Sun Jar Couscous
A black-wrapped jar left in the sun does the cooking. No fuel, no pot, no boil.
- calories
- 660
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 132
- protein
- 16 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 4 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 4 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
- Bikepacking
- Day hike
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant couscous | 3/4 cup | the fine grade, not pearl |
|---|---|---|
| Dried vegetable flakes | 1/4 cup | tomato, bell pepper, onion |
| Vegetable bouillon powder | 1 tsp | |
| Dried chickpeas, roasted and crushed | 1/3 cup | the crunchy snack kind, not raw |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Lemon powder and black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black stuff sack or dark trash bag | 1 | gear, not food |
Method
- At the first break of the day, pour 300 ml of cold water into the jar with the dry mix. Seal and shake.
- Slide the jar into the black sack and strap it to the top of your pack, sunny side up.
- Walk for two to three hours. The dark sack pulls in enough heat that the grain softens faster and the flakes rehydrate fully.
- Open, stir in the oil and lemon powder, and eat straight from the jar.
- On an overcast day it still works. It just takes the full three hours and comes out cool.
Couscous is already cooked and dried, so it needs moisture and time rather than heat. A dark bag strapped to your pack supplies the rest. Nothing here gets hot enough to be called cooking, but the difference between a jar in the sun and a jar in the shade is real: warmer water pulls the vegetable flakes back to soft instead of leaving them leathery.
The crushed chickpeas are the protein and most of the texture. They go in dry and stay a little firm, which keeps the whole jar from reading as one soft mass. The oil goes in at the end because fat coating the grain early slows down how much water it takes on.
Packing
Everything dry goes into one bag at home, poured into the jar at camp. The oil rides separate. The black sack is the only piece of gear that matters and it doubles as a food bag.
Variations
- Swap the chickpeas for a foil packet of tuna if you are not keeping it vegan.
- A spoonful of tomato powder turns it darker and heavier without adding much weight.
https://morningchores.com/solar-cooking