Chili Sin Carne, Dehydrated
Two cans of beans and a pot of vegetables, dried at home and rebuilt with boiling water.
- calories
- 460
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 102
- protein
- 19 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 500 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
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated red kidney beans | 1 cup | one 15 oz can, rinsed and dried at home |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated chickpeas | 1 cup | one 15 oz can, same treatment |
| Tomato powder | 1/2 cup | stands in for two cans of chopped tomatoes |
| Dried onion flakes | 1/4 cup | |
| Dried carrot | 1/4 cup | |
| Dried red bell pepper | 1/3 cup | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | four cloves worth |
| Ground cumin | 1 tsp | |
| Ground coriander | 1 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 1/2 tsp | more if you want it hot |
| Red pepper flakes | 1/4 tsp | replaces the fresh chili |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Lime powder or citric acid | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Bring 500 ml of water to a boil. Add everything dry, stir, and let it come back to a boil.
- Cut the heat to the lowest simmer your stove holds and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often so the tomato powder does not scorch on the bottom.
- Pull it off the heat, cover the pot, and wait 5 minutes. The beans keep drinking while it sits.
- Stir in the oil and the lime powder. Salt and pepper it, and add water in splashes if it went past thick into paste.
The original is a Norwegian weeknight pot: onion, carrot, pepper and chili softened in oil, spices bloomed, two cans of tomatoes down, then beans and chickpeas. Nothing in it needs meat, and almost nothing in it needs a refrigerator once the water is gone. Canned beans dry well on trays at 125°F overnight, and they rehydrate far faster than dry beans ever will. Tomato powder is what replaces the cans and saves about two pounds of water weight per pot.
The spices go in with the water rather than into hot oil, which loses a little depth. You get most of it back by simmering longer and adding the oil at the end, off the heat, where it stays in the sauce instead of cooking off. The lime is not garnish here — a pot of beans and tomato goes flat without acid, and lime powder weighs nothing.
Packing
Everything except the oil goes in one bag. Two-serving portions are easier to rehydrate evenly than one big bag for four.
Variations
- A handful of instant rice or couscous added at the boil makes it a heavier dinner. Couscous drops the gluten-free claim.
- Dried zucchini or eggplant slots in for the pepper without changing the cook time.
- Corn chips crushed over the top at camp add fat and salt.
https://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/rask/chili-sin-carne