Sopa de Fideo — Mexican Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 6 oz fideo or thin spaghetti broken into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tomatoes (or 1 can) blended with ½ onion + 2 garlic cloves
• 5 cups stock
• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp cumin
• Lime, avocado, and crumbly cheese, to serve

Method

1. The defining move: toast the dry noodles in the oil, stirring constantly, until golden-brown like wheat caramel, 3–4 minutes. This is what makes fideo taste like fideo.
2. Pour the blended tomato mixture over the toasted noodles — it will hiss dramatically; that's the flavor sealing in.
3. Cook the purée down 3 minutes, then add the stock and cumin.
4. Simmer 8 minutes until the noodles are tender and the broth is stained sunset-orange.
5. Serve with lime, avocado, and cheese. Every Mexican kid knows this bowl; every adult still requests it when the day was long.