Mediterranean Chickpea Cold Soak
Chickpeas, dried vegetables, olives, and lemon oil, rehydrated in the jar while you walk.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 19 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 300 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Cold soak
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Day hike
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Dried chickpeas, cooked and dehydrated | 3/4 cup | cook from tinned, then dry flat; they rehydrate in about two hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 2 tbsp | chopped small, oil-free kind |
| Dried bell pepper | 2 tbsp | |
| Dried minced onion | 1 tbsp | stands in for the red onion |
| Dried cucumber or zucchini chips | 2 tbsp | optional, they stay chewy |
| Kalamata olives | 2 tbsp | shelf-stable pouch, not brine jar |
| Olive oil | 1.5 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Citric acid or lemon powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried oregano and parsley | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- In the morning, tip the dry mix into a screw-top jar and add 300 ml of cold water.
- Seal it, shake, and stash it upright in a side pocket.
- Check at two hours. The chickpeas should be soft through, not chalky in the middle.
- Pour off any water left standing, then add the oil and olives and stir.
- Taste, add salt, and eat straight from the jar.
The original is a fridge salad built on fresh tomato, cucumber, and feta, none of which survive a pack. What actually carries the dish is the chickpeas, the olives, and the lemon-oil dressing, so those stay. The vegetables come back as dried pieces, which rehydrate in the same water the chickpeas need anyway.
Feta is gone with no substitute. Nothing shelf-stable tastes like it, and the olives already supply the salt and brine the cheese was there for. Home-dehydrating cooked chickpeas is the one step that matters: raw dried chickpeas will not soften in cold water, no matter how long you wait.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one bag. Oil rides in a dropper bottle and olives in their own pouch, or the whole bag ends up oily.
Variations
- A pouch of tuna turns it into a heavier dinner.
- Add 1/4 cup couscous and another 100 ml water if you want more bulk. That drops the gluten-free claim.
- A little vinegar powder in place of the lemon powder if you prefer the sharper edge.
https://blog.9jakitchen.com/mediterranean-chickpea-salad-healthy-recipe