Backpacking Food: Asian Style Noodles

We are gearing up for our first major backpacking trip and we are SO excited! The biggest challenge for us so far has been food. We’re pretty apprehensive about the pre-packaged meals and (like so many other starving college kids) are limited in our budget. I started looking at the ingredients of foods and thought, “I can do that!”

This is my very first attempt making a lightweight meal, but I would have to say it was a success. The great thing is that people with food sensitivities can eat this without worry as it can be made gluten free as well as vegan.






















Ingredients:
¼ Package rice noodles
¼ Cup dried carrots
1/3 Cup dried veggie mix
1 TBS Minced garlic
1 tsp curry powder
¼ tsp ginger
½ tsp onion salt
½ tsp paprika
1/3 Cup peanuts, crushed
Optional ingredients: Peanut Butter, Sriracha
Volume: 24OZ (including 2 cups water)

Calories:  390 x 2 (total with 1 serving sriracha and ½ serving pb)

Food Sensitivity: Dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, but contains Peanuts. 

The Final Product: 

Conclusion: This was pretty good. Overall, it took about 5-7 minutes to cook. The noodles cooked very fast, but the veggies needed longer, so next time we will add them first. The noodles were very stiff and would be easier when broken at home before cooking.

Flavor-wise, it was a little bit bland (for a well-fed palate) before the addition of sriracha and peanut butter. These took the food from good to great, but it definitely gave it a kick. The condiments can be carried separately, but I’d recommend mixing together like a sauce as the peanut butter can make clumpies.



Bonus
I cooked everything in our camp gear. The plastic sporks were not heavy duty enough, and broke while stirring the noodles, but everything else worked great!