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| Fideo is a delicious leftover. |
I loved my mother's Fideo!
My oldest child recently told me he loves Fideo (vermicelli). I love to hear this because it encourages me to cook. It also lets me know exactly what he is willing to eat. After all, how does a mother get to her child's heart, except through his stomach? I decided to take it one step further.
I decided to blog about how to make Fideo so he can have this as a guideline when he spreads his wings in the cooking arena. Hint, hint: I want my son to make Fideo for me someday.
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| These are the ingredients for Mexican-style Fideo. |
Ingredients for the Mexican-style Fideo are:
--1 box of Vermicelli (Fideo)
--2 tablespoons of Olive oil
--1/2 a small can of Tomato sauce
--1 teaspoon of Garlic
--1 tablespoon of Onions
--1 teaspoon of Cumin
--a few dashes of Black pepper
--1 teaspoon of Sea salt
--3 cups of water
Optional ingredients:
--1/2 of a can of Diced tomatoes
--1 tablespoon of Green bell pepper
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| This is a closeup of the main ingredient--Vermicelli. |
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| These are optional ingredients for making Fideo. |
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| Oil is poured into pan. |
First, swish the olive oil inside the pan. Make sure the sides get some of the oil. Then, wait until the pan is warm enough before adding the Vermicelli.
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| Fideo is ready to be saturated with oil. |
The next step is to push the Fideo around, making sure all of it gets soaked with the olive oil. Keep at it because the temperature will get hotter, causing the bottom Fideo to burn. It's important to push up the browned Fideo to the top, allowing the white fideo to fry. Don't be afraid to turn down the pilot so your Fideo won't burn.
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| Fideo is browned. |
Now, the Fideo is ready for two cups of water. I used to take the pan to the sink to fill it up. I no longer do that because of safety. Arthritis sometimes affects my strength to carry a heavy pan. Also, the splashing and possibility of the pan falling on someone is too dangerous.
I grab a measuring cup full of water and pour into the pan, very slowly. The oil sometimes splashes up. I must mention that I turn the burner off before pouring the water. Don't want to start a grease fire!
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| The rest of the ingredients are added. |
After the water is added, all of the other ingredients are poured into the Fideo. The onions and garlic (and bell pepper), whether in powder, fresh, or freezed form, is tossed in. Fresh diced tomatoes can be added, but I mostly use canned diced tomatoes (which I ran out of but later bought to add to the leftover Fideo). Cumin (comino) can come in powdered or seed form, but I used the powdered version this time. I have also been using sea salt instead of the iodized form.
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| Fideo is covered. |
Once the ingredients are mixed with a spoon, allow the Fideo to boil. Then, reduce the temperature and cover. Having it covered will let the Fideo cook evenly and more quickly. You can time the Fideo at about 7 minutes to simmer.
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| Slowly, the water will cause the Fideo to increase in size. |
Never stir any pasta or rice without adding water. The stuck food will be hard to stir and stay stuck to the pan.
Uncover after the 7 minutes. You will notice that the water seems to have evaporated. Do not stir at this point. Pour about a cup of water and then stir. Cover again and cook for about another 5 minutes. At the end, the Fideo should be soft. Don't worry if it needs a little more water or more time to cook. It's all about finding the rhythm of cooking Fideo.
Well, thanks for reading about how to make Mexican-style Fideo (Vermicelli).
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it up.
What about you, my readers? Have you ever eaten Fideo? What would you add or subtract from it? Would you add meat? I hope you will try some Fideo, if you haven't. It is truly delicious. My kids love it.
May God bless you with His peace and wisdom, my beloveds.
This has been an entry for Saturday Spreads. I hope you enjoyed it!
I will NEVER be able to thank you enough for this post about making Fideo! My Granny made the best I have ever had. After she died I realized I didn't know how to make it. Most every time I've tried it turns out sticky and tasteless. Then I found you! Your recipe is EXACTLY like my Granny's!!! Oh the wonderful memories that taste evokes! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!
ReplyDeletePam,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this blog entry about fideo-making has been of benefit to you.
You're so sweet. I didn't learn how to make fideo from my mom, but I saw her do it so many times. I finally asked and oversaw my sister make rice. She was the one that told me that if you know how to make Mexican rice, you'll know how to make fideo, conchitas (shells), and elbows the same way with the same ingredients.
God bless,
Rebecca
As a native San Antonian, I immediately recognized the HEB brand of tomatoes and suspected that you are from the San Antonio/South Texas area. I live near Dallas now and daily miss my HEB. Ahhh... Any way, I love your recipe for fideo and it sounds very similar to the fideo that I make. My problem was always the consistancy of the taste. I had been taught to make this by my mom so no measurements were ever used and so the resulting fideo varied greatly depending on how heavy-handed I was that day with the spices. I have solved this problem with a solution that I discovered one day in HEB. I use the Bolner's Fiesta Ole. It is perfect every time and can be found at most HEB store or ordered on the internet. http://www.fiestaspices.com/index.asp?page=fideoole
ReplyDeleteHi there,
DeleteThanks for your message here. I have used some of the Fiesta spices. I don't use the mixed spices for fideo because I am used to the separate ones. The only mixed spices I use are from the Mrs. Dash line. Those are handy for chicken and steaks.
Rebecca
My fideo always comes out sticky, what am I doing wrong?
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteAre you using enough water and/or oil? Is your pan old? If needing to stir, make sure that there is enough water before attempting to stir.
Rebecca G.
Is there anyway you could help me out with the measurements of the ingredients? I've only ate it once and loved it but i don't want to over/underdo any of the ingredients. thanks!
ReplyDeleteI would try with one teaspoon of all the spices, except the black pepper. The black pepper would only require a few light dashes. As for the oil, I would use about two tablespoons. I would use about half a can of the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes. A little goes a long way.--Rebecca G.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI updated with approximate measurements of the ingredients for FIDEO. I hope this helps those who struggle with how to make it. I usually go by what I feel is right so it is sometimes hard to quantify how much I should use of what. ;)
Rebecca G.