Asian Nite at The Relleno's

Wife and I split out for a concert in MS, went to the Pearl River Casino Resort to see Great White and Skid Row.
A night away from home without the kids, a night for dinner, a concert and hotel stay.
Now the great thing about this concert is that my wife is friends with Mitch Malloy, Great White's new lead singer, and he fixed us up with All Access Passes.
Backstage smackstage, we were front-n-center for Great White and then went upstairs to one of the skyboxes to watch Skid Row.
What a way to watch a concert, big cushy loungers to relax in, hor d'oeuvres and free drinks served by wait staff.



Now here is the real story,
we went to a nice restaurant for dinner expecting something really good for the money only to be disappointed.
This is all too common when one has their own passion for food and cooking.
So I came home today hungry for some food that had real depth of flavor.
I figured some Asian fare with a big kick would do the trick.

Menu
Asian Pork Belly with Crispy Skin
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Vietnamese Pork/Shrimp Spring Rolls
Bok Choy
Rice

Asian Pork Belly with Crispy Skin
Score, dry brine and air dry a pork belly for 36 hours
Place belly in baking dish and let it come up to temp with oven during preheat to 475°
Roast belly for 30-40 minutes, until it has turned the skin to cracklins
Add sauce to just below skin, add garlic, ginger, chile and star anise to sauce
Lower heat to 375°, return to oven and bake for 2.5 hours
Garnish with chopped green onion
Strain sauce and then reduce by a third, pour over PB strips

Sauce
2C cider or cane vinegar
1-3/4C soy sauce
1/3C brown sugar
1-1/4C water
1T sesame oil
1T fish sauce
6 star anise
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium knob of ginger, chopped
1 Serrano or other chile, chopped
Green onion, chopped for garnish






Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterfly and pound flat
Marinate chicken for about 4 hours in homemade teriyaki sauce and then grill.

Teriyaki Sauce
1C water
5T brown sugar
1/4C soy sauce
2T honey
1t granulated garlic
1/2 t ground ginger
Combine the above and bring to a boil
Combine the cornstarch and water, add to mix and boil to desired thickness
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water



Bok Choy
Combine
1/2C chicken stock
1/4C Shaoxing wine
1T sesame oil
Set aside
In a wok lightly brown some finely chopped garlic in oil
Quickly stir fry the Bok Choy in the garlic oil for about a minute
Add in the liquid and bring to a fast boil, hold for two minutes, drain and serve

Vietnamese Pork/Shrimp Spring Rolls
Frozen spring rolls from the local Asian Market, really tasty stuff.
I can't read the brand name much less pronounce it.

Money Shot

 

Thanks, we had a fun time at the concert.
Always nice to have connections.

I'm about to hit the leftovers for lunch, yum!

 

Thanks Gary, this was the least fatty, and the meatiest PB I've ever eaten.
You can see the one vein of nearly rendered out fat, and the skin was so crunchy.

 

Thank you Brian.

 

Appreciate it MC.
One of my favorites is Kung Pao Chicken, made with chopped thighs, extra green onion and hotter than hell's furnace.

 

We love going to concerts featuring the older Hard Rock and Heavy Metal bands.
Saw them all back in the awesome era of Arena Rock, huge extravagant shows, spectacular lighting, special effects and stages.
Now it's much more relaxed, small venues and not nearly as crazy.
We go to several concerts a year and love it more than ever!

Thanks for the food comments and likes.

 

Thanks CM, the bands rocked.
Sunday's dinner wasn't too shabby.

 

Thank you Chris.
What genres of music do you enjoy?
We range from Classical to Zydeco and some of everything in between.

 

Thanks man...
I hear ya man, I hear ya and agree.
Hard to find good eats now-a-days.