Emergency Bucket Rice and Vegetables
Instant rice, dried vegetables, and soy protein. The bucket meal rebuilt from parts you already carry.
- calories
- 560
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 20 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 500 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
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant white rice | 1 cup | the parboiled kind that rehydrates in five minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Textured vegetable protein | 1/4 cup | unflavored soy curls or granules |
| Dried mixed vegetables | 1/3 cup | peas, carrots, corn, bell pepper |
| Gluten-free vegetable bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp powder | |
| Onion powder and black pepper | 1/2 tsp total | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
Method
- Boil 500 ml of water. Drop in the bouillon and stir until it dissolves.
- Add the dried vegetables and the soy protein. Let them run at a low boil for three minutes. They need more time than the rice does.
- Dump in the rice, stir once, and kill the heat.
- Lid on, off the stove, five minutes. Do not lift it to check.
- Stir in the oil and the pepper. If it is still soupy, another two minutes under the lid fixes it.
Freeze-dried bucket meals are mostly instant rice, dried vegetables, salt, and a protein filler, sold at a large markup for a shelf life you will never use. This is the same meal assembled from bulk parts, and it costs about a dollar.
The order matters more than the ingredients. Vegetables and soy protein rehydrate slowly, rice rehydrates fast, so the rice goes in last and the pot comes off the flame immediately. Cook them together from the start and you get mush around hard peas. The oil goes in at the end because a meal this lean has almost no fat, and fat is what makes it hold you until morning.
Packing
Rice, soy protein, vegetables, bouillon, and spices go in one quart freezer bag. Oil rides in a bottle. One bag is one dinner, which is the whole point of premixing.
Variations
- A foil packet of tuna or chicken stirred in at the end adds 20 g of protein and drops the vegan tag.
- Curry powder or a spoon of tomato powder turns this into a different meal for no extra weight.
- Swap the rice for instant potato flakes off the heat if you want it thicker and faster.
https://theprepared.com/blog/covid-19-food-storage-should-you-buy-the-4patriots-tub