Couscous with Dried Vegetables
Couscous, dried leeks and onions, bouillon, and a heavy hand with paprika. Off the stove in five minutes.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 104
- protein
- 13 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 7 min
- water
- 590 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
- Bikepacking
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Couscous | 1 cup | durum, the fine grade, not pearl |
|---|---|---|
| Dried vegetables | 1 cup | leek and onion; mushroom, corn, or zucchini also work |
| Bouillon cube | 1 | |
| Italian herb blend | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried paprika | 1 tbsp | |
| Cayenne | 1/2 tbsp | optional, and it is a lot |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | in a small screw-top bottle |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Put the bouillon cube, dried vegetables, and spice bag into the pot.
- Add 590 ml of cold water, lid on, and bring it to a boil.
- Once it boils, add the olive oil and let it run one to two more minutes so the vegetables soften.
- Kill the stove, stir in the couscous, and put the lid back on.
- Wait five minutes off the heat. Fluff with the spork, then salt and pepper it.
Couscous does not need to boil. It only needs to sit in hot water with the lid on, which is why this dinner burns almost no fuel. The vegetables are the part that actually needs heat, so they go in first and get the whole boil to themselves while the couscous waits in its bag.
Spices carry the meal, because dried leek and bouillon on their own taste like salt and not much else. The olive oil is the other half of the argument: it is the densest calorie you can carry per ounce, and it keeps the grain from packing into a dry brick. Keep the couscous separate from everything else at home so you can time it right in camp.
Packing
Couscous in its own bag, vegetables and bouillon in another, spices in a third small bag or a film canister. Oil rides in a leakproof bottle, upright, away from your quilt.
Variations
- Drop in a foil packet of tuna or a handful of dried salami for protein.
- Swap the bouillon for a curry or miso base and change the spice bag to match.
- Slice vegetables thin before dehydrating, or they will still be crunchy when the couscous is done.
https://www.hikeforpurpose.com/trail-meal-couscous-with-vegetables