Hoisin Meatball Noodles
Shelf-stable meatballs, ramen noodles, and a hoisin packet. One pot, no fridge.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 600 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
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Bikepacking
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Shelf-stable meatballs | 8 oz | retort pouch or canned; chicken, pork, or beef |
|---|---|---|
| Instant ramen noodle blocks | 2 blocks | discard the seasoning packets |
| Hoisin sauce | 1/4 cup | decanted into a small screw-top bottle |
| Freeze-dried stir-fry vegetables | 1 cup | peppers, peas, carrots, cabbage |
| Dried chili flakes | a pinch | |
| Lime juice | 1 tbsp | bottled, or one lime if you are carrying it |
| Cooking oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Pour 600 ml of water into the pot, bring it to a boil, and drop in the vegetables. Off the heat, five minutes, lid on.
- Add the noodle blocks and let them sit in the hot water one minute. Drain most of the water into a bottle for coffee or dishes. Tip the noodles and vegetables into a bowl or the pot lid.
- Dry the pot, add the oil, and heat the meatballs over a low flame until they brown in spots. Pouch meatballs are already cooked, so this is for color, not safety.
- Pour in the hoisin, chili, and lime, and stir until the sauce goes glossy and starts to grab.
- Return the noodles and vegetables to the pot. Toss until everything is coated and hot. Split it two ways.
The original is a supermarket-run dinner: fresh noodles, a chilled tray of meatballs, a bag of cut vegetables. None of that keeps in a pack. Retort-pouch meatballs are the swap that makes it work, since they are fully cooked and stable at ambient temperature. Freeze-dried vegetables stand in for the stir-fry mix and rehydrate in the same water the noodles use.
The order matters more than the ingredients. Draining the noodles before the sauce goes in is the difference between stir-fry and soup, and hoisin is thick enough to coat without any liquid help. Browning the meatballs in dry oil first builds the only real depth in the dish, so do not skip straight to the sauce.
Packing
Noodles, vegetables, and chili flakes go in one bag. Hoisin rides in a leakproof bottle inside a second bag, because it will find a way out. Meatball pouch goes wherever it fits.
Variations
- Swap the meatballs for a pouch of chicken or a block of pressed tofu jerky.
- Peanut butter powder stirred into the hoisin turns it into a satay-style sauce.
- Rice noodles instead of ramen makes it gluten-free, as long as the hoisin is too.
https://www.advrider.com/hoi-sin-meatballs