Millet and Mushroom Camp Risotto
Dried mushrooms, millet, and a hard cheese finish. Risotto texture without the stirring or the fridge.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 131
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 22 min
- total time
- 27 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
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Millet | 3/4 cup | rinse and dry at home so it does not go bitter |
|---|---|---|
| Dried mushrooms | 1/2 oz | porcini or shiitake, broken small |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 cube | |
| Dried minced onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Hard cheese | 1 oz | parmesan or pecorino, grated at home |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Black pepper and salt | to taste |
Method
- Put the mushrooms, onion, and bouillon in the pot with 600 ml of water. Bring it to a boil.
- Add the millet. Drop to the lowest simmer your stove holds and put the lid on.
- Cook 18 to 20 minutes. Stir twice, no more, or you will scorch the bottom.
- When the water is gone and the grain is soft, kill the heat. Stir in the cheese and the oil hard, until it goes creamy.
- Pepper it, let it sit two minutes under the lid, then eat.
Millet behaves like risotto rice without the labor. It swells, breaks down at the edges, and turns starchy on its own, so you get the creamy texture from a covered pot rather than twenty minutes of stirring in broth. That matters when fuel is finite and your arm is tired.
The source version was a home kitchen dish with fresh mushrooms, stock, and butter. Dried mushrooms replace all three: they rehydrate in the cooking water and leave behind the dark savory liquid that stock was providing. Hard cheese and olive oil go in off the heat, which is where the fat and most of the calories come from. Millet is naturally gluten-free, which is the one real advantage it has over couscous here.
Packing
Millet, mushrooms, bouillon, onion, and garlic go in one bag. Cheese and oil ride separately. Grate the cheese at home; grating in camp is a waste of daylight.
Variations
- A packet of tuna or chicken stirred in at the end adds 20 g of protein and makes it a bigger dinner.
- Swap the cheese for two tablespoons of nutritional yeast and it is vegan.
- Dried peas or sun-dried tomatoes go in with the millet and rehydrate on the same water.
https://www.awesomecuisine.com/recipes/33770/millet-recipes-dinner-ideas-for-a-nutritious-meal