I know as soon as everyone reads that word they automatically think of the “right” way to make it. Which is probably the way they or someone in their family makes it. I get it. There are a million ways to make this dish. Few recipes will conjure up such a passionate conversation. What should the profile of Fideo be? – Mostly broth-all noodles-with beans-made with chicken-without beans-ground beef only-the varieties are endless. I am from San Antonio and have a vast knowledge of all the different types of Fideo. Seeing as I had Fideo at least once a week my entire childhood. I learned from my grandma Garcia that Fideo is made with slow poached chicken, almost burnt noodles and served with Parmesan cheese. Like a lot of Spanish or Mexican food dishes they sometimes morph into the Tex-Mex genre. And that brings us to the Fideo we make in the Hill Country Café, Fideo Loco.
For the sake of non-argument, I am going to concentrate on the cafes Fideo and some techniques that we feel are a must for any good Fideo. Ours is made with a tomato cumin chicken stock, topped with seasoned ground beef and charro beans. The condiments served on the side is really where you make it your own. We serve cilantro, diced tomato, diced onion, fresh and pickled jalapeno, salsa, and parmesan cheese. Here is an outline recipe for the café s Fideo.
On Fideo day we will prepare close to 30 gallons of chicken stock and use 12 cases of vermicelli noodles (yes, the Q and Q brand in the little yellow box). So, this recipe is an overview and not to scale.
- A nice and strong chicken stock (preferably homemade)
- To flavor the stock- we first make a roux with chili powder, cumin, onion, and chopped garlic-after the roux has been cooked and the onions are soft – add diced canned tomato with liquid. Cook that down until the tomato has reduced; then slowly bring back with chicken stock. Roux and reducing tomato into paste (Pincage) are French techniques that are used to increase flavor to the dish. Most of the time herbs and spices are just stirred into chicken stock and just float there unincorporated. These techniques are used to strengthen and combine flavors.
- For the noodles a very important step-Browning. This can be achieved two ways. Coat the noodles in oil and lay flat on baking sheet or for small batches brown in the pot you are cooking in. Either way you must cook them until VERY brown. This is not a leave the noodles alone situation. You must bring them right up to burning and then stop the browning. Once the stock is added the noodles will lose some of the color to and be golden brown. Then cook noodles according to box instructions.
Make a seasoned ground beef, your best Charro bean, condiments of your choosing and you are ready to go Fideo Loco.
Thank you,
Chef