Sopa de Fideo
Thin noodles toasted golden in oil, then simmered in a tomato broth. Thirty minutes, and it is what Mexican children come home to.
Image note: Illustration, generated by AI · not a photograph of this dish
Making Sopa de Fideo Ahead
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. The noodles swell; add stock when reheating.
Making Sopa de Fideo
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Blend the tomatoes, onion and garlic to a smooth purée and set aside.
-
Heat the oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat.
-
Add the broken noodles and stir constantly for 4 minutes, until they are golden brown all over. Watch them closely.
-
Pour in the tomato purée — it will spit — and cook 4 minutes, until it darkens.
-
Add the stock, salt, cumin and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.
-
Simmer 8 minutes, until the noodles are tender.
-
Fish out the bay leaf and taste for salt.
-
Stir in half the coriander.
-
Serve with the remaining coriander, avocado slices and lime wedges.
Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.
A Few Pointers
- Toast to biscuit-brown and do not look away.
- Stand back when the tomato hits the hot oil.
- Lime at the table is not optional.
Behind the Recipe
Toast the noodles in oil until they are the colour of a digestive biscuit before any liquid goes near them. It takes about four minutes of constant stirring and it changes the entire flavour from bland to nutty — untoasted fideo makes a soup that tastes of tomato and nothing else. They go from golden to burnt in about twenty seconds, so do not walk away.
Serving Ideas
Warm bolillo rolls · Avocado · Crumbled queso fresco
If You're Missing Something
- Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Sopa de Fideo Nutrition Facts
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .