At the Cycle Touring Festival in 2019, we ran a camp stove cookery session. We asked participants to contribute their recipe ideas and tips. Here are the crowd-sourced recipes we collected.
1) Ziplock bag omlette roll
Put eggs in a ziplock bag. Add any other ingredients you want – cheese, vegetables etc. Shake. Put bag in a pan of boiling water. Eat out of the bag or on a wrap. Use the boiling water for a cup of tea. This has the advantage of no washing up – although the disposable plastic bags are obviously not great for the environment.
2) Mediterranean cous cous
Chop dried porcini mushrooms up small and add to cous cous, chopped sun dried tomatoes and a crumbled stock cube / bouillon powder. To prepare, add boiling water, cover and leave until water absorbed and cous cous soft. Add spinach if you have some, stir and cover until spinach wilted. Top with feta cheese to eat.
3) Satay
Mix together 2 tbsps coconut milk powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter powder, 1 tsp curry powder and 1 tsp stock powder (or a stock cube). Carry prepared mix with you, to add to vegetables or meat with enough water to create a sauce. Or – mix with instant noodles or rice for dried rations, to which you just need to add hot water.
4) Sort-of tartiflette
Using a vegetable peeler, shave potato into thin slices, or chop into small pieces. Soak in water for a few minutes to remove some of the starch. Fry pancetta (or chopped bacon), add potato and a couple of tablespoons of water (to avoid it sticking too much and to save on the washing up). Cook for a few minutes until the potato is soft. Add grated cheese, stir until melted, serve.
5) Chickpea pancakes
Mix together equal quantities of chickpea flour (gram flour) and water until smooth. The batter should be the consistency of thin cream. Leave to stand for a few minutes – it will get thicker the longer you leave it. Add grated cheese, vegetables, chorizo – whatever you fancy – or leave plain. Grated courgettes work well. Fry in a hot pan on both sides. Serve immediately. Good source of protein.
6) Instant oats (just add water)
Mix together dried milk powder with Ready Brek, raisins, nuts and seeds. Store in a Tupperware or metal lunch box. Add hot water for instant oats – no porridge pan to wash and no single-use plastic pot to dispose of.
7) Lentil stew (just add water)
In advance, mix together the following in a bag:
6 tbsps green or red lentils
1 stock cube (or a tsp bouillon powder)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp garlic granules
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp each of dried rosemary and oregano
Pepper and chilli flakes to taste
At camp, add the mixture to 2-3 cups of water. Bring to boil and cook until the lentils are soft (approximately 20 minutes). Reduce the cooking time by pre-soaking the mixture.
Inspired by Tara Allen of Bike Camp Cook fame.
8) Simple rice
Boil rice.
Fry a chopped onion, garlic, tomatoes and pepper in oil taken from a tin of tuna in oil.
After two minutes, add the tuna. Season with spices. Add the tuna mix to the boiled rice and serve.
9) Pizza pie
Mix together 8oz plain flour with 1 tsp dried instant yeast, a pinch of salt and enough warm water to form a dough. Knead and leave to rise for a bit.
Shape into two rounds to fit into a frying pan.
Sandwich together with tomato puree, garlic powder, dried herbs and cheese. Pinch edges to seal. Fry on both sides until cooked.