Bulk-Bin Beans and Rice
Instant rice, bean flakes, and cornmeal off the bulk shelf, packed by the serving.
- calories
- 610
- weight
- 4.8 oz
- cal / oz
- 127
- protein
- 18 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 420 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant white rice | 3/4 cup | quick-cooking only; raw long grain will not rehydrate |
|---|---|---|
| Instant refried bean flakes | 1/2 cup | |
| Fine cornmeal | 2 tbsp | thickener, not filler |
| Chili powder | 1 tsp | |
| Granulated garlic | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Hot sauce packets | 2 | optional |
Method
- Bring 420 ml of water to a boil.
- Dump the whole premixed bag in and stir once so nothing clumps on the bottom.
- Cut the heat, lid it, and let it sit five minutes off the flame.
- Stir in the oil. If it is soupy, wait another minute; the cornmeal keeps tightening as it cools.
This is what bulk dry storage is actually for. Rice, beans, and cornmeal are the three things worth buying by the bucket, and they happen to be the three things that make a trail dinner. The catch is that whole dried beans need forty minutes and a lot of fuel, so the bean flakes do that job instead — same shelf, tenth of the burn time.
The cornmeal is the part people leave out. Two tablespoons turn a pot of loose rice and water into something that holds together on a spoon, and it thickens without any dairy. Salt and oil go in at camp, not in the storage bag: fat is the first thing to go rancid in long-term dry goods.
Packing
Repack from bulk into single-serving freezer bags at home, spices included. Buying a five-gallon bucket of rice and beans is only cheap if it leaves the bucket in meal-sized portions. Oil rides separate.
Variations
- A foil packet of tuna or a handful of dried soy crumbles pushes protein past 30 g.
- Swap chili powder for cumin and smoked paprika if you want it less sharp.
- Add a tablespoon of dried onion at home; it rehydrates in the same five minutes.
https://thesurvivalmom.com/how-to-storing-food-in-buckets