Cold Soak couscous with concentrated chicken broth packet, bad idea?

[Phong D]

I enjoy couscous cooked with chicken broth and some curry powder.  I don’t know if cold soaking it will produce satisfactory results, or if it is even safe.  Thoughts?  For clarity, I’m talking about the fine couscous that cold soaks in 15 minutes.

[Matthew / BPL]

Why wouldn’t it be safe?

[Matthew / BPL]

Cold soaking couscous works really well. I like the texture. I’ve never done it on trail but I’ve done it at work many times with chopped fresh greens.

[Terran Terran]

Unopened, it should all be sterile, but how are you storing the opened chicken broth?

[Matthew / BPL]

Boullion cubes would be lightweight. This stuff is decent. I keep it around our house as a backup. 

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Totally fine to do.

[DAN-Y]

[SIMULACRA]

Bad idea? No. Better ideas? Yes. Used to do this method with fresh cold creek water. Hydrates just fine within 10ish minutes. I’ve made my own curry mixes as well as the chicken broth packets Dan-Y illustrated. Those packets are definitely salty though. Don’t add extra salt unless. Moved on to heavier, but more satisfying and nourishing home made meals. YMMV.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Amazon sells similar packets of the liquid concentrate that are lower sodium FYI.

[David Thomas]

I’ve added dehydrated (just as light but much cheaper off Amazon than FD) spinach and/or green onions to such dishes for some more fiber and variety.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

David, you can get freeze-dried now on Amazon of most items. Thrive Life sells their secondary line on Amazon, which is Nutri Store. Augason Farms sells both FD and dehydrated as well, but I dind Nutri Store is far higher quality.

[Phong D]

Hi all!  OP here.  Yes, I have that exact mini packet of chicken broth off Amazon.  I don’t plan on storing it because I plan on using one packet per meal.  About half in the couscous, then maybe the other half in a rehydrated soup.

Thanks!  Just wanted to be sure it was safe.

[Brad W]

My wife started making this a few years ago. We keep a 1 qt mason jar in this fridge, half recipe with this. I bring about 2-5 tablespoons on every trip. It’s fantastic. I can just make a broth if I want something hot to sip, add it to tuna packets for flavor enhancement, put a couple tablespoons of the broth, a few tablespoons of dehydrated soup vegetables in a container, let it soak for 1-2 hours then heat it up, add meat of choice, etc. I really enjoy it. https://thelemonapron.com/faux-chicken-bouillon-powder/

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Btw, those packets of the boullion paste? They are 1 packet per cup of water. So use it all!

[Megan W]

Brad W, that recipe looks really good. I’m going to try it.

Cheers

[jscott]

dialogue from the movie Three Kings:

Archie Gates: Sit down. What do you see here?
Chief Elgin: Bunkers, sir.
Archie Gates: What’s in them?
Troy Barlow: Stuff they stole from Kuwait.
Archie Gates:  I’m talking about millions in Kuwaiti bullion.
Conrad Vig: You mean them little cubes you put in hot water to make soup?
Archie Gates: No, not the little cubes you put in hot water to make soup.

the moral is, don’t carry bullion when you meant to carry bouillon. Too heavy!  “My billions for a bouillon!” cries the rich hungry backpacker.

But seriously, a bouillon cube won’t go bad, is light, requires minimal packaging. Do they even exist anymore? I’m not sure.

[David D]

:) Nice one

Use bouillon, save us the big bummer [love that movie!]

[Brad W]

@Megan, it really is good. I add it to salads at home to boost the flavor. It’s incredible how mood boosting is sipping a warm cup of broth is on a cold day. 2 tablespoons per 8oz, give or take to your liking. Sprinkling a little into a tuna packet with some chili lime peanuts is also really tasty.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Yes, the cubes still exist. Top shelf in any grocery store, above the Tetra Paks of broth. Most are highly salty however.

[Bruce Darling]

1. I do this for 5-8 day ski tours. At home before the trip, I put couscous in 5 to 8 snack-sized zip lock bags, along with part of a boullion cube, olive oil, and sun-dried tomatoes. Each morning during the ski trip, I will add water to that day’s zip lock bag with the ingredients described above. By lunch time, it is ready to eat. I add olives right before I eat it and eat a foil packet of salmon along with the couscous. It makes for a lightweight and nutritious lunch.

[Author]

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