Sopa de Fideo

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I am currently listening to “Que No Quede Huella” by Bronco to help take me back to a time when I can see my mom making this soup. She would totally be in her zone esa madre mia de mi corazon! Even though we didn’t have much, she always found a way to get her 4 pollitos fed. La sopa de fideo was one that she would make for us when we were home from school break. It’s funny now when I think of those times, how easily we take for granted what we thought would be eternal. Te acuerdas cuando te hacian tu sopita? You could swear it was the best thing on earth! But now with a small family of our own, we get to give those memories to our pollitos.

After I got married, it took me a minute to pull this recipe out. But when I had my first child and he was able to eat solids, this was something que le hacia seguido a el. My two youngest (2yr old twin boys) devour it! With their faces llenas de salsa de tomate, pick up their little bowls y me gritan “mas mami, peas!” Y siempre con un poquito de queso fresco. In case you are wondering, the song “Quiereme” by Los Bukis is now moving us along memory lane (you’re welcome!). I hope you guys enjoy this sopa de fideo like we do. Buen provecho!

What is sopa de fideo made of?

La receta es muy sencilla and calls for ingredients you can get from almost anywhere. You start by choosing your favorite noodle shape, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chicken broth. My mom would use Roma tomatoes, as they were more economical for a bigger family. Customarily, my mom would use Knorr to give it it’s flavor and is the one that I will be using to make this recipe. You can substitute with homemade chicken broth or your favorite chicken bouillon.

Can I use any noodle?

The noodles that are used is made of durum wheat and has a thickness between angel hair and spaghetti pastas. You can use regular pasta but you might not get the consistency we’re trying to go for. Noodles will absorb the liquid it is cooked in and can get slightly thicker, you might have to improvise a bit if you use regular pasta. You can use broken up angel hair or vermicelli noodles to get closer to that authentic sopita in case you don’t have these noodles available to you.

Why does my sopa de fideo come out mushy?

Unfortunately I know all about mushy soups! When I first started making it for my family, I would also get this frustrating result. Part of the problem was that I would let my soup cook for way too long that the broth would evaporate. It also made my noodles so big that they would come apart, ugh! Another problem I would sometimes encounter is that I didn’t use enough broth in the soup, it resulted in a bola de masa that would then stick to the bottom of the pot and then burn. But take heart, You too can come out the other end victorious!

Why does the fideo have to be toasted?

I used to see my mom toast the pasta before making the soup and thought nothing of it, I just knew that it was a step that was part of the process. But it is actually a very important step that adds a rich nutty flavor to the soup. It is also a helpful technique to help prevent the noodles from overcooking and get soggy too quickly, specially if you plan to add other ingredients to your soup.

How to make Sopa de Fideo

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs canola oil
• 7 oz Moderna noodles
• 3 plum Roma tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 of a white onion
• 1 1/2 tbs Knorr chicken bouillon
• 5 cups water
• salt to taste

Optional ingredients:

• Lime
• Queso fresco

Instructions:

1. Heat pot on medium heat.
2. Drizzle oil in warm pot followed by noodles, toast the noodles until they get a golden brown color and you get a flavorful aroma.
3. In the mean time, place tomatoes, garlic, chicken bouillon, onion, and water in a blender. Blend until you get a smooth broth.
4. Once your noodles are nice and toasted, pour in the contents from your blender into the pot.
5. Bring soup to a boil on high heat setting, then lower to a low/medium heat to cook with the top on the pot. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until desired noodle tenderness is reached.
6. Remove pot from heat source, serve and enjoy immediately!

Good to know tips:

• You can use any oil you prefer. I recommend using an oil that can tolerate high heat to toast the noodles with.
• Use the tomato that is available to you. You can use canned tomatoes, but you might get a slightly different taste.
• Choose a favorite bouillon. Although traditionally we use the Knorr chicken flavor, you can use a different chicken or vegetable bouillon. You might need to adjust the amount that you add in the blending process on step 3. I recommend adding 1/2 tbs at a time until you reach desired flavor.
• Stir noodles about 3 minutes into cooking on step 5. I noticed that the noodles can stick to the bottom of the pot and can clump up together.
• You can add other ingredients to make your sopa de fideo more hearty. You can add precooked peas, potatoes, carrots, and shredded chicken about 5 minutes into cooking on step 5. It will add a few more minutes into the cooking time, I suggest checking on the sopa about 3 minutes after to make sure the soup doesn’t overcook.
• Store for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Keep it in an airtight container in your refrigerator. I recommend reheating it on the stovetop on medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent overheating and ending up with a mess of soup all over your stove.

I truly hope that you and your family enjoy this delicious sopa de fideo. Without a doubt, like us growing up, they also will remember you making it for them.