Curried Trail Mix
Raisins, coconut, and nuts toasted with curry powder until the spice sticks.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 2 oz
- cal / oz
- 160
- protein
- 8 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Day hike
- Bikepacking
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Golden raisins | 1/2 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Shredded unsweetened coconut | 1/2 cup | natural, not the sweetened baking kind |
| Peanuts | 1/2 cup | salted is better here |
| Cashews | 1/2 cup | |
| Mild curry powder | 1 tsp |
Method
- At home, set a heavy skillet over low heat. Nothing else, no oil.
- Add everything at once and stir. Keep it moving for about 10 minutes.
- Pull it off when the curry smells strong and the coconut has gone a shade darker. Low heat and constant stirring are the whole job here; coconut scorches fast.
- Spread it out and let it cool all the way to room temperature before it goes in a bag. Warm mix sweats and turns soft.
- Seal into snack bags and eat cold on the trail.
This is a home-kitchen step that pays off on the trail. Dry curry powder shaken over nuts just falls to the bottom of the bag. Warming it in a skillet blooms the spice and lets the nut oils and coconut fat pick it up, so the flavor stays on the food instead of in the corner of the bag.
Nothing in it needs a stove, water, or a cooler once it is toasted, so it packs as a straight grab bag. The peanut and cashew fat carries most of the calories and the coconut adds more; the raisins are there for sugar that hits faster than fat does. Salted nuts are worth the trade. Salt is what makes curry taste like curry rather than like powder.
Packing
One sealed snack bag per day. Squeeze the air out. The nut oils will go stale in a loose bag over a long trip.
Variations
- Any dried fruit and any nut works. Dried mango and almonds hold the curry just as well.
- Add a pinch of cayenne with the curry if mild is not the point.
- Unsalted nuts work, but salt is what makes the curry read as savory rather than dusty.
https://trailcooking.com/snacks/curried-trail-mix