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The week before school started, my friend and I went on a back-country camping trip in a secluded spot by Chilliwack Lake — way down a forest service road to a serene, private, free camp site right next to a crystal-clear stream. We spent our days hiking and our nights tending to a fire by the water. When arriving back at our campsite after a full day of hiking, I cooked this stir-fry over my camp stove while she started the fire. We nourished our tired bodies with some saucy carbs and crisp veggies while watching the stars and listening to the crackle of the fire.
Cook Time: 25 minutes. Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Sauce:
3 garlic cloves
A thumb-sized piece of ginger
4 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sriracha
2/3 cup water
Stir-fry:
1 package of chow mein noodles
1 drained can of chickpeas (or 1 cup cooked chickpeas)
1 medium-sized broccoli head
1 carrot
1 red bell pepper
A handful of snap peas
Method:
1)It helps to prepare the sauce before going camping since it’s a hassle to bring all these different ingredients with you. So, mix all the sauce ingredients together in an air-tight container the day before your trip and pop that container in your cooler before you head out.
2)Boil your noodles in a small pot over your camp stove. While those are cooking, cut your vegetables. Turn your head of broccoli into florets, slice your carrot into rounds, slice your bell pepper into strips, and just chop off the pointy ends off the snap peas.
3)When the noodles are done boiling, drain them, reserve one cup of pasta water, and put to the side.
4)Place your frying pan on the camp stove burner and add all the cut-up vegetables and one cup of the noodle water. Allow the vegetables to cook until they are slightly softer but still have a nice crunch to them.
5)Add the drained can of chickpeas and the sauce and mix until all the vegetables are coated. Cook until the sauce is bubbling.
6)Finally, add the noodles to the pan, mix until the sauce has coated the noodles, and serve while it’s still hot.
Camping Stir Fry. (Andrea Sadowski/The Cascade)
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
