Fideo Seco
This recipe is a delicious side dish to any Mexican feast.
Ingredients
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1/4 white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 chile ancho
- 2 chile guajillo
- 1 chipotle chili (in adobo) optional
- 1 cup stock
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 pinch salt
Toppings
- sour cream
- white cheese (fresco or feta)
- avocado slices
- cilantro
Instructions
First, let's make the salsa.
- Prep your vegetables and clean your peppers by removing the stems and seeds until you are left only with the outer skin.
- Place your tomatoes, onion and garlic on a hot pan to charr on all sides. This step will add a delicious and smokey flavor to the dish. Don’t be afraid of the charr. This step can take up to 15-20 minutes
- Do the same with your peppers; ancho & guajillo. Unlike the vegetables, you DO NOT want to char the peppers, this will make them taste bitter. Rather, just get them nice and toasty. This will be very quick, 2-5 minuets. Remove from heat.
- Place all vegetables in a blender, along with your toasted chiles and the cup of broth. Give it a good blend. Taste to see if it needs more salt and it's is spicy enough for you. If not, spice it up with an additional chipotle pepper.
Make the fideo
- On a clean pan, add a splash of olive oil and saute your fideo noodles until they begin to change color. You want to achieve a golden brown throughout most of the noodles.
- Once golden, add your salsa. Disperse with a spatula until everything is covered, add half a cup of water and cover. Let it simmer at medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it rest for another 5 minutes
Notes
EASY VERSION - If you do not have the dried Ancho and Guajillo peppers, you can make the exact same recipe using only chipotles in adobo from a can. Of course, using all the peppers adds a lot more depth of flavor, but you can achieve something similar with just chipotles.
DON’T OVERCOOK - This is one of those dishes that if overcooked, there is no turning back. It will be pasty and mushy. It is so much better to have harder noodles than to over-do it. How “al-dente” they end up depends on the thickness of the noodle you use. I like using very thin noodles, but they are the hardest to cook. So, make sure to keep a close eye when the noodles are simmering. Remove the lid and test them out. If you think they are too hard and all the liquid has evaporated, then add a splash of water. If you find they are too soft and there is still quite a bit of liquid, remove from heat immediately and uncover.