Category: Restaurants

El Portalito, a typical but larger-than-average fonda in Colonia La Condesa, Mexico City.  Mexico Cooks! was a frequent customer for the comida corrida it served prior to the massive earthquake in 2017, after which the restaurant closed permanently due to severe damage to its building.

A multi-course Mexican comida, the main meal of the day, is normally served in Central Mexico sometime between 2:00 and 3:00PM. Either at home or in a fonda (a small, no-frills family-run restaurant), what you might be offered is called comida corrida: a multi-course meal much different from what one sees as "Mexican food" in the USA or other countries.

This sopa aguada is caldo Tlalpeño, rich, delicious chicken broth loaded with fresh vegetables and garbanzo beans.  The sopa seca de arroz (second course) was served at the same time as the first course; you can see the small plateful of arroz rojo at the left in the photo.  Typically, the diner puts several heaping soup spoons of rice in the soup bowl.  This fonda served sliced telera (at the right in the photo, a kind of white roll) rather than tortillas.

Let’s start with the meal’s first course: soup—known in Mexico as sopa aguada (liquid soup). A liquid soup can be chicken consomé, caldo de pollo, or a cream soup. It might be tomato broth with macaroni, lentil soup, or cream of chile poblano—the selection is infinite.  The caldo Tlalpeño in the photo above is just one example.

The second course is sopa seca—which literally means “dry soup”. Wait, what? Dry soup?  Give me a minute and I'll explain…

The various courses go on from there, to your main dish and dessert, and then some!

Okay, so:

WHAT THE HECK IS SOPA SECA?

Sopa seca—so-called "dry soup"—is the reason I was recently invited to participate in a conversation with my dear friend Zarela Martínez and her son Aarón Sánchez, both of whom are serious movers and shakers in the world of Mexican food that's based in the United States.  When that podcast is available online, I will post a link to it on Mexico Cooks!.  We all had a really good time talking to one another about home-style "dry soup" and I am so tickled and grateful to have been invited to talk with the two of them.

When I talk about sopa seca with foreigners who aren’t familiar with it, they don’t believe me. People say, “'Dry soup' sounds like an oxymoron.  There IS no such thing!” But there is—sopa seca apparently came into being during the late 19th century, during the Mexican presidency/dictatorship (1876-1910) of Porfirio Díaz, and reached immense national popularity by the 1940s-1950s. Today, sopa seca is a culinary institution unique to Mexico.

Voilà–in the photo above you see sopa seca de arroz rojo ("dry soup", aka Mexican red rice).  I prepared this one with a little bit of minced chile serrano and fresh kernels of corn scraped from the cob).  You can also add diced fresh carrots, fresh or frozen peas, and a whole or minced chile serrano, if you like picante (spiciness).

As the second course of your midday meal, sopa seca opens your appetite for what’s to come. Your sopa seca could be a small plate of arroz a la mexicana (rice, browned to golden in freshly rendered lard or oil and cooked in caldillo (a very thin tomato broth), or it could be a pasta dish; we'll read more about sopa seca de pasta next week here at Mexico Cooks!.  

A Very Brief History of Rice in Mexico

Rice is not native to Mexico, although about 20% of the rice we eat here is cultivated in several Mexican states.  The rest is imported from the United States or other countries.

According to Judith Carney, dean of Black rice in the Americas, rice came with Spanish invaders from the Senegal/Gambia Muslim regions of Africa, by way of the African Diaspora–in the holds of slave ships–beginning in the first quarter of the 16th century, 500 years ago. In 1522 it is documented that Hernán Cortés brought rice seed to Coyoacán from the port of Veracruz; in 1559 Champotón in the Yucatán was exporting rice “20 years after its establishment” there, and in 1579, both rice and millet were being grown in Sant María de la Victoria, Tabasco. Citation: Judith Carney, Dean of Black Rice in the Americas, Africana Studies, February 2011.

