Recipes for the road !!! "cooking ingredients" do overlanders carry
 

OK I'm a bit of a fraud as the wife does all the cooking at home....

So please share your recipes…. (Mac D’s and microwave meals don’t count….)

I guess, I'll better find one to share and start off the ultimate HU guide to "Road Side Cooking"


Enjoy

Matt

No recipe, but...
 

I've found a few hurdles to overcome when cooking on the road.

First: here in South America at least, whatever you can find in the stores, that's what you get to cook. What you'd like to cook, and what they have for sale are two different things. The best cooks are the ones that can make do with what's available - no recipes required. I had a cookbook years ago called "Impromptu Cooking" - it was about using what was available, suggesting how to add ingredients, flavorings, spices, to make a reasonably tasty dish/meal.

Second: with most camp stoves, you don't really "cook" - you heat and serve/boil and stir. Also, the cook kit one carries determines what is possible. The food you buy needs to fit the kitchen.

Third: building fires - outside of designated campground fire-pits is a no-no in many parts of the world (fire dangers, environmental degradation, no fuel - try building a campfire on the Altiplano). They also require a lot of work sometimes - especially for the solo traveler, who has to set up the camp, find something to burn, do the cooking/cleaning afterwards. I personally find campfires a waste of time and effort when traveling solo.

Fourth: I worked for REI - Recreational Equipment Inc. in the U.S. (outdoor gear and apparel retailer). They had an annual backpacker cooking/recipe contest. Nearly all the meals/dishes required considerable advanced planning and preparation - from obtaining the ingredients (mostly dry/freeze-dried/dehydrated) - to pre-mixing and packaging so that the 'on-site' cooking was a minimum of effort and fussing ('just add water'). That's great when you are sitting at home and preparing for a few days, a week or two at most. But that doesn't work so well when you are traveling the road for weeks and months on end.

Instead of recipes, you might want to know what "cooking ingredients" do overlanders carry - what recommended spices, flavorings, and such - for making a variety of flexible and tasty dishes. As to the recipes, you need to learn to cook at home, then apply knowledge of same out on the road. Or, stick to what's in the can.

"cooking ingredients" do overlanders carry
 

Great, thanks for the input.... I agree with all you've said and will amend the title :-)

I think for practical reasons road kill is out.... I know it can be done and there was an excellent demonstration at the UK HU Meet a few years ago..

My meaning was really to focus on recipes of quick and easy food.......... recipes that ideally only need one cooking pot, tinned and or fresh ingredients and even better, suggestions of what local food to look for when on the road.... (relevant to where in the world you are !!)….

If you burn down a south American rain forest in the process – don’t blame me….

Cheers
Matt

Food on the Go!
 

Any of the following are as easy as falling off a Bike.....:eek3:

Cous-Cous------ just add boiling water, then some flavouring, (garlic, chili, pepper, salt whatever...)

Pasta Boil in water till tender, strain, add sauce if desired,

Rice as above

Noodles as above

Improvise around the above "fillers" using Tuna, Tomato puree (handy in squeeze tubes) a few spices and essential stuff such as Pepper, chilli, Garlic (dried even) ginger, can be carried in 35mm film Canisters,

Sesame Oil livens up salads and can be used for stir frying, a little goes a long way so use with groundnut oil or similar for stir frying.

Tabasco sauce livens up mostly anything, helps disguise the crap taste of a MacD if you have to eat one...

Herbs
Depending where you go, and if you know what to look for.... they do grow wild!
Rosemary (Romero), Sage (salvia), Camomile, Bay Leaves (off a Bay Tree), Mint, Aniseed, Wild Garlic among others grow abundantly here in Spain and many other places throughout Europe too.....

Enjoy.....

Martyn

I've recently discovered THE way to cook. They're probably available in the US/UK, but I bought this metal container in Ecuador like a pot, which has a lid which clamps down with a rubber seal. Basically, a mini-pressure cooker. Throw in oil, seasonings, cut potatoes, bit of meat/vedge, seasoning almost optional. Best meals I've ever made..... You know when it's done by the very first hint of a smell. You can also do this with foil, but it's extremely wasteful. Also, depending on hot the fire or coals (you have to do a bit of experimenting) it's done in about 15 minutes.
The only place I've seen them sold are the big Mega or Super Maxi.
Lorraine

Piccies please Lorraine!
 

Sounds Good!........any pics?

Martyn

Yummy
 

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...lout/Yummy.jpg

Just 'fry off' fish, peppers, onion, garlic etc., then keep warm over boiling water for packet mashed potato, eat from fry pan (trangia).

All the best

Alec.

