post for me!

Looks like you were able to generate a lot of wok hay in those dishes. Awesome!!!

[Kirk]

Hi CP - I agree.... we've totally lost respect for restaurants who can't do green veggies just right!

Hi Sawyer - Cathy is on vacation... and $5 Fridays will be returning soon. She'll be happy to know you miss them!

Hi Freddy - Are you kidding??? I'm just a hack home cook... who likes to eat!

Hi Kat - In order to give something up, you have to have held that post in the first place..... he-he-he...

Hi Liver - Everytime I use the Kahuna, I think of you. The Chow Fun turned out exceptionally good. I hope you get a backyard of your very own soon!

[Carol]

You're killing me, Kirk. I'm staring at my sorry oatmeal but dreaming about chow fun and ong choy (kong xing cia is what we called it). My mom used to make ong choy all the time when I was little because it was the only greens I would eat willingly. Ah, good times!

[elmomonster]

My Big Kahuna also makes me some awesome kang kung...the high heat makes it neat!

I'm indebted to you for telling about the BK!

[Jeff C]

Kirk, I still have yet to pull the trigger and get one. But that seems like a great price. Maybe I will get one but I'm a bit of a wuss in doing propane. I think of all the horror stories of tanks blowing up and houses catching on fire.
Anyways, I have the perfect dish to do for the outdoor burner- Char Kway Teeow or Cheong FUn with XO sauce. Both of these need excellent wok hay to make it work.
Also- I believe the Morning glory other names are water spinach is Kong Xing Cai or Water convolvulus, a water weed that clogs water ways. See we need to eat this not herbicide it to death. Yams greens are also in the same family so they have a similar taste.

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - Sorry about that..... man, the Water Spinach in SEA is so good. I think they harvest it younger... it's so much more tender.

Hi Elmo - Nothing like high heat for stir frying!

Hi Jeffrey - I used to feel the same way about getting a Pressure Cooker, but after I got one..... Don't forget "water spinach" and rau muong... it's like the plant with 10,000 names!

[Tammy]

Hey Kirk,

I've been eyeing that Big Kahuna for awhile. Does it come with a wok and the gas thing? I need to get a bigger house before I can get one. I really want one. It's very interesting how we like and cook the same type of food. Isn't that weird? By the way, did Sam call you for lunch this Sat at Sab-E-Lee? We're planning to meet there for lunch....

[Kirk]

Hi Tammy - Of course we eat alike... "great minds, and all that stuff!" ;o)Sam hasn't spoken to me yet, but I may see him later this week! The Big Kahuna is the ring and stand, with the regulator. The wok and propane you provide yourself. It is a bargain for a shade over fifty bucks.

[PedMa]

PedMa likes Big Kahuna!

Also, Thai style pak boong fi daeng(PBFD)...more red chiles to make it look like Xmas tree or so my missues from Thai Northeast says....

BTW....P-Koby @ Sab-E-Lee can make PBFD on request....arrrrrroooyyyyy ma krab! Sometimes the simple things are just the best!

[Kirk]

Hi PedMa - I tried the 12 chili version.... pounded in the Pok-Pok. Ouch..... or more like OUCH!!!

[foodhoe]

Aha! What does the big kahuna look like? I totally want to setup some kind of an outside gas powered wok! I had better go back and read all your posts. From the comments, this brand is a popular one, no?

[Kirk]

Hi FH - Yes, the Big Kahuna is very popular. It's a very dependable device.....I've badly neglected mine, but it still works like a champ.

Some photos here:

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2005/12/midweek_misceal.html

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2005/06/yosogreedyeastm.html

[Andrew, a wok lover]

Good post..can't get Kahunas here in England, but I have a slightly lower powered version and it works great with a wok. Nothing beats seared vegetables.

[Kirk]

Hi Andrew - High heat cooking is wonderful!

[Janfrederick]

Thanks Kirk. I just tried my new burner for Easter brunch at the in-laws this last weekend and my MIL commeneted that she hadn't had stir fry that good since she was a girl in Taiwan when her grandmother used a hug wok on a charcoal grill.

It was weird accepting the compliment because I don't think it had anything to do with my ability at all. It took all of 5 minutes and it was wonderful.