Cold-Soak Bean Salad
Dehydrated beans, corn, and vegetables soaked in a jar. Lunch with crunch and acid, no stove.
- calories
- 380
- weight
- 2.9 oz
- cal / oz
- 131
- protein
- 13 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 220 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
- Cold soak
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated bean and edamame mix | about 45 g dry | cannellini, kidney, or a mixed bean tin plus tinned edamame, rinsed and dried |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried corn | 3 tbsp | rehydrates faster than dried tinned corn |
| Dehydrated tomato | 2 tbsp | diced 8 mm before drying |
| Dehydrated cucumber and red capsicum | 2 tbsp | seeds out of the cucumber first |
| Dehydrated red onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried chilli | to taste | 4 to 6 fresh chillies dried down across the whole batch |
| Dried parsley and mint | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | a pinch | |
| Olive oil | 10 ml | dropper bottle |
| Lemon or lime powder | 1/2 tsp | or a vinegar sachet |
Method
- At the last water source, tip one serving bag into a screw-top jar and pour in 220 ml of cold water. Stir once so nothing sits dry on top.
Bean salads dehydrate well because the parts that matter, texture and acid, come back with cold water. The corn and onion stay a little firm no matter how long they sit, which is the point: after three days of noodles you want something that resists the spoon.
Beans and corn are the slow items. Chickpeas are the slowest, so use a bean mix without them or plan on a much longer soak. Add the oil at the end rather than at home, since fat coats the pieces and slows rehydration. The lemon powder is doing the work fresh juice would, and it weighs nothing.
Packing
Dry everything at home to brittle, then portion 75 g per person into single-serving bags. The oil rides in a separate dropper bottle. A wide-mouth peanut butter jar makes the best soaking vessel and doubles as the bowl.
Variations
- Freeze-dried tofu or cheese stirred in after soaking pushes the protein past 20 g.
- Diced hard salami adds fat and salt, if the weather is cool enough to carry it.
- Skip the chilli and lean on the lemon powder if you would rather taste the vegetables.
https://slowerhiking.com/recipes/dehydrated-cold-soak-bean-salad