If you are using an open fire just make a parcel in tin foil of vegetables, olive oil, seasoning and a little water. Lay the parcel in the embers by the fire and steam away - delicious and no pans to wash - you can save the foil and reuse. If the fire is in the desert mix some flour and water into dough - flatten out and bury in hot sand/embers and wait till it sounds hollow when tapped with a stick ( it won't rise) dust off and eat hot with casseroles or marmalade.

Yummy
 

Alec, you've got it !!!! (the idea of my original post !!! ) looks great, I see I'll be busy this summer mastering my Trangia :-)

Onion and garlic travel well, a must to pack along with the boil in the bag rice...might make a hairy biker of me yet...( or is it scary :-)

what????????? ROFLMAO!
 

Your NOT serious?? :eek3: :rofl: Instant Spudulike is one thing....but there is a limit!

I tend to use a lot of tinned stuff, partly because here in france there is such a range. partly because i use a small gaz stove, so limited to quick cook/heating. Try not to waste the liquid in cans. The stuff i like to cook from raw, i generally need a fire (embers) for, so not so easy. The foil wrapped 'bakes' are one thing.. also casserole type slow stews another ( for this drop the pan on the embers, then earth around teh base of the pan. this will give long slow heat.

Beemerchef

lots of food from a chef who's on a combination with his dog around the US

pseudo dutch oven
 

OK, finally some pictures. I've got the benefit of travelling through places which have incredible tomatoes. What you see is Chicken Parmesan without the cheese. ;-)
Put the chicken in the bottom along with an onion and a whole globe of garlic. Toss in some salt, pepper and oregano, along with enough tomatoes to fill the container. Throw it on a low fire and it's done in 20 minutes.

You can do English roasties this way, as long as the fire is hot enough. Otherwise it's just cooked potatoes.

There's an older HUBB thread which has many 'Dutch Oven' like recipes.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...hlight=recipes


I'm a lazy cook who loves great food, so this is a great method for me.

Lorraine

you should start exporting those
 

they look great lorraine..... you should start doing them mail order!
I bet you could start a business selling them!:thumbup1:

Oh see now it's 8am and you've got me all excited about food already!

I always carry some rice and find that no-matter what I can get my hands on locally it always works... well rice and packets of cuppa soup (cheap stuff)... so the idea being...

1/2 cup of rice, add 2 cups of water and when the rice is 'almost' cooked add the sachet of soup then just cut in some salami (my staple!). Leave to simmer for a couple of minutes - wonderful - it's my stock meal and I can carry enough for a week in a very small space. I then just compliment that with what I buy at the road side...

Of course... when I'm a bit nearer civilization... this is the only REAL use of a Trangia....

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/4...934111.jpg?v=0

PS... bad photo of actual meal

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1081/...9b2206.jpg?v=0

OK Matt, you want to share your secret on how to cook rice??? I know it's one part rice/two parts water, but the rest is rocket science for me. It always seem so sensitive; how high the flame, how long etc. I always carry a bag of rice with me, but insects always get to it before I'm brave enough to use it. :-(
Lorraine

There's some excellent posts / ideas there.. and my ideas/tricks are similar

If you don't do a lot of cooking at home... start! It's better to get over the beginner's jitters when you can grab something else to eat rather than going hungry. Try and use your cooker / pot set at home too. Again find out the limitaions at home first.

Carry your instant taste... In the army mine was curry powder. Martyn mentioned Tabassco sause which is ideal for it's compact size. I've also put the sause of truth in the pack more than once... sweet chilli !! (i put this in a non breakable nalgene bottle) I'm sure in capital cities there will be plenty of spices available, and these will be the moral booster when you're wet depressed and alone in a stange place after too long on the road

Google plenty of reciepes for stews and casaroles. they make ideal one pot wonders. And they are the sort of meals you can throw in whatever is around. Which as already mentioned by quastdog will be your limit factor.

I've not traveled in South America so maybe some who have can offer some insight as to what sort of staples are going to be available. there's no point in becoming chef - exstrodinare with cous cous if it's not available localy.

The other limiting factor will be your cooking kit. Often petrol fueled stoves are hard to get a low flame for simmering a meal for 45 minutes. (gas stoves would i image be far less practical in devolping countries have to find a supply of gas canisters would be massive task, as apposed to petrol, and if you haven't got petrol you're in trouble! ;) )
The other problem is a lot of outdoor lightweight cooking pots are... well they're lightweight!..... and thin so they don't fuse the heat very well making for a lot burnt food in the bottom of the pot or almost continuous stiring. I've got a heat defuser for my MSR dragonfly whick works a treat. I haven't seen them a round for a long time but they'd be very easy to make. It's a round metal disk (roughly the same diamater of a 1.5 ltr pot) that sits on your cooker. It has three wire loops that hold your pot above the metal disk by approx 10-15mm. The effect is fantastic. Giving a lot less brutal heat to the pot, making cooking a lot more practical. If you want to fast boil some water for example , dont put the defuser on. simple! and light and easy to pack.

