To make the crispy morning glory, heat the oil in a 4-quart (3.
8-L) Dutch oven to 375°F (190°C).
While the oil is heating up, rinse the morning glory and drain in a colander until mostly dry.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour and baking soda.
Measure out 1 cup (125 g) of the flour mixture and place it into a separate large bowl for dredging.
Whisk the cold water into the remaining flour mixture until a thin pancake batter forms.
Dredge the cut and rinsed morning glory in the dredging flour.
Place in the batter and coat until a thin layer of the batter forms.
Fry the pieces in two to three batches until golden brown and crispy, 2 to 4 minutes for each batch.
Drain the morning glory on paper towels or a rack for a minute, then transfer to a large serving plate.
To make the dressing, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat and let preheat for 1 minute.
Swirl in the oil, then toss in the garlic, chilies and shrimp and sauté until the shrimp are just pink and opaque, 1 to 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Using the residual heat of the pan, stir in the shallot, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and coconut milk.
Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if you’d like.
To serve, arrange the morning glory in the center of the serving plate.
At the very last minute before eating, dress the salad with the dressing, keeping the shrimp and shallot pieces on top of the morning glory.
Garnish with the red onion, crushed peanuts and cilantro, then sprinkle the store-bought fried shallots on top.
