This Spanish Rice recipe came from a questionable recipe that Backpacker Magazine published as part of a “no-cook” meal trio. It was titled “Spanish Rice Medley,” if one wants to Google it. I took the basic recipe and changed it—let’s say I took the recipe as inspiration and changed it up quite a bit.
In theory, you can cold-soak instant rice, but it isn’t worth it. Just bring a stove and heat some water. It won’t take long, and the weight is minimal with a modern backpacking stove.
So today, on a very cold in the shade but blue-sky day, we set out to see what our recipe would be like.
Penn Cove, along the east side of Whidbey Island. It’s a perfect spot to cook up a meal.
The original recipe called for fresh salsa, cilantro, hot sauce, and oil in a container, which you are to carry with you on the trip, and in the summer, this isn’t a good idea. I considered using freeze-dried salsa, but you can’t do that without having a freeze-dryer, so I was playing nice and thought of what I could use to mimic it even though I have mylar packs upon packs of it in my hiker pantry. Tomatoes are perfect for the recipe, giving it a hint of sweetness.
Cilantro is already a troublesome herb. You either love it or hate it. It also had cumin, another troublesome spice/herb. It and cardamon give me heartburn, so you might notice I rarely call for either in recipes for trail cooking.
For the chicken jerky called for in the original, I used freeze-dried hamburger. It won’t destroy your teeth. Chicken and turkey jerky are sad substitutes for beef.
It’s also a lower-sodium meal. Add salt to taste if you need it.
Directions for both Freezer Bag Cooking and One-Pot methods are included. You can eat in 20 minutes with heat instead of carrying around semi-hydrated rice for hours. And there is no hard poultry jerky, which is a win.
Spanish Rice
Ingredients:
- 1 cup instant rice
- ¼ cup freeze-dried hamburger
- 2 Tbsp freeze-dried diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp granulated onion
- 1 tsp or packet low sodium beef bullion powder
- 1/8 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
Also Take:
- 1 packet or 1 Tbsp olive oil
At Home:
Pack the dry ingredients into a quart freezer or sandwich bag, depending on the cooking method. Tuck in the olive oil packet.
FBC Method:
Place the freezer bag into an FBC Cozy or similar. Add in the oil and 1¼ cups boiled water, stirring well. Seal the bag and let it sit for 15 minutes to rehydrate.
Stir up and eat.
One Pot Method:
Add 1¼ cups water and oil to a small pot. Bring to a boil, then add the dry ingredients. Stir well, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. In cooler weather or at high altitudes, use a pot cozy to insulate.
Fluff up the rice and eat.
Serves 1.
~Sarah