Hoisin Lamb Ramen at Camp
Sticky lamb, ginger broth, and noodles in one pot after a cold, wet day.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 80
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 8 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 23 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
- Canoe / raft
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Lean lamb strips | 10 oz | minced lamb works the same; keep it cold until it hits the pot |
|---|---|---|
| Hoisin sauce | 3 tbsp | decanted into a small screw-top jar |
| Dark soy sauce | 1 tbsp | |
| Sesame oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Beef or lamb stock concentrate | enough for 900 ml | paste or cubes instead of carrying liquid stock |
| Ramen noodle nests | 2 | |
| Garlic | 3 cloves | or 1 tsp granulated |
| Fresh ginger | 1 thumb | or 1 tsp ground |
| Red chili | 1 | dried flakes work |
| Pak choi | 1 head | any sturdy green; dried cabbage if there is no cooler |
| Spring onions | 3 |
Method
- Slice the aromatics and greens at the picnic table before you light anything. Once the pot is hot this moves fast.
- Put half the sesame oil in the pot over high heat and brown the lamb hard, five minutes, until the edges crisp.
- Add the hoisin and soy and toss for one minute until the meat goes dark and sticky. Scrape it into a mug or bowl and leave the pot dirty.
- Drop the rest of the oil in the same pot with the garlic, ginger, and chili. Two minutes, stirring, and do not let the garlic scorch.
- Pour in 900 ml of water and the stock concentrate. Bring it to a boil, then add the noodles and the pak choi stems.
- Three minutes later add the leaves and the spring onions. Kill the heat, return the lamb and any glaze in the bowl, and stir once.
This started as a kitchen recipe with a frying pan and a saucepan. It collapses into one pot with no real loss: brown the lamb first, pull it out, build the broth in the same pot, and the fond from the meat ends up in the soup where you want it anyway.
The order matters more than the technique. Hoisin burns fast over camp heat, so it goes in at the very end of the searing, off the hottest part of the flame. Stock concentrate replaces carrying liquid stock, which is most of the weight of the original and none of the flavor. Ginger and chili do the actual warming work after a cold walk, and the salt in the stock is why this beats a hot drink for recovery.
Packing
Hoisin, soy, and sesame oil go in three small leakproof bottles inside a zip bag. Garlic, ginger, and chili can be minced at home and carried in one container. Lamb rides frozen flat at the bottom of the cooler and thaws by dinner on day one.
Variations
- No cooler: swap the lamb for a shelf-stable pouch of cooked chicken or a bag of freeze-dried ground beef, and use dried cabbage and shiitake for the greens.
- Add a soft-boiled egg if you brought eggs, or a spoonful of chili crisp at the end.
- Cut the stock to 600 ml for a thicker, saucier bowl that travels better in a bowl than a mug.
https://www.baldhiker.com/hoisin-lamb-ramen-soup