High Sierra Topix

Hi all,

I'm lucky to have many international markets close to my home, and I regularly scour them for backpacking ingredients. Awhile back I discovered freeze-dried Indian meals. And they're $3!

You know how good a warm, well-spiced meal feels in the backcountry: When I tasted this Dal Makhani, I nearly died of happiness. So I'm sharing my find with you; I just don't want any of you to suffer through any more rehydrated beans and weak-ass mac and cheese that you hoped would be easier to choke down.

I repacked the contents in freezer Ziplocs and added some freeze-dried spinach and broccoli. My husband also added freeze-dried chicken. Add boiling water, let sit, and assume all the other hikers within a five-mile radius are quaking with jealousy.

Other brands like Deep make similar meals—also worth trying—but I have a soft spot for Haldiram's Dal Makhani.

Cheers,
Mom

Those look awesomely tasty.
What are the markets you are finding these at? Ever looked for them on line?
Edited to answer my own question:
https://www.ishopindian.com/Haldriams-I ... til-Curry/

I can't tell if this is an incredibly stealthy ad, or a good recommendation. Either way, looks like a good alternative to the ramen & mashed potatoes I usually eat.

c9h13no3 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 20, 2023 11:31 am stealthy ad, or a good recommendation

She did an intro, so I figured the latter.

I don't work for them! I just enjoy the meals. Also this $4 coconut curry soup.

Cheers!

Soo...if you have a dehydrator, these meals are pretty trivial to make. In order to not infuse my nice silicone trays with the smell of Indian spices and the color of turmeric, just line them with parchment paper. After that, you can just use instant rice or if you are truly insane, dehydrate your own cooked rice.

Another general trick for Thai curries is the following: Many Thai curries call for cooking the paste with a little coconut milk and oil. Rather than do that on the trail, I do that step at home and take the rendered curry paste along. After that, powdered coconut milk, a little Nestle Nido and dehydrated canned chicken breast from Costco do wonders. The same trick works for most Thai soups.

Smart!

So I bought a few of these at my local Indian grocery ($3.99 each plus tax) and have some responses.

The good:
1. Flavor is great, very good curry for the trail.
2. Time is pretty quick, less than a lot of packaged trail meals.
3. Consistency with the pre-set water level comes out good. A lot of trail meals end up either soup or glue.


The don't care:
1. Thoughtfulness of the spoon and napkin being included is nice but doesn't factor in re: backpacking as I'd just dump the contents into a freezer bag.

The less good:
1. So, so, so much sodium! The rajma chawal has 2160mg of sodium and 450 calories. Across the meals I tried the salt is anywhere from the same to double the per calorie amount in most prepackaged trail meals.

The verdict:
Good to expand the variety of trail food. But definitely mix in other low salt items like freeze dried chicken or rice or noodles etc. to reduce the density of salt in the curry.

It's true about the salt. I add freeze-dried chicken, broccoli, and spinach, and usually extra water to thin it a little.

I tend to go for salty meals when backpacking and find many premade hiking meals undersalted (especially Good to Go; that was a rough trip). With the Indian meals I appreciate the low cost and the size, and the customization potential. Dunno why I even posted it on here in the first place; I guess I was just SUPER amped about backpacking food that day.

OldMomHiker wrote: ↑Fri May 09, 2025 6:44 pm It's true about the salt. I add freeze-dried chicken, broccoli, and spinach, and usually extra water to thin it a little.

I tend to go for salty meals when backpacking and find many premade hiking meals undersalted (especially Good to Go; that was a rough trip). With the Indian meals I appreciate the low cost and the size, and the customization potential. Dunno why I even posted it on here in the first place; I guess I was just SUPER amped about backpacking food that day.

Hey, I get it! That's what these forums are for, that super amped passion!