However, other sources state that the Moors introduced rice to Spain starting in about 700AD, during their conquest of Spain; then to Italy in the 15th century, then to France, and then to post-Spanish-invasion lands, on all continents. The early conflict between the Moors and the Spanish Christians is immortalized in the traditional Cuban dish “Moors and Christians”—in which black beans play the Moors and white rice represents the Spanish, the two brought together and blended in both history and on a plate.

Yet another theory reports that rice is a grain from Eastern Asia brought to Mexico from the Philippines at the start of the colonial period.  There are various ways to prepare rice such as: white; red; black; yellow; Puebla style; jardinière; and a la tumbada (Veracruz style) rice. Rice is used also to accompany different stews, roasts, mole-sauces, and adobo-sauces. The proper cooking point, texture, and consistency is a true controversy among different families and regions. In Southeast Mexico, rice is made mainly white to accompany the main dish of the meal. In Mexico City and other parts of central Mexico rice is usually cooked red [with tomatoes] and is served as a dry soup after the sopa aguada (broth-y soup), and before the main dish. It is common to top rice with a fried egg, or slices of fresh banana, or even mole. This seems highly logical, but another source says that until 1802 the Spanish considered rice to be a pagan cereal unfit for Christian consumption—almost 300 years after first contact!  

It seems reasonable to believe both theories: the Mexican ports on the Pacific coast are a very long way from the ports on the Atlantic coast, and both Hernán Cortés and the Nao de China (the Spanish galleon) could easily have brought rice to the coasts of the "New World".  Today, rice is the third-most-consumed grain in Mexico, superseded only by corn and wheat.  Courtesy agrosintesis.com.

Now for today's recipes!  Here's how Mexico Cooks! prepares caldillo and sopa seca de arroz.

Ingredients for the caldillo.

Utensils for Caldillo
Blender

3 or 4 large red, completely ripe Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/4 large white onion, coarsely chopped
A piece of chile serrano about 1/2" long, more if you want your tomato broth to be spicy.
About a cup of chicken broth or water
Salt to taste

Method of preparation for the Caldillo
Put the chicken broth or water into your blender jar.  Add the tomatoes, the onion, and the piece of chile.  Blend until very smooth.  Once it's very smooth, add chicken broth until the caldillo is fairly thin.  Simmer the caldillo (with the pot lid ajar) until some of the liquid evaporates and the flavors have blended, about 15 minutes over a very low flame.
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Utensils for Sopa Seca de Arroz
A heavy pot with a cover, the pot preferably wider than it is deep, that will hold all of the ingredients in the recipe
A wooden spoon

Ingredients
1 whole chile serrano, split from the tip almost to the stem end (optional)
3 Tbsp freshly rendered pork lard (or vegetable oil)  
1 or 2 cloves of garlic (optional–I'm not crazy about garlic in the rice, but many love it)
1.5 cups raw white rice, washed in running water, drained, and allowed to dry
All of the kernels cut from an ear of fresh yellow corn
2 cups caldillo
1 cup chicken broth
A few sprigs of fresh cilantro, stems and all, washed
Salt to taste

Tip to the wise: if you see a brick-sized block of snow white, hydrogenated pork lard in your butcher's refrigerator case, run the other way.  You can buy freshly rendered pork lard at a Mexican food store near you. 

Method of Preparation    

The rice that I use is Buenavista, grown in the state of Morelos, Mexico and available here and in some other places.  I know people who come for a visit to Mexico and take a few kilos back home with them, it's that good.  In my opinion, this is the best rice in the world for use in Mexican cooking.  The grain is large, it cooks to a delicious flavor and mouth-feel, and I love using a rice that's grown in this country. 

 
Raw white rice, washed, drained, and dried.  It's toasting in melted lard in an old Chantal enamel-on-steel casserole, and that's my favorite wooden spoon. Put the fat you are using in the pot and bring to a shimmer.  You don't want it to smoke.  Add chile serrano, if you are using it; allow it to blacken.  Add the garlic, if you are using it, and allow the cloves to soften.   Then add the washed and dried rice, stirring constantly over medium heat until the grains of rice are toasted to a golden brown and "sound like sand" as you stir them in the bottom of the pot.  Thanks, Chef Rick Bayless, for that perfect description of the sound! 