Bon appetite !!!

In S. America, the carb of choice (so far in my experience) is rice, potatoes and yams. Spices are in great variety and everywhere.

What I forgot to mention about the lightweight oven-pot I'm using, is because it's like a pressure cooker, and has a rubber seal so air can't get in, you don't have to stir a casserole/stew, and can put it directly on a flame without burning. For potatoes, or other items in oil, it's a bit trickier. You judge if its done on smell. One of my dogs comes whining when the dish is done. Every time I've ignored him, I end up with a burnt meal!

Lorraine

ahhh yes... rice makes my wife run for the hills too! The trangia is a wonder machine, the level of heat control you have is brilliant to bring the water (with the rice already in) to the boil - it's super fast, but then you can whack it down to 'gentle simmer' pour in the dried soup and wait 10 mins whilst it cooks.

I guess the trick - if you'd call it that - is to not be upset if it all goes a bit gooey and sticky... just tip in more paprika and salami and enjoy anyway! I'm not a very fussy eater!

You mean there's others out there who haven't mastered the fine art of cooking rice??? I'd never survive in Japan, they'd deport me....

Thanks for the tip. I'll be prepared to dump loads of other stuff in if it turns gooey. Or better yet, feed it to the dogs. ;-)
Lorraine

Rinse!
 

To stop rice going "Gooey" rinse until the water runs clear....... add water ( cold) and stir, drain, repeat, repeat etc..... when water runs clear do the 2 water 1 rice bit and cook.. well simmer actually, it doesn't need to actually Boil.. 20 mins it should be done.......... easy peasy lemon squeasy...... GUARANTEED not sticky, but fluffy... :thumbup1:
Oh, and DO NOT stir while cooking......:nono: No stirring... never.. you can tell it is done when the water is nearly all absorbed and there are loads of little "holes" in the rice as if someone has pushed a pencil in........ unless your making a Risotto, then its short grain rice and don't rinse....... and use stock/wine mix not water...

Martyn

Lol quite!

I've just discovered that my steamer does rice pretty well.... never goes mushy... all I have to do now is find a way to take it on the bike... mmmmmm

Hey, I'd take a steamer traveling, but it would burn out my invertor. It's a heating element. :-(

As for endless rinsing (Who let MartynBiker out of his cage????), that's all very well and good if you're standing in front of your kitchen sink, or camping in front of a river, but what if you're CAMPING?! Note, this is a camping thread! I know about the simmer and no stir rule, but all that water wastage??? What do they do in the desert regions of China???

I've also heard you can tell if it's done if it makes little popping sounds. Geez, cooking shouldn't be soooo bloody complicated!

Lorraine

it isnt wasted........
 

out of my cage? :rofl: I could be so lucky as to have a Cage..... a damp dungeon is all i can wish for......

The water isnt wasted....... if you dont want to........ the starch settles to the bottom and then just pour the water off and get rid of the "gloop" I have used a 2 pint bowl to rinse rice.... and then 1 pint to cook...... the next morning the starch had settled to like a 'paste' in the bottom of the bowl, we poured the water into the billy, made tea and wiped the starch out.........

Hang on, this is getting confusing. Before I get banned for being tiresome, just HOW MANY times do you have to rinse? And, I think it would be helpful to explain the sea water thing you emailed me here. Maybe you can show pictures??? ;-)
No one is going to keep reading this thread...
Lorraine

South Africans have it easy...
 

Veldskool (translated as 'bush school') is part of the curriculum for kids in SA. We learn survival techniques (like how to nick your mate's food without them waking up), but ALSO cooking stuff in the bush.

Without cooking utensils. (Don't ask - they raise us tough!).

There is a 'standard' flour mix* (recipe follows), which travels well, and can be made into many different fab dishes...

A pre-mixed bag of this, would take the place of all those fancy packets of rice, mash etc....

STOKBROOD (translated as... stick bread?):

1. Make a fire - (not with your mates trainers)

2. Find a stick. Any stick thats at least a foot long. Broomstick thickness would be good.

3. Use 1 cup of standard mix* and mix with water / milk till a stiff dough.

4. Roll in your hands till its a long FINGER THICK string.

5. Grease the end of the stick. Roll the dough snake around the TOP of your stick, in a spiral fashion. Tuck the ends in.

6. Perch your stick with dough end over the fire...

7. Wait around impatiently till its done.

8. When its ready, it should come off the stick easily.

EH VOILA -- you have a READY MADE hollowed out, beatuful tasting roll in which you can put all manner of lovely things. Like a sausage. Or syrup. Or mashed banana...or chocolate.. or foix gras.. or...

AND - you will not dirty a SINGLE dish - cos the roll acts as its own plate - and the stick.. well I dont think anyone would mind if you don't wash it after use.

