This is a great meal in the shoulder-seasons as it warms you up and the citrus from the lime offers fresh flavors and really enhances what might otherwise be a fairly mundane dish. Clean up is easy, too, as you only need one pot for this dish. This has become one of my preferred dishes for dry camps since the water required is minimal compared to most pasta or rice meals or freeze-dried dinners. It also offers options for tailoring it to your tastes, since the type of jerky you use can change things a bit – I prefer to go with Krave Chili Lime Jerky, which is on the spicier side of the spectrum.

If possible, you will want to use jerky that is already fairly tender although most jerky becomes supple after it’s added to the noodles and immersed in the boiling water.

Ingredients (Makes One Filling Serving)

• One box of A Taste of Thai Pad Thai Noodles
• 2.5 ounces jerky (Chef’s Cut or Krave recommended)
• Small avocado
• Cilantro and lime (optional)

At Home

Pack the contents of the Pad Thai noodle box and jerky. Bring along a small avocado, as close to ripe as possible if you plan to eat it on the first night or a bit more firm if you plan to wait a few days before preparing this meal. Cilantro and lime are great options to add more flavor to this dish. If bringing cilantro, I’ve found that it is best to place it in a small ziplock back and to not cut it prior to packing it.

At Camp

Pour contents of Pad Thai noodles into pot with 8 oz. of water. Bring to a boil. After three minutes, drop in jerky – shredding it with your fingers into smaller pieces as you drop it in. Boil for an additional minute or until noodles are soft. Cover and let sit for a few minutes until it is cool enough to eat. While it is covered, slice the avocado and lime. I typically add some lime juice, stir, then add the avocado slices and cilantro and add more lime juice on top. This seems to help spread the citrus taste throughout the ingredients.

Options

You can easily turn this into a filling vegetarian meal by skipping the jerky and using a larger avocado. For those looking for a dinner with more heat, adding diced jalapenos is a good option. A Taste of Thai Red Curry Noodles can also be used for those seeking an even spicier dish.

If you’re looking for an easy to cook meal that doesn’t use much water but is still savory, this is a great entree to keep in mind. The ingredients are stable for a few days into most trips, although the cilantro can sometimes start to fade after a few days depending on the climate.

Editor's Note: This recipe originally appeared in Issue 43 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.