Larapinta Breakfast Noodles
Instant noodles, freeze-dried tofu, and shaved vegetables. A hot savory breakfast on a cold morning.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4 oz
- cal / oz
- 130
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 7 min
- water
- 400 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.
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant noodle block | 1 block | seasoning packet included |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried tofu | 1/3 cup | crumbled or diced small |
| Dried broccoli florets | 2 tbsp | broken into pea-sized pieces |
| Dried cabbage or kale | 2 tbsp | |
| Dried spring onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried grated carrot | 1 tbsp | blanch before drying at home |
| Sesame oil | 1 tsp | dropper bottle |
| Soy sauce powder or miso paste | 1 tsp | optional, if the packet is weak |
Method
- Tip the tofu and all the dried vegetables into the pot with 400 ml of water. Bring it to a boil.
- Once it boils, add the noodle block and the seasoning. Two minutes.
- Cut the heat, lid on, and leave it four minutes. The tofu and carrot need that time more than the noodles do.
- Stir in the sesame oil and eat straight from the pot.
Vegetables are the part that fails on trail. Anything thick or hard stays crunchy no matter how long it sits, so the carrot gets grated and blanched before it goes in the dehydrator, and the broccoli gets broken down small. Surface area is the whole game here.
Freeze-dried tofu is doing the protein work — about 20 g without carrying anything wet. The vegetables and tofu go in before the noodles because they need the longer soak; adding everything at once gives you mushy noodles and hard carrot.
Packing
Vegetables, tofu, and seasoning go in one bag; the noodle block rides loose or it crushes into dust. Oil in its own bottle.
Variations
- Swap the noodles for rice vermicelli if you want it gluten-free.
- A spoon of chili crisp turns it into something worth waking up for.
- Cold soak it in a jar for an hour if you are out of fuel. Chewier, still food.
https://slowerhiking.com/food/lightweight-backpacking-breakfasts