ASH BREAD

1. As above

2. For the more civilized, I suggest using a piece of foil or leaves (corn / banana)

3. As above - but use 2 cups. (If its too small, it will be just crust)

4. Pat into a 1inch thick 'cake'

5. Scrape the hottest coals away - leave some hot ash. Place the bread on on the ash. (or on the leaves, on the ash)

6. Cover with more hot ash & coals.

7. As above

8. When its done it will sound hollow when you tap it. Or stick something in it, and if it comes out clean, its done.

If you've not used leaves, 'dust' and wipe the ash off gently.


DELICIOUS VARIATIONS:

1. Add a cup of sugar (pref brown) to mix. This makes for a beautifully caramelly, cake like thing. If you sprinkle some sugar over the top, its crunchy caramelly crust.
2. Use BEER instead of water to mix dough. Apparently great taste.
3. Add grated cheese to mixture. Or any of your favourite seasoning, really.
4. You can 'bake' the above in a flat bottomed pot as well.

My 5 cents worth
 

My way of cooking long grain rice is fairly easy.
Let it soak for at least 30 minutes in cold water.
Drain off then boil water in the following quantity-

1,5 measures of water to 1 measure of rice.

When the water is boiling, slowly stir in the rice and a little salt.
Bring to the boil then simmer on a LOW heat with the lid on for 10 minutes- no more.
Voila!!! Works for me every time!!!!

To me the 2 important things are low heat and time. Forget either of these and end up with sticky rice.

impasto, this is brilliant, but the actual recipe is missing. Please include?

And SOAKING the rice sounds a much better idea than rinsing, thanks!
Lorraine

rinse about 3 or 4 times...... yeah i know. water!

the sea water thing..lol. OK, what we did was riding bikes near the sea one of the group fell off into the sea! we rescued bike and dried everything out, but the cloth bag full of rice was wet, so I rinsed it in clear sea water till the starch was out of it, ( using a collapsible bucket) and then spread the rice on a clean cloth ( a shemagh actually) to dry in the sun.... kept moving it about so it didnt stick, took a few hours to dry, but it was useable..... there was too much to cook in one go! about a kilo of Dry rice i think it was.

martyn

And so I guess you then don't have to add salt??? ;-)
Thanks!
Lorraine

so did some rice last night to see what I did, and what my wife did differently... turns out I put the rice on the small ring on a very low heat so it's just bubbling very lightly, and she puts it on the big ring full blast... her rice gloopy and sticky, mine light and fluffy... no rinsing involved! Success.

Mine takes about 20 mins, hers 5.

We just have rice for the next two nights.

Anyway - what's the point in this convo? Next trip I'm doing it Victorian style and taking a full silver service set and a cook.

m

Ah-ha! Matt doesn't rinse! I've long suspected the rinsing is all a farse. And the times I have had rice success, it hasn't seemed to make much difference between rinsing or not. Interesting not everyone is doing the Holy Grail of measuring 1:2. So, it's all as I've long suspected—you either have a knack for rice making, or you don't. A bit like gravy-making...and no, I'm not suggesting debating that one!
Lorraine

In a perfect road kill scenario, you would also be supplied with desert, As seen here: http://therapysessions.blogspot.com/ShowLetter.jpg (Do not click if squemish. You have been warned)

As for my recipes, i find salami and cheese in bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner keeps me going. Obviously followed by a litre or 2 of Quilmes.

Rice and stir-fry
 

My rice cooking method doesn't involve rinsing. I can't see any difference when I cook rice, if it's rinsed or not. I use the 2:1 ratio thing, lowest heat that will still boil and use the tip of a spoon or fork handle to feel when it's started to stick just a little bit to the bottom of the pan. Just push down to the bottom, not stirring and scrape a millimetre or two. You have a minute or two leeway about when to take it off, if the heat is low enough, and then it's still easy to clean the pot.

Set aside at that point with a lid on and, unless it's a screaming cold wind blowing, you then have enough time for the stir-fry meat and vege to be cooked and it will still be hot.

It's a quick meal really. Set up kitchen, get rice cooking, cut up meat and vege, take off cooked rice and cook stir-fry, eating in under 25 minutes from stopping. Rice goes into the pan with the stir-fry to be eaten and you only have two pots and a fork to clean.

I agree with the sesame oil tip from earlier. That and chilli paste, garlic and onions are the first things that go in my traveling kitchen. Hey! Now there's a good idea for a workshop at the up-coming New Zealand HU Mini-Meeting.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

Cooking
 

Thanks to everyone for all the great ideas.... but regarding rice, I like the idea of boil in a bag!!! 5 minutes no mess ..... LOL

I should try adding stock cubes, I wonder if that works …

I tried the other day making potato cakes, grate potato, onion, squeeze in a towel to remove the fluid, add egg, cheese spices what ever is handy and fry until golden brown ….

