Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting Mexico City, which was a tremendous experience. In addition to the thousands of years of history and culture that permeate throughout every neighborhood in the city, the food was unreal.
Today’s recipe is a rendition of a dish that has been deeply rooted in Mexican gastronomy: Fideo Seco. Taken soon after colonialization from a similar dish from the Spanish called fidua, this dish takes thin noodles, toasts them until golden, and then cooks them down in a roasted chile and tomato-based sauce. You then cook the noodles until all the sauce is absorbed.
This is an excellent side dish that would go well with beans, tortillas, or a nice piece of grilled fish; and all the ingredients can be found at your neighborhood Mexican market.
The secret to this dish is really in the garnishes that you put on top, which bring together the creamy texture of the noodles. Here we are using a soft panela cheese, avocado, cilantro, and freshly squeezed lime for the garnish, but the world is your oyster here!
Ingredients:
2 Roma tomatoes
¼ of a large white onion
2 garlic cloves (skin on)
1 pasilla chile, stem and seeds removed
2 chipotles in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon of the liquid
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ c chicken stock (low-sodium or homemade)
7 oz fideo noodles (2-inch pieces)
4 oz Panela cheese
1 Avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Lime
Cilantro, roughly chopped
Method:
Heat a small pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer.
Using a comal or a cast iron skillet lined with foil, set to medium heat. Briefly toast the pasilla chile until fragrant. Transfer the chile to the simmering water and cook for 15 minutes until soft and rehydrated.
As the chile is simmering, add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to the pre-heated comal/skillet. Dry roast the vegetables, turning as the sides turn black. Roast until well blackened.
Once roasted, peel the garlic and then transfer to a blender along with the tomatoes, and onion. Add the rehydrated pasilla chile to the blender cup. Finally, add the chipotle, adobo liquid, Mexican oregano, and kosher salt to the blender. Blend until smooth, adding a couple of tablespoons of the chile soaking liquid if needed to loosen it up.
Once blended, run the liquid through a fine mesh sieve and into a bowl to remove any remaining skins or seeds.
Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil and the dry fideo noodles. Toast the noodles until they are browned, stirring often.
Once the noodles are browned, add in the blended tomato and chile liquid and stir together with the noodles. Cook for a minute or so, then add the chicken stock and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pan and reduce heat to a simmer, allowing the noodles to cook until liquid is fully absorbed. This process should take about 20-25 minutes, and if you need more liquid, you can add a few tablespoons of water during the cooking process. Taste and adjust for seasonings as the noodles cook.
As the noodles cook, prepare the garnishes. Roughly chop the cilantro, cut the lime into wedges, dice the panela cheese into small cubes, and peel and thinly slice the avocado.
Once the noodles are cooked and the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat.
Using a small bowl, pack the cooked fideo noodles into the bowl, then invert onto a plate. Top with the panela cheese and avocado slices. Garnish with lime and cilantro when serving.
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