Post Bean Chili
Beans, corn, and peppers in a garlicky tomato sauce. No meat, no dairy, one pot.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 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
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated cooked kidney or pinto beans | 1 cup | cook and dry them at home, or buy instant refried bean flakes |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried sweet corn | 1/2 cup | |
| Dried bell pepper and onion flakes | 1/3 cup | |
| Tomato powder | 3 tbsp | reconstitutes into sauce; paste in a tube also works |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Ground cumin | 1 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Corn tortillas or corn chips | 4 tortillas or 2 oz chips | optional, for scooping |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Dump in the beans, corn, peppers, and onion.
- Cover, pull it off the flame, and let it sit five minutes so the vegetables rehydrate before the sauce thickens around them.
- Return to low heat. Stir in the tomato powder and all the spices. Simmer five minutes, stirring so the bottom does not scorch.
- If it goes stiff, add water 50 ml at a time. If it stays soupy, simmer another two minutes uncovered.
- Take it off the heat, pour in the oil, stir, and eat with tortillas or chips.
This started as a stovetop pot of beans simmering with fresh peppers, onion, tomatoes, and garlic for the better part of an hour. On the trail neither the fresh produce nor the hour is available, so everything got dried: home-cooked beans dehydrated to flakes, corn and peppers freeze-dried, tomatoes as powder. What was an hour of simmering becomes twelve minutes of soaking and stirring.
Order matters more than technique. Tomato is acidic, and acid slows down rehydration, so the beans and vegetables get plain water first and the tomato powder goes in after they have softened. The oil goes in last, off the heat, where it carries the chili and cumin instead of frying them.
Packing
Beans, corn, and vegetable flakes in one bag. Tomato powder and spices premixed in a second small bag, added later so the sauce does not glue the beans shut before they soften. Oil in its own bottle.
Variations
- A handful of instant rice added with the beans stretches it to three servings; add 200 ml more water.
- Freeze-dried jalapeño or a squeeze of hot sauce for heat.
- Dried mushroom pieces add body without meat.
https://savoriurbane.com/chili-vegan-fara-carne-mancare-de-post-cu-fasole-boabe-si-legume-mexicane-cu-sos-de-rosii-si-usturoi