Eeerrrm, I had to eat 3 whilst the wife would only eat one….

Conclusion, made hell of a mess, burnt all cooking equipment …. Only worth doing again if you’re dying of starvation and only have potato’s, onions and a dozen new tea towels !!!

Does anyone know of a pan stacking system (rice ot one, veg pot two etc) I could use with the trangia !! I've seen something but its only for carrying food, not cooking it ...



Salut Matt

Lorraine, impasto is talking about making "damper" which is made simply from self raising flour, a pinch of salt and enough water to make the dough. It's so simple and tastes sooo good I must remember to make some next time I'm away. They would be great done over a B-B-Q. You could try adding nuts and raisins to the dough as well or spreading "nutella" on them afterwards.

Bugger, now I've got to make some, I'm drooling.

As for the rice thing I use good ole Uncle Bens boil-in-the-bag when I'm camping if I can find it. Stick it in boiling water for 10 minutes and you drain it in the bag. What do others do about draining the water off afterwards as I think this makes a lot of difference. You really need a propper sieve.

'self raising flour, a pinch of salt and enough water to make the dough. It's so simple and tastes sooo good I must remember to make some next time I'm away.'

Mmm, good call.

Simple bread is such a nice morale booster.

My easy recipe for (unlevened) bread.

14 tablespoons of plain flour.
1/3 pint of Milk (or water will do)
1 teaspoon baking powder.
1 teaspoon salt.

Throw it all together, knead it till stretchy and silky, then throw it in tin foil and get it on that fire! That is easily enough for two people to feel full.

Or alternatively, flour the bottom of a pan, flatten your dough out and throw it in there, and drizzle oil on, then top with cheese/tomatoes/anything else you fancy, stick the lid on your pan and cook. Wait until the cheese bubbles. Hey presto, a beautifully crispy baked pizza. Even better, the bread stops gloop getting on the bottom of your pan, so just have to wipe it clean!

Happy Riding

Joel

I notice there's alot of talk of "boil in the bag" rice........

Now STH American veteran please correct me if I'm wrong but; What is the chance of finding boil-in-the bag rice in the back of beyond?

Sieves
 

Collapsible Colanders - Lakeland, the home of creative kitchenware

or

Trangia multi-disk

Ok, just a few pointers

the slow cook method in which teh rice absorbes all teh water. ensure a low heat, and instead of water use one of those small one person clear dry packet soups to flavour the water.

problem with rinsing is you get the rice wet, true you remove the dry rice dust which tends to jellyfy, but the wet rice starts to get glutinous. To fast boil you need -lots- of water and throw the rice in dry. either way do not stir. let the water do the work.

Bread : I quite like 'Chapatties' for savoury use. you can make wholewheat ones which are my favourites. if so mix enough water to get a stretchy dough. Then keep it for several hours either wrapped in clingfilm or wiped with oil to prevent evaporation. this is needed to make the husk parts of the wholemeal flour soft. You can use white flour, (preferably self raising without the wait). in each case add about half a teaspoon full of salt to teh water. You can cook it in any pan, just dry fry them. The pan or plate of metal needs to be hot. you can also use a flattish rock, just lie it in a fire for a while to heat up. The dessert arabs use a huge wok upside down over dying embers of a fire. That way the heat collects. When cooked rub them in butter ( or oil) lightly, then stack them as each is done in a warm place ( ideally wrapped in towelling or similar) for 10 to 30 minutes, this will help them to soften and continue cooking. Use pieces of them as eating utensil for your food or chopped or torn into pieces as a crude pasta.
You can flavour a tin of beans or other food by adding a teaspoonful of curry powder. or mix your own. a suggested start is equal volumes coriander, cumin and ginger ( all ground) half a measure of tumeric. and to heat it up a quarter measure of ground chilly. Vary that to suit your own taste.
Note, try to eat yoghourt whenever you eat beans/pulses. it helps your bodys' digestion and its ability to obtain protein from teh food.

I can't believe that there's no discussion about what type of rice to use. There's all kinds of rice - some make sticky rice, some make light and fluffy rice, some make bad rice, some make yummy rice. You can't just pick any old bag from the dozen or more varieties sold in the store and make the same rice with all of them.

How do you know which one to buy?

Quastdog you're absolutely right. I prefer Indian Basmati. I buy it in 10Kg bags for £8 from Lidl's. But I'll use Uncle Ben's American long grain for convenience when camping. I've had to buy fast cook rice on occasion but I always end up throwing it away it's awful stuff.

long grain rice if you want the grains to stay separate short grains for a sticky lump.

Just tried some very basic bread - using my spork as a measuring tool - 4 heaped spoons of self raising flour and about a 1/4 cup of water, kneaded and mixed in the large trangia pan until dough... then kneaded into a flat bread and cooked (with a little olive oil) on a low heat for 10 mins....

