The FIFA World Cup continues in Russia, as many unexpected outcomes have been witnessed: first, the powerful Italian and Dutch teams did not even make it; Colombia was defeated by Japan (“wan-wan (ワンワン – woof, woof)!” said my dog, in approval); Iceland tied with Argentina (let’s face it, every non-Argentinian was rooting for Iceland’s Strákarnir okkar – “Our boys”); and Mexico accomplished its first ever victory against Germany (¡Chiquitibum … México, México, rah, rah, rah!) This Saturday June 23, Mexico will play against South Korea; my second World Cup fusion recipe is based on “Cheese Back Ribs”, one of the trendy dishes currently being favoured by South Koreans, also popular in the rest of Asia and around the world (A Korean chain called James Cheese Back Ribs has opened its first North American restaurant in Toronto). In the original dish, back ribs are prepared as traditional Dwaeji Kalbi (Korean-Style Pork Ribs), and served with melted cheese and toppings, such as sweet corn kernels; the melted cheese gets wrapped around each rib, and eaten with the toppings. For my fusion version, this Korean dish gets transformed with Mexican flavours; I used Southwestern BBQ back ribs (from frozen) and a selection of three Quesos Fundidos (Mexican Style Melted Cheeses).
Queso Fundido Back Ribs –
Queso fundido con costillas de puerco
Printable recipe: Queso fundido Back Ribs
Ingredients
1 package frozen BBQ back ribs (I used Southwestern style)
1 tbsp butter, at room temperature
½ lb (230 g) Oaxaca or Mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ lb (230 g) Mexican Manchego or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
¼ lb (115 g) Mexican chorizo, cooked, drained, and crumbled
½ cup sweet corn kernels (from can or frozen)
Toppings to taste – In the photo: salsa, refried beans, and extra corn (other: guacamole, jalapeños, corn chips, etc.)
Prepare ribs as directed on the package (mine were baked). Meanwhile, mix the cheeses in a large bowl and reserve. Select three oven-proof ceramic bowls for the cheese; glazed clay bowls are the traditional choice in Mexico, but I used onion-soup bowls and they worked really well. Grease bowls with butter; divide cheese mixture into three portions. In the first bowl, pour ½ a portion of cheese, half the chorizo, then another ½ portion of cheese, and top with the rest of the chorizo; set aside. In the second bowl, pour one portion of cheese, set aside. In the last bowl, pour ½ a portion of cheese, half the corn, then the rest of the cheese and corn; set aside:
Once the ribs are cooked, cover with foil and keep warm; place the prepared bowls in a 400°F (205°C) oven until cheese melts and gets very bubbly. Serve immediately with toppings and ribs:
To eat, pick one rib up with tongs, dip a fork in the cheese and pull up, then wrap stringy cheese around the rib. Add toppings, or eat them on the side:
Note: For a vegetarian version, use Gardein™ porkless bites, pan fry them as directed on the package, but season with BBQ sauce instead of using the packet included:
Vegetarian chorizo is available from Tofurky™, or use any other spicy veggie sausages, such as Field Roast Co™ Mexican chipotle:
즐겨 Enjoy! ¡Buen Provecho!
Thank you to Mary @ Cactus Catz for featuring this recipe in her Tummy Tuesday: Three Food Blogs post
My Slice of Mexico 
I’ve had korean ribs before but never dipped in cheese. Looks delicious.
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Thanks, it was yummy! It seems like South Korea has been going through a “cheese frenzy” for almost a decade, so it is cheese on everything (meat, stews, ramen, etc.)
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that’s interesting. I never associated cheese and South Korean food before. Never realized it was a trend.
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My daughters first told me about the ramen and ribs with cheese, hehe.
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
A fantastic fusion cookery site by Irene Arita who lives in Canada but has a Mexican and Japanese heritage.. Irene is celebrating The #WorldCup with some creative recipes including this one #Mexico vs. Republic of Korea.. Queso Fundido Back Ribs… absolutely delicious and there are others in the same theme… well worth heading over and following.
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Thank you, Sally, for your kind review and reblogging. Your Smorgasbord blog magazine is really very interesting and clever, I sure will be visiting it regularly. All the best!
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Thank you Irene and I look forward to more of your recipes.. Sally
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liked it. Its completely new recipe for me. Never heard about this dish.
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I hope you get to try it!
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I enjoyed this post, those ribs sound really good. One thing is confusing me you said that “James Cheese Back Ribs has opened its first North American restaurant in Toronto” I am not being picky but isn’t Toronto in Canada, and you live in Canada. Most Canadians I meet make sure we know they are not American. ( No offence meant ) I am English living in England.
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I am glad you enjoyed the post. Yep, Toronto is in Canada, and Canada is part of the sub-continent of North America. Canada, The United States of America (USA) and Mexico (actually officially named “The United States of Mexico”) are all in North America. I have dual Canadian and Mexican citizenship, so I am Mexican, Canadian, and hence, twice “North-American” LOL. It is confusing because the demonym for people from The USA is “American”. I hope this is helpful.
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That is an excellent explanation. I was thinking countries instead of continents. Silly of me thanks you tell me so nicely 💜💜
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Enjoyed the recaps and the recipe looks yummy!
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Thank you!
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Sounds (and looks) delicious!
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