Fideo Info

Here’s the scoop on fideos, for folks who may not have used them (or heard of them) before. Fideos are Spanish and they’re a kind of “home-y” comfort food and NOT a gourmet/upscale kind of food. They are a type of pasta, so they can usually be found in the pasta aisle (usually down low, but if they’re not there, try the “Hispanic Foods” aisle). The kind that I buy is in a small, yellow box and it’s called “Q & Q” (Quality and Quantity) and it costs about a quarter for 5 ounces. I have better luck finding them in larger, discount-type stores, rather than in gourmet markets (think HEB, not Central Market). For my buddies on the East Coast, think Giant, rather than Wegman’s. I will admit that are a little difficult to find (and sorry, Trish, I have NO idea where to buy them in Korea.)

The good news, however, is that there is a REALLY easy substitute. Fideos are really just extra-thin spaghetti/angel-hair. The only difference is that fideos are pre-cut into short, equal little lengths (about 3 inches?), so a great substitute (and one that a lot of recipes tell you to do, anyway) is just to buy angel hair or really thin spaghetti-type noodles and break them into pieces. You’ll have to buy the angel hair that is packed into boxes or long bags like spaghetti, rather than the angel hair that is curled into little “nests” (or would that be “hairballs”?)

I must admit that I’ve never done the “broken noodles” thing, myself, but I imagine that the dish would cook up exactly the same. As you know, I am a bit…umm….let’s go with “particular”…and I like the precision of the noodles being all the same size, so I do think it’s worth the trouble to find the actual “fideos”, but don’t stress about it. Some recipes will tell you to toast the pasta before you cook it, some don’t, but I usually do, even if it doesn’t say to, because it just gives it better flavor.

So, Staci – don’t turn that cookbook page, baby – it’s just pasta!