It's easy to burn rice, so keep your eye on it and don't stop stirring.  

When the rice is browned to golden, add the caldillo to the rice pot and bring to a full rolling boil. 

As soon as it reaches the boiling point, immediately lower the heat to a simmer, add the fresh corn kernels, salt to taste, add fresh cilantro, stir once to combine with the rice, cover the rice pot and allow to simmer (not boil) until all of the liquid is absorbed.  I live at high altitude (6500 feet above sea level), so it takes about 20-23 minutes to cook rice.  Set your timer to 20 minutes and peek into the pot to see how the rice is coming along.  You need to keep checking, the cooking time might be different at your altitude.  At NO TIME should you stir the rice; stirring breaks the grains and you want the rice grains to remain intact.  When you see that the rice is done, keep the pot covered, turn off the fire and allow the rice to sit for a few minutes.  Take the top off the pot, give the rice a quick stir, and serve.

The rice and caldillo are almost to a full rolling boil.  

Fresh corn kernels added to the rice/caldillo mixture.  Give this mixture one good stir, cover the pot, turn the flame down to a low simmer, and don't touch it again till it's done.

Here once again is the first photo, Mexican sopa seca de arroz rojo, ready to serve.  When you taste it, you'll taste a touch of toasted flavor, some tomato, a hint of cilantro: everything fresh, everything healthy–even the lard is healthy, should you choose to use lard.  It's always my first choice for a savory fat.  

Cooking time: 20-23 minutes

Serves: approximately 6

Provecho! (Good appetite!)

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The major ingredients for Mexico Cooks!' best flan ever–clockwise from the bottom: fresh oranges, cream of coconut, whole milk, real Mexican vanilla, fresh eggs, and sal del mar (sea salt, in the little red hen salt cellar).  You'll also need some sugar.

This is a Mexican flanera (flan pan).  It's made of aluminum; the lid fastens down with a hinged clamp.  If you have one, use it.  If you don't, you can use any kind of oven-proof pan that holds about two liters.  It need not have a lid.  That's San Pascual Baylón, the patron saint of the kitchen, in the background.  He can be especially helpful at the moment you turn the chilled flan onto the serving platter.

Start by caramelizing the sugar in a heavy pan.  This is an 8" enameled cast iron omelet pan; it's been in the pots and pans pantry for nearly 20 years and, for this purpose, works better than any other pan in the kitchen.  Just dump the sugar into your pan over very low heat; when you see that the sugar begins to melt a bit around the edges, move the pan a little to redistribute the sugar so that it caramelizes as evenly as possible. 

When the sugar is fully caramelized, it will look like this photo.  Caveat: this process seems to take forever, but you can't hurry it.  And no matter how tempted you are, do not stir the sugar!  Just move the pan little by little, tipping the uncaramelized sugar into the melted mass.

As soon as all the sugar is caramelized–while it is still boiling hot–pour it into the flanera or whatever pan you are using.  Using a potholder, tip and turn the flanera so that the sugar evenly coats the bottom and sides.  Be very careful not to burn yourself.  Set the flanera aside and complete the recipe.

Mexico Cooks! Flan de Coco y Naranja a la Antigua (Old-Style Coconut and Orange Flan)
8 servings

Make the flan one day ahead of the time you want to serve it.  Once baked, it needs to chill for about 18 hours.

Move the oven rack to its lowest position.  Pre-heat the oven to 165-170°C or 325°F. 

