If one wanders the food section at REI it can literally be overwhelming. Brightly splashed mylar packages, promising gourmet adventures. The ingredient lists are long these days, often touting 30 or more items, with plenty of spices now added. Which isn’t a bad thing, at least it isn’t like it was 20 years ago when the choices were small and underwhelming (and mostly resembled Middle America Chef Boyardee tastes).
But there are times when meals call to be simple, with few ingredients. A common theme for those who hike in the mountains is losing your appetite and/or gagging while trying to eat. The more complicated the meal is, the worst it seems to be in my experience, especially when you open up a bag of food and get hit with the aroma. A tip that works for me is get hydrated before you even think about food. A simple broth soup can help if it isn’t blazing hot out. Then think about food.
Having uncomplicated choices means you might eat. Rice tends to be easy to digest for many people and can settle upset stomachs.
This recipe uses both FBC and one pot but the cleanup is easy (wipe your pan out with a paper towel after frying the egg).
Fried Egg over Savory Rice
In a quart freezer or sandwich bag:
- 1 cup instant rice
Also take:
- 1 broth concentrate stick
- Shelf stable Parmesan cheese (green can)
- 1 packet olive oil
- 1 egg
Directions:
FBC Hybrid Method:
Bring 1 cup water to boil, take off stove. Open rice bag, add in broth concentrate and water, stir to mix. Seal tightly and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes in a cozy.
Pot Method:
Bring 1 cup water and broth concentrate to boil in a small pot. Add rice, stir. Cover and take off stove. Let sit for 10 minutes. If in cool temperatures or at altitude, insulate pot in a pot cozy.
For egg:
After rice is done, heat a small frypan or nonstick pot over a low flame, add in the oil, then crack egg in. Cook until crispy on bottom (lifting frypan off heat as needed), flip over, and cook until done on bottom.
To serve:
Fluff up rice, add in a liberal shaking of Parmesan cheese (about 2 Tablespoons), stir in. If using a freezer bag, cuff bag down about half way to make a “bowl”. Top rice with egg and any remaining oil. Sprinkle on more cheese and enjoy.
Serves 1.
Notes:
Broth concentrate sticks can be found in many grocery stores, in the broth section. They are tubes or small tubs of a thick, rich liquid, that makes 1 cup broth. Trader Joe’s also carries chicken broth ones. Sodium varies by brand, so read packaging (Trader Joe’s is under 400 mg), others are much higher. Also find online here.
Yes, you can carry eggs. Just wrap them in paper towels to pad (which you can use the paper towel later to wipe out your frypan!), tuck into your drinking mug.
Or yes, you can use dried eggs, such as Ova brand, and scramble it.
Depending on your appetite you might want 2 eggs.
If you are dairy free, leave the cheese out.
~Sarah