dried mushrooms, dried tomatoes, dried peppers, stock cube, kuskus, chilly oil, spotka or that dried salami style meat and water. throw it all in one pot takes about ten minutes to boil up and it's done... easy to chew...
tastes alright...
Spot on
Couscous is great camp 'starch' - doesn't need cooking - just rehydrating in boiling water, light, packs small.
My 'spicy couscous' recipe - does two of us with healthy appetites for an evening meal:
- One onion, chopped
- One red or green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon of whole spices (a little nalgene pot full of mixed cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods last ages)
- One dried red chilli crushed
- Whatever protein you want to put in there, or have to hand - I've done it with fish I've caught, chorizo, salami, fresh or ready cooked chicken, canned fish etc. Whatever it is, chop if fairly small so it cooks quickly. If you don't have (or don't want) meat just add more chopped veg instead.
- 1/2 mug of quick cook couscous
- 1 mug boiling water with a chicken stock cube dissolved in it.
- Freshly ground black pepper
In a saucepan, heat a little oil and fry the whole spices and chilli for a few seconds.
Add the chopped onion and pepper and fry until soft.
Add the 'protein' if using (or more chopped veg) and fry till cooked through (go easy if you're using fish as it'll cook quickly and fall to bits - still tastes fine but it'll lose its texture).
Take the pan off the burner and boil a kettle of water - crumble your stock cube into a mug of boiling water.
Put the pan back on a gentle heat and add 1/2 mug of couscous, add the mug of water / stock.
Bring back to a gentle simmer, give it a good stir and immediately take off the heat / turn the burner off.
Add a quick grind of black pepper, leave it for 5 minutes (even better if you have an insulating jacket for your pan), stir again and eat
Good bike camping staples:
Quick cook couscous.
Spanish dried chorizo (very tasty and doesn't need refrigeration - must be the 'dried' not 'cooking' chorizo though).
A fresh onion (replenish as you are able - it's always good to have one 'in stock').
A few cloves of garlic.
A little pot of dried indian spices.
A few dried Kashmiri chillies (the long dark red ones).
A few chicken stock cubes.
A little bottle of tabasco (livens up bland stuff).
A little black pepper mill (as above, makes a big difference if you're forced to eat bland food).
Jar of pataks curry paste (decanted into plastic for weight reduction)
Add whatever you can buy / catch / forage locally to some of the above and you have several quick tasty meal options. Canned chickpeas and canned tomatoes are sold in just about every little grocers shop these days - one each of these added to some of the above makes a good, filling meat free curry.