Ingredients
Caramelized Sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Flan
3 cups whole milk
1 cup cream of coconut
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp freshly grated orange peel
4 eggs
6 additional egg yolks
pinch sea salt

Garnish as shown in photo
3 perfect strawberries with their leaves
4 1/4" slices carambola (star fruit)
2 to 4 Tbsp grated fresh coconut, toasted

Preparation

Caramelized Sugar
Over a low fire, pour one cup of granulated sugar into a small, heavy skillet.  Do not stir the sugar.  When the sugar begins to melt, move the skillet a little, tipping and turning it so that all of the sugar caramelizes evenly.  Allow the sugar to boil until it is a deep caramel color.  Add the orange juice and tip gently until the juice is fully incorporated into the sugar.  Immediately pour the boiling caramelized sugar/juice mixture into the flanera or other pan, tipping the flanera until the sugar fully coats the bottom and sides.

Flan
In a 2-quart pot, combine the milk, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the cream of coconut, vanilla, grated orange rind, and salt.  With a wooden spoon, stir the ingredients over a medium fire until they are well-heated.  Raise the fire to high and allow the mixture to boil, but don't let it boil over.  Continue to boil the mixture until it has reduced by nearly one cup.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

The milk mixture needs to boil until it has reduced by about one cup.  Be sure to set it aside to cool when the reduction is finished. 

To easily separate six of the eggs so that you can use just their yolks, crack each egg into your open hand and allow the white to run through your fingers into a container.

With an electric hand beater, beat the eggs together with the additional yolks until they are light and foamy.  Add the cooled mixture of milks.  Pour the entire mixture into the flanera or prepared pan.  If it is a flanera, cover it and fasten the latch.  If it is another type pan, do not cover.  Whichever you are using, put the recipient into a baño maría (bainmarie) and then into the pre-heated oven.

The milk mixture in the flanera; the caramelized sugar is at the bottom.

The flanera in the baño maría, just going into the oven.  The baño maría can be any kind of pan; use enough water to come about one and a half to two inches up the side of the flanera or other pan.

Bake the flan for approximately two hours.  At the end of two hours, take the top off the flanera and test the flan by inserting a thin knife or metal skewer into the middle; if it comes out completely clean, the flan is done.  If some of the egg mixture clings to the knife or skewer, bake the flan about fifteen minutes longer, being careful not to over-cook it.

Tip to the cook: if your cooked flan is filled with little air bubbles–you'll see them on the sides when you take it out of the flanera, and each wedge will also show air bubbles throughout–this means it's been in the oven too long.  You want a smooth, firm flan with no bubbles.  

Once the flan is cooked, take it (still in the baño maría) out of the oven.  On a cooling rack, let the flan rest in the baño maría about fifteen minutes.  Then remove the flanera (still covered) or other pan from the baño maría and allow the flan to cool at room temperature until the pan is cool to the touch.

Once the flan is cool, put the flanera (still covered) or other pan in the refrigerator and allow to chill until the following day.  Eighteen hours, seriously.

To remove the flan from its mold, remove the cover and run a thin table knife around the entire edge, between the pan and the flan.  To ensure ease of release from the pan, dip just the bottom of the flanera or other pan into very hot water so that the caramelized sugar liquifies a little.  VERY CAREFULLY turn the flan out onto a platter.  Mexico Cooks! puts the platter (one with a lip) on top of the open flan mold, calls on help from San Pascual Baylón, and quickly turns the platter and the mold so that the flan slips out easily.  The caramelized sugar will run onto the top of the flan and make a pool in the bottom of the platter.

Approximate preparation time: 30 minutes
Approximate baking time: 2 hours
Chilling time: 18 hours.  Truly, don't try to unmold this flan the same day you make it.

The finished product, ready to be taken to the dinner table.

Just prior to serving, decorate the flan however you like.  In the photo, you see that I put one large strawberry in the center of the flan.  I carefully made a border of toasted coconut and then cut the two remaining strawberries in half, leaving the leaves attached to each half, and placed one half at north, south, east, and west on top of the coconut.  I then placed four slices of carambola between the strawberry halves.  You could also use fresh red raspberries, thinly sliced twists of orange, and fresh mint leaves for a garnish, or any other seasonal fruit, or use no garnish at all.

Provecho!

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