Now that the holiday season is over and we can all breathe a sigh of relief, I’m back in the kitchen and excited to share a classic recipe that is long overdue here on my blog. It’s one that I don’t make often enough and easy as it may seem to prepare, it does require some technique to get it just right.
Sopa de fideo is exquisite in its simplicity and yet it triggers complex nostalgic memories of my early childhood years spent in Mexico with my grandparents. My father’s mother, Mamá Goya, always had a pot of fideo sitting resplendently atop her stove until we’d devour it. Always cooked to perfection – nice and soupy and never too thick – Mamá Goya adds celery leaves just before it’s ready to enhance the flavor.
On a recent trip to Mexico City, my Tia Margarita (from my mother’s side, I have one on my father’s side, too) hosted us. Rosie, her cook, prepared her version of fideo that was reminiscent of my Mama Goya’s. She was kind enough to make us a big batch to get us through the week and satisfy our desire for one of our favorite comfort foods. She also shared her technique to prevent it from thickening which tends to be the most common mistake for first-timers.
She explained that the key was to fry the noodles until they turn from their pale maize color to light brown, for at least 10 minutes – just until the point where it starts to look like the noodles are about to burn. Otherwise, as the soup sits, the noodles will absorb the broth, resulting in a thick sopa with mushy noodles. I’m not a fan of thick fideo soup – I like the broth to be nice and soupy. So when I got home, I took Rosie’s advice and began experimenting only to learn that properly toasting the noodles was indeed the key!
5 FIDEO PREPARATION TIPS FROM THE PROS
Toasting the noodles for long enough is the key to making soupy fideo that doesn’t thicken as it sits. I cook mine low and slow for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Adding celery or cilantro just before simmering for the final few minutes infuses a nice burst of flavor into fideo soup.
Any style of dry noodles works well in this recipe. My children are fans of the little shells, stars, and especially love the alphabet pasta!
When I make my sopa de fideo with homemade chicken broth, it’s comes out the best, but store bought chicken or vegetable broth also work. Be sure to taste for salt and adjust to your liking. General rule of thumb: I use about 4 to 5 cups of liquid for every cup of pasta. It sounds like a lot, but this is another tip to keep your fideo soupy.
If you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to roast the tomatoes, you can use them fresh. Canned (diced or whole) tomatoes can also be used as a substitute for fresh tomatoes in this recipe.
INGREDIENTS 2 small garlic cloves 1/2 medium white onion 1 pound tomatoes (about 3-4 medium tomatoes), roasted 10 cups chicken or veggie broth 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 7-ounce package fideo pasta (about two cups) 3 celery stalks, leaves only Salt, to taste
PREPARATION Working in batches, blend garlic, onion, and tomatoes in broth. Add mixture to a large pot and bring to a boil for 15 minutes. Lower and simmer on low-medium heat for an additional 15 minutes.
In the meantime, in a separate pan, add oil over low-medium heat and once hot, add noodles. Using a wooden spatula, move noodles frequently to avoid burning. If noodles begin to brown too quickly, lower heat. The entire frying process should take approximately 10 minutes and noodles should range in color from light to dark brown.
Add noodles to hot broth, toss in celery leaves, cover, and allow noodles to cook for five minutes before turning off heat.
TO SERVE Enjoy hot with a sprinkle of fresh lime juice and crushed red pepper or your favorite salsa. My father and sister love their sopa de fideo with a dash of mayonnaise, too. Don’t knock it until you try it!
Why did my fideo come out mushy? Mushy pasta means your soup was simmered too long. For best results, remove the pasta from the heat after simmering for about 10 minutes, or when the pasta is tender.
My best friend Matt has been BEGGING me to put a Fideo recipe up on WGC for ages and this is our year! Sopa de Fideo is super quick and delicious and one of Mexico's most classic soup recipes! It's made with tomatoes, noodles, garlic, and broth and then you can add extra toppings as your heart desires.
Pasta needs space to expand as it cooks.And the starch it releases makes the situation stickier. If there's not enough water for that starch to grow, it'll have no other choice than to make clumpy noodles.
Key Takeaways: Sopa De Fideo is a tasty Mexican soup that's low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with nutrients. It's great for your heart, digestion, and immune system, and it's super customizable! Enjoying Sopa De Fideo can give you energy, support your bones, and make you feel happy and satisfied.
Alternatively, you could cook the pasta separately and add to the soup at the last moment. This will ensure the pasta and the soup are cooked perfectly. This also works well for re-heating the soup as the pasta can be added at the last minute, helping to keep it al dente.
Cornstarch is a very effective thickener, and a little bit can go a long way. Add cornstarch to a small amount of cold water or other liquid (wine or stock) and whisk into a thick slurry. Then the slurry can be stirred into a simmering soup, a bit at a time to set the final consistency.
Some historians believe that noodles were brought to both Italy and Spain by Arab nomads. Likely introduced to Spain between the eighth and ninth centuries, these noodles are said to have become known as the fine, thin fideos known today, which were then eventually taken to Mexico during Spanish colonization.
No, in almost every case, you should not rinse pasta after it's cooked. It's true that rinsing noodles or pasta after cooking halts the cooking process. “This is also known as shocking,” Tiess says. But rinsing also removes the starch water after the noodles are strained, which is what helps adhere sauce to noodles.
Because bacteria and mold require water to thrive, dried pasta will resist just about any kind of microbial spoilage. For comparison, other dried or “low-moisture” foods can contain up to 25% moisture and still remain safe from spoilage for long periods of time at room temperature.
Fideo is a little less “attention-seeking”, if you will. Your water to pasta ratio does not have to be perfect and you really can't mess this recipe up. If you add a little more water than you wanted, you get the soup version of fideo. If not enough water, you get the dry version.
Storage – Leftover noodle soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Be aware that the noodles may absorb more of the broth in the fridge. Freezing: Not recommend. The noodles will lose their texture and become mushy.
Basically, fideo is Mexican pasta, probably most familiar served in a soup as in sopa de fideo. Fideo seco leans toward casserole and can be made as a side or main dish, vegetarian or not. In Mexico, the sauce is most often made with chipotle, guajillo, and passilla chile.
Regardless of how your mom makes it or the different variations, the base of this soup consists of blending tomatoes, onion, garlic, and broth and pouring that over very thin noodles that have been sauteed until golden brown. More vegetable broth is added then everything is simmered until tender.
If you use a pot that's not large enough, the water temperature will begin to drop. This will result in clumpy, mushy pasta. Additionally, this will create a higher starch-to-water ratio, which causes the pasta to stick together. In conclusion: Avoid clumpy, mushy, and sticky pasta by using the right pot!
You see, the reason those noodles in your homemade soup end up a soggy mess is that they're low alkaline. That means once submerged in a liquid and placed in the fridge, the noodles begin to absorb the liquid. If noodles absorb too much water, then they become soft and gummy as a result.
Using a lid to trap heat in the pot will speed up this process. Water at an adequate boil will cook pasta faster, without suffering a significant temperature drop when the noodles are added, and this will keep your pasta from getting mushy.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
