Arroz con Fideos (Colombian Rice with Vermicelli)
Vermicelli toasted in oil until golden before the rice goes in, then both cooked together in broth. That first browning is the whole flavour of the dish. Five ingredients, half an hour, four servings.
Servings: 4
Calories: 367kcal
Ingredients
- ¾ cup vermicelli broken into half-inch pieces
- 1 cup white rice
- 3 cups chicken and vegetable broth or water
- Oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a little oil in a pot over medium heat, add the vermicelli and toast it for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the pieces turn golden brown.
- Add the rice and stir it through, letting it toast with the vermicelli for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the 3 cups of broth or water. If you are using water, half an onion and a clove of garlic dropped in will give it some flavour.
- Add salt to taste, bring it to a boil over high heat, and when the liquid has been absorbed down to the level of the rice, turn the heat low and put the lid on.
- Cook until the rice is done, at least 15 minutes more, without lifting the lid.
- Take it off the heat, let it stand a few minutes with the lid on, then fluff it with a fork and serve.
Notes
Toasting the vermicelli first is the entire point. Two or three minutes in oil until the strands go golden gives the dish the toasted, nutty flavour it is known for, and skipping it leaves you with rice that happens to have pasta in it. Watch it closely: vermicelli goes from pale to golden to burnt in under a minute at the end. Three cups of broth is the right amount for a cup of rice plus three quarters of a cup of vermicelli. The recipe used to call for two, which is not enough for that much dry starch and leaves the grain hard. Judge it by the rice all the same, and if it is still firm when the pot is dry, add a splash of hot broth and give it five more covered minutes. Do not lift the lid before then: the steam trapped under it is doing the cooking.
Nutrition
Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1094mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg