Recipes

Here's a recipe for Granola which is muesli toasted at home with oil and honey. This recipe is based on one from Bill Hotter, a very lovely gentleman in the Peninsula Tramping Club. 1kg rolled oats (but I substitute some quinoa/amaranth flakes for extra protein) 1 cup dessicated coconut 1 cup bran - skip it if you're going GF 1 cup oat bran 1 cup sunflower seeds 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds 1 cup saltanas or other dried fruit e.g. goji berries 1/2 cup chopped glace ginger but I put in a cup as it has anti-nausea properties so I can handle an early breakfast Mix up the non fruit/seed ingredients and add a cup of oil e.g. rice bran oil and half a cup of honey, rubbing it in until it is evenly distributed then grill the mix so it toasts but don't burn it. Or you can bake it if you'd rather not constantly baby-sit it. Add the fruit/seed ingredients to the mix after it is cool. I keep it in the freezer to avoid oxidisation and rancidity.

While I'm at it, I've been making pestos. One variant is using the tube of olive puree then adding finely chopped rosemary tips and the usual nuts and parmesan. If you're going dairy-free there is a vegan parmesan version and it ain't cheap! I use walnuts or other nuts instead of pine nuts as the walnuts can be got free if you race out at the end of a southerly storm in autumn and beat the pussies to the walnuts.

Wot, no other bush cooks out there! Here's another meal inspiration which we just had tonight at home: Fresh Spring Rolls - it requires no cooking or fancy gear to prepare and you can use the Kaweka Thai curry pouch for the protein component (chicken). Buy a pack of Rice Paper and it will probably have the recipe and method on the back. If not, google it but here are some variations if you don't have the exact ingredients. I used salady type vegies but the usual recipe also relies on using vermicelli in the filling. I think the bean curd vermicelli doesn't need cooking, just soaking and this would increase the carb/calorie content. Soaking and adding dried shitake mushrooms would also make it especially delicious and Asian. I made my own dipping sauce, using half a lemon, a tab of sushi rice vinegar and a tab of fish sauce. I chopped and added about 10 small leaves of vietnamese mint. If you're from Chch and want some, give me a shout. The rice paper is soaked in 1 plate for about half a minute and you assemble the rolls on another. The vegies can be prepared at home and put in a ziplock bag. They may need protecting from the heat on "salad days". As far as rolling goes, there were no instructions but putting a cigar size whack of filling on a paper, then folding down the top and bottom circles then rolling what was left worked the best. Not too fiddly as long as the rice papers aren't oversoaked. Definitely easier than making sushi! Be sure to take your toothbrush and paste as this is pretty pungent! Continuing on the Asian theme. I had a mysterious Korean soup today on the summit of Mt Thomas and it turned out to be miso-based but was sexed up with dried shrimp, seaweed, dried green onion and shitake mushrooms with a bit of chilli. Got me thinking I could do this myself with what I have around here e.g. chinese dried fried shallots. You can buy jars of miso paste cheap enough. Fermented food is very good for your guts and it's the only safe way to eat soy e.g. tempeh, miso and the dreadful natto!

Good call on the rice paper rolls! I often do a Thai curry - you just need veges, curry paste sachet, coconut milk powder, some noodles (rice noodles are good) and you basically chop up the veges, throw it all in a pot with some water and it's done in a few minutes. I top it with some peanuts or cashews. Nom nom.

Hmmm...yummy. Do that sometimes too. First saw it being prepared by Andrew Chinn and some other young uns in the Waimak Falls Hut. Glad someone's reading the post.

red curry can be delicious but I prefer a little meat in mine. Have to be careful with the brand of paste I like the ones without english writing but when in a group have to take there heat tolerance into account. May Ploy brand is good

Thanks for that tip, Geeves. They do vary. Just tried out buckwheat pancakes. We're gluten-free these days. They worked a treat but you need a decent base to the pan. Luckily Frank has a very solid lid to his little billy. If you have a gripper, of course you don't need a handle. In fact I strongly feel a gripper is a must in the hills.