Curried Lentil and Apple Cold Soak
Lentils, curry, and dried apple soaked in a jar while you walk. Lunch is ready when you stop.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 119
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 300 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
- Day hike
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Dehydrated cooked lentils | 1/2 cup | cook brown or green lentils at home and dry them flat |
|---|---|---|
| Dried celery flakes | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried cranberries | 1/4 cup | |
| Freeze-dried apple pieces | 1/3 cup | freeze-dried, not chewy dried rings |
| Curry powder | 1 tsp | |
| Full-fat powdered milk | 3 tbsp | |
| Citric acid or powdered lemon | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
Method
- Two hours before lunch, tip the lentils, celery, cranberries, curry, salt, and lemon powder into your soak jar.
- Add 300 ml of cold water, seal, shake, and put the jar upright in your pack.
- At the stop, stir in the powdered milk. Add it dry and stir hard so it does not clump.
- Pour the oil over and fold in the freeze-dried apple last. Eat within a minute or two, while the apple is still crisp.
The source version leans on a cooler: greek yogurt dressing, fresh apple, fresh celery. None of that travels. The swap is powdered milk plus citric acid, which rehydrates into something tangy and thick enough to coat the lentils, and dried celery, which gives the same background flavor without the weight of a vegetable that is mostly water.
Dehydrating the lentils at home is the part that matters. Raw lentils will not cold soak into anything you want to eat, but cooked-then-dried lentils come back in about ninety minutes of cold water and hold their shape. Freeze-dried apple goes in at the end because it stays crisp for a few minutes and then does not, so there is no point stirring it in early.
Packing
Everything dry except the apple and the oil goes in one bag. Apple rides in its own bag so it does not pick up moisture or curry dust.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken turns this into a bigger dinner.
- Swap the powdered milk for coconut milk powder if you want it dairy-free.
- A pinch of cayenne and extra citric acid wakes it up in hot weather.
https://camprecipes.com/no-cook-curried-lentil-apple-salad