KoMex Fusion! Costillas de Res Asada with Miyeok Guk and Cactus Fruit Cut Noodles

KoMex!  Korean Mexican fusion cuisine!

     Last night's KoMex recipe creation was a hit!  I made KoMex Korean Shrimp Bulgogi and Mexican Chile Colorado Sofrito on Cactus Fruit Cut Noodles.  The Korean Mexican fusion of flavors and cooking techniques created a very nice tasting entree!

     KoMex is a popular new Las Vegas cuisine.  There is a Komex Express restaurant and a Komex street vendor food truck in the the Las Vegas valley.  Customers rave about the KoMex flavor combinations.  People are interested in this new Korean Mexican Fusion Cuisine!  

     Korean bulgogi seems to the key to early success in the KoMex frontier!  Bulgogi is rated as one of the top ten best tasting recipes of all time.  Bulgogi is not the only food in Korea, just like tacos are not the only food in Mexico!

     Asada basically is a Mexican roasting technique.  The Spanish brought asada style cooking to many ports around the world.  It was the central American achiote and Mexican chile peppers that made asada one of the best tasting roasting methods for cooking meat!  

     Pork asada is very popular, but beef asada is well liked too.  Koreans like kalbi.  Kalbi is Korean style beef short ribs that are cut very thin through the bones.  Mexicans like American style beef short ribs and whole beef ribs.  American beef short ribs are thick and meaty, as you can see in the pictures above.  For thick and meaty short ribs, the slow roasting Mexican asada style is the perfect cooking method!

     Miyeok Guk is a very good tasting Korean seaweed soup.  Miyeok guk is renowned for sharpening mental clarity, providing vital nutrients for pregnant women and for providing a good source of iodine for the body's thyroid system.  Iodine rich seaweed rids the thyroid gland of radioactive isotopes.  Iodine is a proven cancer fighter.  Iodine and electrolyte producing minerals in miyeok guk give the mind clarity.  Korean students can attest to the benefits of miyeok guk as a study aid for college final exams!  Miyeok guk tastes great too!

     There are many variations of Korean miyeok guk recipes.  Most use beef broth.  Some have beef in the soup.  I posted a traditional Korean miyeok guk recipe in my blog a couple years ago.  For those who have not tried miyeok guk, it is hard to imagine just how great that beef and seaweed taste together.  It is simply a must try! 

     Korean cut noodles are cooked and shocked in a specific way that produces a chewy texture.  The cut noodles in this recipe are flavored with dried powdered prickly pear cactus fruit.  The cactus fruit noodles can be found fresh in Korean markets.  I purchased several portions of these noodles while in Korea Town Las Vegas.  Korean cut noodles are not difficult to make from scratch.  Drying and grinding prickly pear cactus fruit to a powder can be easily done too. 

     Costillas de Res Asada Recipe:  (Mexican Asada Style Roasted Beef Short Ribs)

     Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into a mixing bowl.

     Add 1/2 tablespoon of rice vinegar.

     Add 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice.

     Add 1 teaspoon of sugar or piloncillo.

     Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground anatto.

     Add 1/4 teaspoon of cumin.

     Add 1/4 teaspoon of coriander.

     Add 1/4 teaspoon of ancho chile powder.

     Add 1/2 teaspoon of New Mexico Chile Powder.

     Add 2 tablespoons of water.

     Add 4 American style meaty beef short ribs.

     Toss the ingredients together.

     Marinate in a refrigerator for 2 hours.

     Lightly brush a roasting pan with vegetable oil.

     Remove the marinaded short ribs from the marinade and place them on the roasting pan.

     Roast in a 325 degree oven, till the meat shrinks back slightly from the ends of the bones.  Roast till the short ribs are fully cooked, but not dried out.

     Allow the Costillas de Res Asada to rest for 1 minute, before serving.

     Miyeok Guk Recipe:  (Korean Seaweed Soup)

     This recipes has no beef meat in the soup, just beef broth.  There is plenty of beef meat on the short ribs.  The soup should be started just before the marinated asada beef short ribs are roasted.

     Rinse 1 tiny handful of partially dried fresh salt packed wakame seaweed under cold running water.

     Place the wakame seaweed in a bowl and cover the seaweed with water.  

     Allow the seaweed to reconstitute to its original size.

     Cut the wakame seaweed into wide strips.

     Heat a sauce pot over medium heat.

     Add 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil.

     Immediately add 3 minced garlic cloves.

     Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced ginger.

     Saute till a fragrant aroma develops.

     Add the reconstitutes slices wakame seaweed.

     Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.

     Add 1 teaspoon of Korean coarse red serrano chile pepper sauce.

     Stir till the hot soy sauce marinates the seaweed as it reduces.

     When the liquid in the soy sauce is nearly evaporated, add 2 1/2 cups of rich dark beef broth.

     Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

     Add sea salt and white pepper.

     Bring the broth to a gentle boil.

     Reduce the temperature to low heat.

     Gently simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes.

     Keep the miyeok guk warm over low heat:

     Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Cut Noodles:

     Boil a pot of water over high heat.

     Add 1 portion of prickly pear cactus fruit flavored fresh cut noodles.

     Stir the noodles occasionally, till they become fully cooked.

     Drain the hot water off of the noodles.

     Add cold water and a few handfuls of ice cubes to the hot noodles in the pot.

     Stir the noodles by hand, till they feel stiff, chewy and rubbery.

     Drain the ice water off of the noodles.  

     Set the noodles aside.

     Costillas de Res Asada with Miyeok Guk and Cactus Fruit Cut Noodles:

     Mound the cooked prickly pear cactus fruit cut noodles on the center of a large deep soup bowl.

     Ladle the miyeok guk soup broth and wakame seaweed around the noodles, till only the peak of the noodles can be seen.  (The hot broth will heat the noodles!)

     Place the 4 Costillas de Res Asada against the sides of the noodle mound, so the short ribs are only partially submerged in the soup.

     Sprinkle thin sliced green onion on the soup broth as a garnish.

     Another great KoMex creation!  The combination of flavors in this Korean Mexican Fusion Cuisine entree are beyond great tasting!   The cactus fruit aroma of the noodles is nice with the miyeok guk.  I'm glad that I thought that this combination of Mexican beef short rib asada, cactus fruit noodles and Korean miyeok guk would be worth pursuing.  This truly is a KoMex recipe that is worth trying.  Yum!  ...  Shawna