Dehydrated Cold-Soak Bean Salad

Feb 18

A spicy, delicious, protein- and carb-packed salad with crunch, acid and chilli in a lightweight package.

mixed bean salad in cup near rocky beach — After a few days on the trail we all begin to crave those fresh, crisp, savoury salad tastes and textures, but fresh salads and vegetables are heavy and don’t last long. Although dehydrated salads are the perfect lightweight solution, most recipes lack the protein and carbs you need to fuel those tired legs.

But this recipe is nutritious: with our dry weight individual serving size of 75 g plus 10 ml of Olive Oil, we each get about 1250 kJ and 12.1 g protein from lunch. You can also boost protein further by adding freeze dried cheese or even freeze dried tofu after rehydrating, and increase the serving size of course! Diced salami would taste great mixed through this salad in camp too.

cup with spoon of fresh bean salad — Ingredients

350g cucumber, seeds removed and in 8mm dice
1 large red capsicum in 8mm dice
500g tomatoes in 8mm dice
250g red onion in 8mm dice
625g tinned edamame
4 x 400g beans (cannellini, red kidney, mixed*)
2 x 400g tins sweetcorn** or 1.5 cups freeze dried corn
4-6 chillies (or more to taste) finely chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped***
1/2 bunch mint, chopped
hot chillies finely sliced (to taste)

*4- and 5-bean mixes often contain chickpeas. We find that, depending on the brand, chickpeas usually take longer to rehydrate via cold-soaking than do beans, so either dry and rehydrate a test batch or choose a bean mix without chickpeas.

**tinned sweetcorn can also take longer to rehydrate. If you choose to use them, soak for 2-3 hours. Freeze-dried sweetcorn is ideal but expensive.

***Coriander is an alternative, but it loses a lot of its flavour; parsley works better unless you have a freeze drier or access to freeze-dried coriander (expensive).

spoon of fresh bean salad — Dressing:

5 tbspn lime or lemon juice
1 tspn salt (you’ll add more later)
1 tbspn ground black pepper
30g garlic crushed
130ml sherry vinegar
2.5 tbspn honey or caster sugar
2 tbspn seeded mustard
Optional: 1 tablespoon freeze dried feta or other cheese

Method:

Beans and corn in bowl — Empty tins of beans and corn (if using) into colander and rinse well.

If using freeze dried corn, add these to the salad after dehydrating.

ground up ingredients in bowl — Place dry dressing ingredients, honey and garlic in a mortar and pestle and grind to a paste.

Add liquids (juice, vinegar, seeded mustard) and mix well.

diced salad vegetables in bowl — Place salad vegetables except mint and parsley in a large non-reactive bowl or container.

Pour dressing over salad vegetables and mix again.

salad vegetables with corn with beans — Add beans, taste and adjust seasonings: you want it stronger than when served fresh, as the flavours diminish after dehydrating. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours to marinate, stirring regularly.

Place a large colander over a bowl and tip in salad. Allow to drain. Retain this liquid and pour onto silicone-lined trays.

Mix chopped herbs into bean mix or dry separately.

Place one serve of salad mix on a tray and mark with a teaspoon. Spread remaining salad onto trays and dehydrate at 52C (125F).

Once dry, weigh your marked tray (A) and place into a bowl with other beans. Mix in freeze dried corn (if using). Powder the dried dressing and place in a separate bowl.

dehydrated components of salad ready for combing — *Clockwise from left: powdered dressing, serve of beans and herbs, mixed serve.*

Packaging:

Divide your portions by weight into separate bowls and distribute powdered dressing (and herbs if you’ve dried them separately) evenly between them.

Next, rehydrate a small test batch (say a quarter serve, or use any partial leftover serve), to check rehydration because times and amounts vary between brands and vegetables: taste every hour. You can adjust seasoning now, too: use a tiny pinch of citric acid for sour, caster sugar for sweet, and extra salt and pepper. Record what you add; you’ll need to multiply it by 4 if you have used a quarter serve. Add seasonings (x 4 if test was one quarter serve) to your separate bowls.

meals vacuum sealed and packed with weight information — Place salad into ziploc bags or vac seal bags if you plan to store for a time; wrap or bag cheese separately (if using) and place into each ziploc. Seal or vac seal. Label. We found 150g salad with about 575ml water (or to cover) was a good lunch serve for two of us; we checked after an hour and added more water if necessary. You may prefer larger or smaller, wetter or drier serves serves.

On the Trail:

At morning tea, or at least 2 hours before lunch, make a small slit in the top of your salad bag. Remove cheese or tofu if using and add water to cover bean mix. Close bag with a bag sealer strip (these are great for rehydrating hot dinners too) or reseal ziploc, then place in the middle of your pack in an empty dry bag where it won’t get too hot from body heat or sun. After 60 minutes check and add more water if necessary. Continue rehydrating one more hour.