Thermos Couscous with Chickpeas
Boil once at breakfast, eat a hot lunch four hours later without stopping to cook.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 142
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 8 min
- water
- 300 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.
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Day hike
- Winter / snow
- Bikepacking
- 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated chickpeas | 1/4 cup | crushed lightly so they rehydrate faster |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 2 tbsp | scissored into strips |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 cube | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper | 1 tsp total |
Method
- Preheat the insulated jug: fill it with boiling water, cap it, wait one minute, dump it out. A cold jug eats most of your heat.
- Boil 300 ml of water and crumble the bouillon cube into it.
- Dump the dry mix into the warmed jug, pour the boiling water over it, and add the oil.
- Cap it and shake once. Do not open it again.
- Open at lunch and stir. The chickpeas will be soft and the couscous will have taken up everything.
The source here was a container, not a dish: an insulated food jug that holds heat for about eight hours. That is a cooking method, so this recipe is built around it. Everything gets hot water once, in the morning, and then finishes on its own while you walk.
Instant couscous and crushed dehydrated chickpeas are the right pair for retained heat. Neither needs a boil, only time and a sealed jug. Preheating matters more than people expect. The oil is not optional either, since it is most of the calories and it keeps the couscous from packing into a brick by noon.
Packing
Couscous, chickpeas, tomatoes, bouillon, and spices ride together in one bag. Oil separate. The jug is the pot, the bowl, and the cozy, so nothing else needs washing.
Variations
- A foil packet of tuna stirred in at lunch adds 20 g of protein.
- Swap couscous for instant rice if you need it gluten-free, and give it the full four hours.
- In cold weather, carry the jug inside the pack rather than in a side pocket.
https://primusequipment.com/products/mika-travel-mug-flinta-food-jug