Bali Hai Inspired Evo Grill Mongolian BBQ
As a young professional, in Raleigh, lunchtime is often skipped or dismissed for work. On the rare occasion the schedule allowed for a sit down meal, Mongolian BBQ was always a favorite. I enjoyed meeting a few college buddies for Mongolian BBQ at Bali Hai on Wake Forest Road. We were not alone. The lunchtime lines could wrap the inside of that building and go out the door. Loading those two plastic bowls on a cafeteria tray to maximum height. You could see the spectacle of the NC State engineers hard at work to build a tower of frozen "triangle meats" as we called them and so carefully constructing a pile of veggies to maximize the counter balance of the space between the two bowls and the tray beneeath.
Next step is to select the sauce to drench your pile of goodness. Sweet and Sour, House Sauce, or a combination of the two. Then select your heat level. This determined how many times the Chef would slam his bamboo stick across the lid of the huge shaker of cayenne pepper and shower the searing meats and veggies with an acid rain of heat. Levels going from 1-10 or higher and many did. Daring, but it was likely you might visit the neighboring Costco in search of a porcelain reprieve.
The tables of Bali Hai were warped with years of water damage. Heavy storms flooding the restaurant many times. Powerful water jumped the banks of the nearby creek. Those that perform maintenance on the Greenway of that creek, can attest to its dirty work and instantaneous power. The restaurant was often closed due to weather or staffing issues. Making it even more desirable for the thrill seeking midweek greasy spoon lover.
You would sit and wait as your meal was prepared on the circular hot stone looking surface. Frozen meats first, then veggies, then sauce. Then the steamy hot pile of the combination being tattered with Cayenne. You prayed the person constructing the meal before you did not order over 10 level heat, knowing your meal was going to be dragged through the remnant grill crust of the devil in front of you. As the line was long, so was the wait for grill space. This allowed for good conversation and anticipation. Once your meal was ready, it was dropped on a plate of brown rice, or in some instances rice noodles.
Returning to your seat, at that warped table, required you to keep a firm watch on your plate and your plastic beverage. One or the other looked like it could slide off the table at any moment. As you grab your chopsticks and take your first bite, you are hit with a zillion flavors at once. Finished with a large zing of the cayenne. As you work your way through the plate the effort becomes like climbing a steep trail. Step, then sweat, step then sweat. Come to think of it, perhaps the tables were not warped from outside water, but the sweat you would see dropping off the brow of the consumers. Sniffling, sweating, and ahh-ing. Guaranteed to knock out any cold. Or intestinal blockage. The return to work was difficult, but you felt like you knew something that others didn't. A combine of gestation. You felt alive and very intimidated if a long car ride was in front of you.
This food had some sort of catching power. You crave it. Seeing that red grease at the bottom of that plate was knowing you conquered another Bali Hai adventure. This is what inspired me to create this recipe. I wanted to re-create the experience long after the Bali Hai on Wake Forest Road shut its doors.
Go to the H Mart in Cary. It's incredible. Amazing Asian Grocery store. Purchase the following:
Frozen thin sliced beef and pork then turn to the frozen mini scallops and shrimp.
Slice these vegetables into ribbons: carrots, celery, green pepper, yellow onion, cabbage, and zucchini.
Slice these items: pineapple, scallions, eggplant, mushrooms, and bean sprouts.
Warm up your EVO or flat top grill. Season the clean surface with oil like vegetable or something that can handle high heat like canola or olive oil.
Drop the frozen meats on the grill and allow to sear.
Prepare the sauce ahead of time: Soy Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Fish Sauce, Chili Sauce, Sesame Oil, Olive oil, and Rice Wine Vinegar.
After meat is no longer frozen and starting to brown, add veggies on top and stir with a spatula or two. For shock and awe factor make yourself a bamboo stick tool ( I will describe later).
As the veggies are starting to soften, drop your sauce in the center of your food pile. Then stir and spin to continuously work the meal around the hot surface hitting and searing all edges and sides. As you are nearing the end, grab the cayenne and season to your desired heat level. Once the veggies and meats have a brown hue to the edges scoop the meal onto a bed of brown rice. If using rice noodles instead, give them a few minutes to pick up heat and the sauce before scooping onto the plate.
Your end result should look like a combo of reds, browns, and all kinds of vegetable colors. See picture below.
Make sure to scrape and clean the grill surface upon completion. Use a scraper and water on the hot surface. Push remnants to drip pan. Re-season your surface with oil.
Grab some chopsticks and enjoy the faces and sounds of your dinner guests. Highly entertaining.
See Original Grills on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok for the video.
**Bamboo stick tool for flipping, spinning, and scooping is created by chopping down a bamboo tree and cutting it into about a three foot section. Cut the top portion about a foot (in half down the stalk). This creates a U shaped device to work the grill. The length of the bamboo shaft allows you to keep your hands away from the hot steam and surface. See Picture below. Burn the green bamboo with a torch to season it and cure it. This will turn it a golden brown.
Pete Kindem
Original Grills
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