Tasted delicious and is going to be made on the road many times I can tell..... add jam for a sweat and eat with your rice and salami for the main... will try it again tomorrow and see what happens when you mix small chunks of meat to the mix prior to cooking.

m

'will try it again tomorrow and see what happens when you mix small chunks of meat to the mix prior to cooking.'

Mm, keema naan! If you do this, fry your meat off first, then make your dough. It seals the meat and makes timing the cooking of your bread easier. You won't lose the meaty juicy goodness, because you can cook the bread in it afterwards.
*Joel dribbles*

Did the self raising flour make a good bread? I've only ever used plain flour when making 'camping bread.'

Happy Riding

Joel

Very nice actually - the only thing other than water and flour was a little salt & olive oil. Thanks for the advice on the meat.... I like this cooking experimenting lark.

Self raising flour - yeah it was good - it didn't exactly rise, but it did give it a bit of life I think - will try with plain flour this evening and report back the results...

I'm thinking what I may do on the road is use small food bags with the pre-measured (roughly) amounts of flour in them - clean, simple - but it does increase my waste...

m

Good luck getting through borders with small bags of white powder in your luggage. :eek3:

If you make a little too much rice then save it for breakfast - add milk and sugar, heat up gently and add a sachet of jam (jello) - rice pudding is a good start on a cold day though I usually have porridge, 2 parts water 1 part oats with a pinch of salt and sugar on top.
I try to carry a few sachets of miso soup - delicious with a bowl of basmati rice.
I vote for thick bottomed pans:thumbup1:

"You can't just pick any old bag from the dozen or more varieties sold in the store and make the same rice with all of them. How do you know which one to buy?"

There was also a question about rice in a bag in S. America. Rice in these parts is rice. It comes in a big plastic bag. You take what you can get. ;-) For anything different, you have to hit the modern supermarkets in the big cities.

As for the bread recipes, YUM!!! I hit the road at the end of this week and am saving all these pages to test, can't wait!

Lorraine

Love the idea of rice pudding for breakfast, may just cook a little extra by 'accident'.

Okay so bread... have tried it with 4 spork fulls of plain flour and about a 1/4 cup of water kept a little of the flour on the board which made the kneading much easier.

The plain flour is nicer (IMHO) and I mixed in a little cinnamon this time which gave it a little more flavour.

The meat has also worked well using the braze before mixing and cooking approach.... but my favourite is keep it simple and plain with a little jam!

Right... what shall I try next?

RE little bags of white powder... very good point.... hadn't thought of that! :eek3:

In the interest of balanced reporting
 

Hello all,

All this talk of bread making got me very excited. So this Saturday night we got a fire going in the garden and got some bread action going.

I've got to say that only the first simple peice of bread we (I) made was edible. The others we tried were were the snake and the ash bread. The snake was made the thickness of thick Cornish farmers fingers, and I think perhaps it should have been delicate little ladies fingers! The ash bread seemed closer to the description, but I think as this point we had eaten enough uncooked dough bread!

Let me say at this point, I in no way think the blame lay anywhere other than in my cooking skills. But I really enjoyed making the dough and can't wait until the 2nd attempt. We've got a year before we go, and I reckon by then I might have it sussed. if not, simpe flat bread it is.

I never realised what fun flour and water is!

Breakfast
 

I'm all in for a cup of coffee and rice pudding to start the day :-)

Anyone tried using rice flour to make bread ? i think its used in rural Indai ...

Comments appriciated as I'm Celiac ( allergy to wheat !! ) Italy is a def no go for me... haa haaa...


Cheers
Matt

Cornish, did you notice how clean your hands were after neading the dough. It adds extra flavour! Make the dough before you do your chain maintenance. I've just bought a ready mixed packet of Hovis granary,"just add water". I'm going to try that one next. Propper bread with yeast and everything! I bet you can get those bread mixes all over Europe, at least. It was only 50p as well.

'I've just bought a ready mixed packet of Hovis granary,"just add water". '

Nooooooooooo, don't do it, money for manky old twine. Is it really that much bother to throw some flour/water/yeast together! Don't buy an already rich man a new car, pick up some local flour! It is also nice to see the differences that different base ingredients make to all food.

Happy Riding

Joel

Now, if only I could fit a generator and my bread machine on the back of my bike! The man is going to be waiting a while for that car at 50p a time! :rofl:

Well for gust some ideas get a Boy Scout handbook. I pack a collins gem SAS survival guide on the road its small. Most big book shops have cook books for camping but there not that grate I find nice ideas. Ruffing it easy comes to mind.

