Sopa De Arroz
"Rice Soup"
From the treasured pages of La Cosina en el Bolsillo No. 1
Written by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Sopa De Arroz
"Después de haber limpiado el arroz, se lava y se pone al sol para que se seque; luego que esté seco se fríe en manteca hasta que se dore, luego se echa allí mismo para que se sancoche, gitomate, cebolla y ajo, picado muy menudo, a este se agrega un poco de caldo donde se haya cocido carne, pero antes se le quitará la grasa y se deja hervir hasta que se cueza bien. Para los días de vigilia, en lugar del caldo de la carne se le hecha de pescado y se le pueden agregar papas, chícharos, garbanzos y por encima se adorna con perejil picado y rebanadas de huevo cocido. Esta sopa si se quiere dejar seca, se le pone un comal con lumbre bastante viva."
English Translation
"After cleaning the rice, wash it and place it in the sun to dry; once dry, fry it in lard until golden, then add finely chopped tomato, onion, and garlic to the same pan to sauté. Add a little broth in which meat has been cooked, but first remove the fat, and let it boil until well cooked. For days of fasting, instead of meat broth use fish broth, and you can add potatoes, peas, chickpeas, and garnish on top with chopped parsley and slices of boiled egg. If you want this soup to be dry, place a griddle over a fairly high flame."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in an instructive, conversational tone—typical of early 20th-century Mexican cookbooks aimed at home cooks with basic kitchen literacy. Spelling and word choices (‘gitomate’ for ‘jitomate’, ‘sancoche’ for ‘sancochar’ or stew) reflect regionalisms and period orthography. Step-by-step directions rely on cook’s intuition and experience (no exact times or temperatures), assuming an understanding of methods like frying, simmering, and drying. Ingredient lists are woven into the instructions, rather than set apart as we do today.
Title
La Cosina en el Bolsillo No. 1 (1913)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Era
1913
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A delightful entry from the famed 'Cocina en el bolsillo' series, this charming 1913 volume artfully tucks a world of recipes into your pocket—ready to inspire delicious adventures at every turn!
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This recipe comes from 'La Cosina en el Bolsillo No. 1,' published in 1913 by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, part of a popular series meant to democratize home cooking for the Mexican middle- and working-class urbanites of the Porfirian and early post-Revolutionary era. It reflects both traditional Spanish-Mexican influences and the realities of home kitchens, where economy, seasonality, and religious observance (with meatless 'vigilia' instructions for Lent) shaped daily fare. This recipe demonstrates how adaptable and resourceful cooks were, making delicious and filling meals out of modest pantry ingredients.
Cooking was done over a wood-fired or charcoal stove, with most recipes prepared in heavy clay cazuelas or iron pans. Rice would be dried in the sun, spread on large trays. Chopping was done with hand-forged metal knives, and the broth simmered in large pots. For finishing the rice dry, a comal—essentially a flat clay or metal griddle—would be placed over a lively flame to further evaporate excess liquid and toast the grains lightly.
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Servings
4
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 7 ounces white rice
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) lard or unsalted butter (or neutral vegetable oil as substitute)
- 2 medium tomatoes (7 ounces), finely chopped
- 1 small onion (3 ounces), finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 1/4 cups beef broth (or chicken broth; substitute fish stock for vigilia)
- 3 1/2 ounces potatoes, diced (optional, for vigilia)
- 3 1/2 ounces green peas (chícharos, optional, for vigilia)
- 3 1/2 ounces cooked chickpeas (garbanzos, optional, for vigilia)
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- 1–2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
Instructions
- First, rinse 7 ounces of white rice thoroughly under cold water to remove excess starch, then spread it out on a tray and let it air-dry or sun-dry until it feels dry to the touch.
- Once dry, heat 2 tablespoons (about 1 ounce) of lard or unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the rice, stirring frequently, until it turns golden brown.
- Mince 2 medium tomatoes (about 7 ounces), 1 small onion (about 3 ounces), and 2 garlic cloves, then add them to the pan with the browned rice, stirring to combine.
- Pour in 3 1/4 cups of beef broth (or chicken broth for a milder flavor), ensuring that you'd skimmed the fat from the broth beforehand.
- Allow this mixture to simmer gently over low heat until the rice is cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid—about 18–20 minutes.
- For meatless days (such as Lent), replace the beef broth with fish stock, and add 3 1/2 ounces each of diced potatoes, green peas (chícharos), and cooked chickpeas.
- Just before serving, top with freshly chopped parsley and slices of hard-boiled egg for a colorful flourish.
- To create a drier, pilaf-style sopa, briefly place the finished pot over direct heat or under a broiler to evaporate remaining moisture.
Estimated Calories
340 per serving
Cooking Estimates
Prep time covers rinsing and drying the rice, chopping vegetables, and getting everything ready. Cook time includes browning the rice, sautéing the aromatics, and simmering until the rice is done. Calories are estimated per serving, assuming four servings from the whole recipe.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
Join the Discussion
Rate This Recipe
Dietary Preference
Main Ingredients
Occasions
Den Bockfisch In Einer Fleisch Suppen Zu Kochen
This recipe hails from a German manuscript cookbook compiled in 1696, a time whe...
Die Grieß Nudlen Zumachen
This recipe comes from a rather mysterious manuscript cookbook, penned anonymous...
Ein Boudain
This recipe comes from an anonymous German-language manuscript cookbook from 169...
Ein Recht Guts Latwerg
This recipe hails from a late 17th-century German manuscript, a comprehensive co...
Browse our complete collection of time-honored recipes