Ground Elk Dan Dan Noodles, Camp Version
Peanut-sesame noodles with wild game, built from shelf-stable parts in one pot.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 7.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 104
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 900 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
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground elk or other ground wild game, cooked and dehydrated | 8 oz raw weight | dry it lean; fat goes rancid |
|---|---|---|
| Dried udon or ramen noodles | 8 oz | |
| Creamy peanut butter | 1/3 cup | single-serve packets travel cleanest |
| Soy sauce | 3 tbsp | packets or a small bottle |
| Chicken or wild turkey bouillon | 2 tsp | stands in for 1 1/2 cups broth |
| Brown sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Cornstarch | 1 tbsp | |
| Rice vinegar | 1 tbsp | a dropper bottle holds enough for two nights |
| Sesame oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Hot sauce or chili crisp | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Dried spinach flakes | 1/2 cup | |
| Sesame seeds | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Put the dried meat and spinach in the pot with 250 ml of water. Let them sit ten minutes while you set up. They will not rehydrate later once the sauce thickens.
- Add 650 ml more water and the bouillon, and bring it to a boil.
- Break the noodles in half and add them. Cook until they are just soft, about 6 minutes for udon, 3 for ramen.
- Pull the pot off the heat. Stir in peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, garlic powder, ginger, and salt until no peanut butter lumps remain.
- Whisk the cornstarch into 2 tbsp of cold water in your cup, pour it in, and return the pot to low heat for a minute until the sauce coats the noodles.
- Scatter the sesame seeds over the top.
The original is a weeknight skillet dish with fresh broth, fresh spinach, and a pound of ground elk. Three things had to change for camp. The broth became bouillon and water, since you are boiling water anyway. The spinach became flakes, which go back to something leaf-shaped in about five minutes. The meat gets browned and dried at home, which is the only part that takes planning.
Cornstarch is what makes this a sauce instead of soup. Noodle water alone is too thin to hold peanut butter, and undiluted peanut butter seizes into lumps. Slurry the cornstarch in cold water first and stir the peanut butter in off the heat, and the whole pot pulls together in about a minute.
No dietary tags here: it has meat, wheat noodles, and peanuts.
Packing
Meat and spinach go in one bag, seasonings and cornstarch in a second, noodles loose in the pot. Peanut butter, sesame oil, and vinegar ride in bottles or packets outside the food bag.
Variations
- No dehydrator: a foil pouch of chicken, stirred in at the end, does the same job.
- Skip the meat and use a vegetable bouillon for a lighter, cheaper pot.
- Peanut butter powder plus a spoon of oil cuts weight if you are carrying this far.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/ground-elk-dan-dan-noodles