Any way bullion cubes in the rice will add some taste to bland food or wine for that matter add some coconut milk to if you like as well. If you have the space AL foil works well for cooking put all the food in it wrap it up a bit place it in the fire (if you dint bild it to big). Green twigs burn slower than most fish cooks so you can use them like a mat. (banana leef work well so im told)

For food to eat I have eaten more than my share of road kill. Dead is dead hate seeing go to waste. Dryed food like rice and beans work the best for long tips in the bush and some dryed beef and there not bad. I like fresh better. Yams baked up are so nice. With a little know how (books come in handy) wild food can be had most places. For spice I pack Dave's Insanity vary vary hot a little can go long way or sambal badjak not near as hot. I mostly make a stew out of what I have on hand add some mixed corn starch at the end and let it sit a bit. Fresh sea food stew with thing you can get a low tide around rocks and wild garlic is better than most people eat.

Bread is fun to make but a real pain to keep the flour dry I like whole wheat. For bread with no yeast (all that wating for it to rise is pain) in it a bit of salt and sugar is good (some garlic and its better) try not to cook it to fast it will burn on the out side and be raw on the inside. Never tryed it on a stove but over low heat with a few foil wraps under it and over the top will work id bet.

A "bead" made from potatos can be made rice flour will hold it together I dont like it wast of a good potato.
I dont like eating bugs but rosed up and crushed little salt its ok. :eek3:

Ahh yes Potato cakes... I'd forgotten about them, so damn easy to make too - we used to make them when I was in scouts and cook them on the fire... okay I'm off to experiment again!

Thanks for the reminder! :clap:

m

For those with a 4x4 wrap a large potato in foil and secure it above the exhaust manifold an hour or so before you stop driving (keep it away from the turbo:thumbup1:). Similarly chicken legs and I would think if you had a biscuit tin you could cook all kinds of things.


Chick peas are good for casseroles, just put some in a plastic water bottle in the morning, top up with water and soak all day.

As well as bread try pastry - slice up some apples, lay in a frying pan with butter and cover with sugar and a little lemon juice. Cook gently for 5 mins then cover with a 'disc' of pastry pressing down at the edges to seal.Cover with a lid or foil and place in a not too hotpart of the fire. Place a few embers or burning green sticks above and wait for the pastry to cook. To serve place a plate on top and turnover. Add cream or packet custard:funmeteryes:

For me the cooking in the evening is as important as the traveling during the day.

Chris

all this talk of food is making me thirsty. On a recent rough camp we took along a bottle of mulled wine and heated over the open fire. mmmmm
great winter warmer but then we had the bother of the glass bottle so next time I am going to fill a 2l bladder with the wine instead. (still havnt tried the powdered stuff yet)

As for the bread I forgot the ingredients so we settled on lamb and dumplings boil in the bag.

There seem to be some good ready and dehidrated meals on the market now and its always nice to carry some of these as a back up and alternative to Mc Chucks.

i dont do rice very often, it gets boring, but if im only away a few days and can carry more bulky items this is how i like it;

wild rice, pre cooked at home. when cold and drained divide into portions and vac seal in little bags with a spoonful of melted butter or olive oil.(one of those machines that sucks the air out then heat seals the bag. bloody great)
when eating time comes pop the bag in a pan of boiling water for 5 mins, dont open it or snip the corner or anything. this doesnt contaminate your coffee water and wild rice takes a long time to cook so it doesnt overcook and become mush. (unless you want it to, thats a nice variation too and in the bag it wont burn)

the only sauce/spice i take with me are;
ghee tube, indian clarified butter to cook with, doesnt go off, or a small bottle of olive oil
tomato puree tube, full of vitC
garlic puree tube, tastes great and got quite a lot of salt in it
white pepper, curry powder and tabasco.
if you cant make any old poo taste great with this lot theres something wrong with you and you shouldnt be out without supervision.

oh, and my last little tip; if you tuck into the garlic puree make sure youve got plenty to drink, or you will have a mouth like the bottom of a birdcage in the morning

Rice
 

I have just found this tread and would like to bring it back to life with more recipes.. but in reading it I noticed that no one has mentioned the easiest way of making rice on the road. 2:1 ratio is about right. Put rice in pot..(use the smallest one that fits your needs) add water.. While stirring (as camp stoves and pots have hot spots) Boil the buggery out of it until there is a heavy boil, Cover That steamer one looks great. Remove from heat source (but try to place on something that will not suck the heat from it). and cook the rest of your meal.. 20 min or so later (for about 2 cups) the rice will be done.... no burnt spots, it will not be china town hot.. but fluffy and edible..

I will try and digg out some actual recipes and add them asap

NOW: The SOREBUMS guys had a recipes for cakes, well they said they made them on the road.. this i would love to know how to do... so.... Guys? any help here?

Just to add in a little more to the rice connundrum, here's a couple of tips.

The Delia version. Put cooking oil in the bottom of your pan, then fry the rice in this for two minutes, stiring it vigourously, then put in water to go with the 2:1 method, and turn down to a simmer. I've tried it and the frying seems to prevent stickiness.

