Fideo Seco
Fideo seco is an all-time favorite of families all over México. A dish you can find in every household—it’s simple, yet so full of comfort and good memories.
Best described as Mexican-style pasta, Fideo seco is what you can expect when you visit your mom or grandma unannounced. Even though it can be whipped up in no time, there's so much flavor and love. Every bite takes you home—no matter where you are. For me, that’s Tijuana, sitting in my grandma’s kitchen watching her stir the fideo until it was perfectly cooked. She would then watch like a hawk until I finished everything on my plate.
Toasted fideo is cooked in a tomato and chile broth until perfectly soft and infused. Finish with a drizzle on the creamy cashew chipotle crema and maybe some avocado slices and fresh cilantro.
Fideo Seco Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 oz uncooked medium fideo pasta (or spaghetti cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 5 tbsps vegetable oil
- 1⁄4 white onion (coarsely chopped)
- 1 garlic clove (peeled)
- 2 pasilla chiles (dried)
- 3 ripe roma tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups water, vegetable broth, or vegan chicken broth
- 1 pinch dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cashew chipotle crema
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups water
- 2 chipotle chiles en adobo (canned)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add 2 tbsps of vegetable oil to a pan over medium heat.
- Add the white onion to pan, along with peeled garlic clove. Cook until translucent.
- Add seeded and deveined dried pasilla peppers and cook until slightly soft.
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters and add along with water or chicken broth.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, until pasilla peppers are completely soft.
- Put all ingredients in a blender and season with dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- In a deep 10-inch skillet, heat the remaining 3 tbsps of vegetable oil over medium heat.
- Add fideo to the skillet and cook, stirring often until toasted and golden brown (3-4 minutes).
- Stir in the blended tomato broth, cover with lid and reduce heat to low.
- Gently simmer fideo for 15 minutes until tender, giving it a soft stir halfway to stop the bottom from becoming burnt or crispy.
- Turn off heat and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
- Serving with a good drizzle of cashew chipotle crema on top (along with optional toppings) and enjoy!
Cashew chipotle crema
- Soak raw cashews in 2 cups of water for 1-2 hours (put soaking liquid aside).
- Put the soaked cashews in a blender with 1 cup of soaking liquid.
- Add the chipotle peppers and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Blend until smooth and crema reaches a drizzle-like consistency (add soaking liquid as needed).
For Serving (Optional):
- Avocado slices
- Fresh cilantro
About The Author
Alma Fernanda Regalado
Alma was born in San Diego and raised on both sides of the border. Her interest in cooking began when she was a little girl. Always experimenting in the kitchen and trying out new ingredients. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu with a Bachelor in Business Gastronomy and worked in several restaurants including a two-michellin star restaurant in Madrid. Chef Alma Fernanda offers an all around food service. She currently mainly focuses on cooking workshops where she teaches her favorite recipes mainly inspired by travels and her experience being raised in the Mexico-US border. Her main goal is sharing her passion for food and helping people realize cooking is meant to be fun and not scary. She shares food that comes from the heart.
