Solar Oven Rice and Beans
A pot left in the sun all afternoon. No fuel, no flame, no watching it.
- calories
- 540
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 98
- protein
- 18 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 600 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.
- Dinner
- No cook
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| White rice | 1 cup | long grain, not instant |
|---|---|---|
| Dried black beans, quick-soak or instant flakes | 3/4 cup | whole dried beans will not cook at these temperatures |
| Dried onion and bell pepper | 1/4 cup | |
| Tomato powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder | 2 tsp total | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | stirred in at the end |
Method
- Set the solar oven up in open sun by mid-morning and aim the reflectors at the pot. This wants four hours of unshaded afternoon.
- Put the rice, bean flakes, dried vegetables, tomato powder, spices, and salt in the dark pot. Add 600 ml of cold water and stir once.
- Lid on, into the oven, reflectors pointed at the sun. The pot will sit somewhere between 100 and 120 C.
- Re-aim the reflectors every hour or so as the sun moves. Do not open the lid to check; every peek costs you twenty minutes.
- At three hours, lift the lid once. If the rice is tender and the water is gone, it is done. If not, close it and give it another hour.
- Stir in the olive oil off the heat and eat.
A solar oven is a slow cooker that runs on sightlines instead of fuel. It holds around 100 to 120 C, which is enough to cook rice and rehydrate beans but nowhere near a boil. That means time replaces heat: four hours instead of twenty minutes, and no fire ban, no canister, no smoke.
The ingredient list is built around that ceiling. Whole dried beans need real boiling and will stay gravel, so this uses instant bean flakes that only need hot water and patience. Tomato powder and dried vegetables go in dry with everything else because the long soak in a sealed pot rehydrates them on its own. The oil goes in at the end, where it still tastes like oil.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one bag at home, oil in a separate bottle. The pot has to be dark and lidded or the oven does nothing.
Variations
- A foil pouch of tuna or chicken stirred in at the end adds 20 g of protein, but drops the vegan and vegetarian tags.
- Swap the rice for quinoa and cut the water to 450 ml.
- On a cloudy day this will not cook. Carry a stove backup if dinner depends on it.
https://casambu.com/products/four-solaire-sungood-marmite-cookup-solar-brother