If you happen to be in Kona, a great place to try is TK Noodle House Kona. Chef Thepthikone Keosavang was Hospice of Hilo’s celebrity chef several years ago, so many who attended the event would be familiar with TK’s cuisine.
If you happen to be in Kona, a great place to try is TK Noodle House Kona. Chef Thepthikone Keosavang was Hospice of Hilo’s celebrity chef several years ago, so many who attended the event would be familiar with TK’s cuisine.
TK’s life is interesting, as he immigrated from Laos to Las Vegas in 1987. At 16, he worked as a kitchen prep, quickly got promoted to line cook and soon became sous chef at Las Vegas’ Best Japanese Restaurant, Shibuya, in 2005 and 2006.
When the MGM Grand opened in 1993, TK stood in line for five hours for a job there and became a line cook. He worked with chef Michael Mina. TK’s cuisine includes Italian, American, Mexican, French, Chinese, Japanese, Pacific Rim and Thai.
TK Noodle House’s menu is extensive, and everything our group ordered was delicious. It was well-flavored and very complex. The noodles are a specialty here and include tomato egg and fettuccine, spinach egg and fettuccine, udon, glass, rice, vermicelli and ramen noodles.
We tried the lilikoi chicken (tempura chicken breast, lilikoi honey reduction, steamed rice), furikake, seared ahi poke salad (with orange vinaigrette, spicy wasabi aioli), spicy kimchee tako (spicy garlic citrus sauce), duck noodle soup and vermicelli sauté. We ended our meal with halo halo, which was wonderful.
I first met TK when he was the chef de cuisine at The Fairmont Orchid Hotel in Waikoloa. He was a contributor in my cookbook, “Aunty Audrey’s Big Island Eats” with his Kaffir Lime-Poached Kona Kampachi and ‘Ahi. By the intensity of this recipe, and the ingredients involved, it gives you an idea of TK’s cuisine and the complexity of flavors.
There are layers of different items to tickle your taste buds.
Kaffir-Lime Poached Kampachi and ‘Ahi
By Thepthikone Keosavang
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) center-cut Kona kampachi fillet
1 (8 once) center-cut sashimi-grade ‘ahi fillet
2 quarts court-bouillon (recipe follows)
1/2 cup sweet chili oil (recipe follows)
1/2 cup lemon truffle soy dressing (recipe follows)
1/2 cup organic micro-greens, for garnish
1/4 cup organic watercress, for garnish
For court-bouillon:
4 lemongrass stalks, smashed
1/2 cup peeled and crushed ginger
12 kaffir lime leaves
1-by-2-inch piece kombu
3 Hawaiian chilies
4 cups water
1/2 cup sake
2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt
For the sweet chili oil:
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the lemon truffle soy dressing:
2 tablespoon Yamasa soy sauce
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1 tablespoon yuzu juice
1 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh young ginger
1 tablespoon finely-chopped toasted garlic
1 tablespoon grape seed oil
Preparation:
Sweet chili oil: Combine all the listed ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let the oil cool. Pour the cooled oil through a coffee filter to remove any solid ingredients. Put in a closed container and store until ready to use. This can be done the day before you plan to cook the fish.
Lemon truffle dressing: Toast the garlic by removing the papery covering on several garlic cloves, enough to get one tablespoon. Do not peel the cloves. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and put the garlic cloves in the pan. Watch carefully and stir frequently. Cook until golden brown; this should take only a few minutes. Remove from heat, cool, peel, chop. Combine the soy sauce, truffle oil, yuzu juice, ginger, garlic and grape seed oil in a mixing bowl. Mix well, taste and correct the seasoning if desired. Place in container and store until ready to use. Shake before using if the oil has separated. This also can be done the day before you plan to cook the fish.
Court-bouillon: Trim the lemon grass stalks, if necessary, and smash them with the flat of a heavy knife; this will release their flavor. Peel and crush the ginger, count out the kaffir leaves and cut the piece of kombu. Remove the stems from the Hawaiian chilies. Put the 4 cups of water in a medium-size stockpot and add the prepared vegetables, the sake and the salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for five minutes.
You can prepare the court-bouillon just before poaching the fish. You also can make it ahead of time.
To make ahead, strain it through a sieve into a container with a tight lid. Throw out the vegetables. Refrigerate or freeze.
To poach the kampachi and ‘ahi: Bring the court-bouillon to a rolling boil, then turn the heat down to low. Let the boil subside. Submerge the fish in the court-bouillon for 15 seconds, then remove and cool.
Do not rinse the fish under cold running water or submerge in ice water to speed the cooling; let the fish cool gradually.
This will preserve the flavor. Cover and put in the refrigerator to chill. Just before serving, cut each fillet into thin slices.
Presentation: Arrange the slices of kampachi and ‘ahi on a serving platter or on individual plates.
Drizzle the fish with chili oil and truffle-soy dressing, and garnish with Hilo organic watercress and Kona micro-greens.
Village Burger
Once again, TripAdvisor.com named Village Burger in Waimea as one of the best restaurants for a burger. Chef Edwin Goto’s restaurant is rated No. 8.
Email me at audreywilson 808@gmail.com if you have questions.