Arroz con Fideo Cubano

Arroz con fideo is a humble everyday staple across Cuba, born of Spanish and Moorish culinary roots. Toasted vermicelli noodles are cooked together with long-grain rice in a garlicky sofrito broth, creating a dish with a slightly nutty, golden depth far beyond the sum of its simple ingredients.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 60g (2 oz) thin vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken into 3cm (1 in) pieces
• 300g (1½ cups) long-grain white rice, rinsed
• 3 tbsp (45ml) olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 tsp (3g) ground cumin
• 1 tsp (5g) salt
• 720ml (3 cups) chicken or vegetable stock, hot
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the vermicelli and toast, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes until deep golden brown. Watch carefully — it burns quickly.
2. Add onion and green pepper to the pan; cook 4-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
3. Stir in tomato and cumin; cook 3 minutes until the tomato breaks down and the sofrito is fragrant.
4. Add the rinsed rice and stir to coat in the sofrito for 1-2 minutes.
5. Pour in the hot stock and add salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly, and cook 18 minutes without lifting the lid.
6. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, scatter parsley over the top, and serve.

Cook's Notes: The key step is toasting the vermicelli to a deep amber before adding the sofrito — this gives the dish its characteristic nutty colour and flavour. Use homemade stock if possible for the richest result.