Cold-Soak Ancient Grains Salad
Dehydrated grains and lentils that soak in a bottle while you walk. Lunch is ready when you stop.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 4.6 oz
- cal / oz
- 135
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 350 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Cold soak
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Cooked and dehydrated puy lentils | 1/3 cup dry-packed | puy or black hold their shape; red and brown turn to mush |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked and dehydrated spelt | 1/4 cup dry-packed | |
| Cooked and dehydrated pearl barley | 1/4 cup dry-packed | |
| Cooked and dehydrated quinoa | 1/4 cup dry-packed | |
| Freeze-dried cheese | 0.35 oz | feta is the standard; parmesan works |
| Dried vegetables | 2 tbsp | cucumber, capsicum, tomato, whatever dehydrates flat |
| Powdered dressing mix | 1 tbsp | lemon powder, dried herbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle, added at camp |
Method
- About three hours before you plan to eat, pour 350 ml of cold water into the jar or bag holding the grains, lentils, vegetables, and dressing powder.
- Seal it, shake it, and put it upright in a side pocket. Check the lid before it goes in your pack.
- Shake again whenever you remember. Twice is enough.
- At lunch, open it, pour in the oil, and add the freeze-dried cheese. Stir and eat straight from the container.
Grains and lentils that were already cooked, then dried, will rehydrate in cold water given enough time. Three hours of walking does the job with no fuel and no pot. The trade is planning: you have to remember to add water mid-morning, not at lunch.
Lentils are the part that matters. The grains are carbohydrate and bulk; the lentils and the freeze-dried cheese are where the protein comes from. Puy and black lentils stay whole through the soak, which is why the salad still eats like a salad instead of like porridge. The oil and the acidic dressing go in last so the fat does not coat the grains and slow the water down.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one screw-top jar or a heavy freezer bag at home. Cheese can ride in the same bag; the oil cannot, so keep it in a leakproof bottle with the lid taped.
Variations
- Swap the grains for freekeh, farro, bulgur, or wild rice. White rice goes to paste, so skip it.
- Keep the lentils no matter what you change. They are most of the protein.
- For dinner, scale everything by half again and eat it warm-ish by soaking in water off a boil instead.
https://slowerhiking.com/slower-hiking-recipes-part-2/dehydrated-cold-soak-ancient-grains-salad