The rinse before cooking version. Nothing to rinse it in? Tip the rice into a sock, and swill that around in water, then when you're done, just pull out the sock, tip out the rice and turn it inside out to get the last bits out. No clean socks? Well think of it as adding flavour, mind you, it seems to get your sock clean in the process.

The bugger this measuring, I'll just use loads of water version. All that 2:1 and slow simmering, I can't be bothered with it, so because I've got two pots with my Trangia and a lid, I'll stir-fry any meat in one, till it's just ready and good and hot, then cook the rice in the other with loads of fast boiling water, with the meat pot sat on top to keep warm. Then I'll tip the meat into the lid (plate) strain the rice with the perforated lid, so the water goes in the, now empty, meat pot, and put the rice in the lid - yum. That way all the boiling water doesn't go to waste, it's busy soaking the meat pot clean while you eat.

Oh, and a tip for when you forget and burn something to your pot. Cover it with water as quickly as possible to prevent it oxidising more, then tip in a bit of washing powder, and put it back on the heat. usually ten minutes boiling will get your pot clean, and if your sock from above is still dirty, throw that in as well.

Bananas
 

Take a banana, with the skin on. Make a slit down the inside of the curve, into but not right through the flesh. Fill the slit with bits of chocolate and some rum. Wrap it all in foil and put it in the fire (embers ideally) for a while.

Yum yum yum!

Laura's recipe works just as well if you wire the foil wrapped package to your exhaust and wrap a few layers of foil round it. Timing tends to depend on your riding style though.

No-one's mentioned toast yet, you can't beat a nice slice of toast and Marmite and a jar will go a long way. Years ago I bought a folding camp toaster, it's a wire guaze on a frame which sits on top of either your fire or your gas stove (petrol tends to taste) and does a mean slice of toast, but hey you can always use a twig to make a toasting fork.

And finally if you've got the space and you're in a bread-zone, there's the jaffle.

http://www.rvsupplywarehouse.com/con...e-pie-iron.jpg

First discovered them in Australia (I think it's an Oz invention) and you can do all sorts with it, pop two slices of bread in and make toasted sandwiches, roll together some dough with meat in the middle and make a type of pie, fry an egg or two, the list is endless. You can use it on the fire, in the enmbers, on a stove, even a hostel gas ring. I love mine, and will pack it if I can. HERE's a few ideas, and also linked to a great damper recipe.

corned dog
 

One tin of corned beef, one packet of instant mashed potatoe, one packet of french onion soup.

Mix Instand mash and Soup to a thick mass, add tin of corned 'dog' beef.

Season, can be either eaten there and then or fried for brekky.

Tastes like shit but would will not be hungery, and its cheap.

I've got one of these...

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b.../diatoa_lg.jpg


Diablo Sandwich Toaster - I Want One Of Those

The Diablo toasted sarnie maker. It's great on your stove, BBQ or fire. Cheese and ham toasties on the road, lovely.

Soon I'm going to need a trailer to carry all of my gear!

Damper rules
 

Damper also works very well with normal flour and a can of beer (prefer it to the self raising flour and water). We've made this loads of times in our dutch oven on an open fire.

Dig a hole, put coles at the bottom, put the dutch oven in and put coles around and on top of the lid. 30 minutes or so and its done (yes, a bit impracticle on a bike)

Add spices, cheese, herbs,sundried tomatoes or whatever...delicous

Oodles of noodles
 

Just thought of another one...

2 minute noodles...once water is boiling and noodles are in, add an egg or two to cook(poach) in the water. Add a bit of protein to the noodles.

Also got introduced to a very nice 3 min spaghetti (Barilla - Italian spag, must be the No1 spag called Capelinni for the 3 min cooking time) by some italian friends. Takes 3 minutes to cook. Add olive oil and some spices (parmesan optional)...very nice.

Also good to add a mix of nuts/seeds to the spag

Bannock AKA Bread...
 

People have been making bannock for as long as they has been able to procure flour - sweet or savory it's awesome. Bake it, fry it, or throw it in the fire, but my fave method is the stick, as mentioned by XTGirl. Its easy to make an oven just put a few small stones in a pot, place a smaller pot inside with the concoction , cover ad voila - a camp oven.

I tend to prefer noodles or pasta to rice but its personal preference. All the usual small tasty stuff has already been mentioned. Anything in sachets is good and I tend to liberate them frequently from restaurants for my meal kit. Never though about sweet chilli sauce though - but that's certainly going in my meal kit, cheers.

If you manage to get big bits of meat i.e. roadkill or even if you get given some, I prefer the underground oven method using hot rocks - brilliant for game. A lot of effort but once prepared you can leave all alone and come back later when its done. Of course the BBQ is also good too!