Red Lentil Dal Recipe for Dehydrating
Considerations for dehydrating your food:
Add low or no oil to the dish. Oil can cause the dehydrated food to become rancid and spoil it.
Cut all of the ingredients into small, consistent sizes. This helps them dehydrate and then rehydrate at a more similar rate.
Potency of flavour tends to be diminished during the dehydration process, so consider adding a bit of extra spice during the cooking process.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp water or olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic, diced
1 tbsp ginger, diced
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp curry powder
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cups water
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp coconut sugar (or equivalent)
Salt to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Add either 1 tbsp water or olive oil to a large pot and place on medium heat for two minutes. Add the onion. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the garlic and ginger to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the turmeric, coriander powder, cinnamon, and curry powder. Cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly.
Add the red lentils, can of diced tomatoes, 3 cups of water, can of coconut milk, and 2 tbsp sugar. Stir everything together. Bring pot to a boil and then turn down to low, cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the red lentils are cooked.
Season with salt to taste and remove from heat.
Please note: during the dehydration process, the flavours tend to lose intensity and become more subdued. If you try the dal and it tastes like the perfect amount of spice, consider adding more curry powder or a pinch of cayenne powder to compensate for the loss of flavour during the dehydration process.
Dehydrating Instructions:
Most consumer grade dehydrators should work for this process. I have one by Hamilton Beach. You can either use the tray liners that come with the dehydrator or parchment paper. I prefer using parchment paper, since it’s easier to remove the food once it’s been dehydrated.
Line all of your dehydrator trays.
Transfer the dal onto the tray using a spoon. Spread the dal out so that it is in a single layer. Eg. two pieces of tomato side by side instead of stacked on top of each other. You will start to get the feel for how thick of a layer your dehydrator can handle. I have had my food develop mold when the layer was too thick before, so keep that in mind.
Once the dehydrator is full, turn it on and set the temperature. I usually use 160F and set it for about 20 hours. Dal usually takes 12-18 hours to fully dehydrate on my dehydrator.
You may need to run the dehydrator twice if the entire pot of dal does not fit on the dehydrator trays. I usually put the leftover dal in the fridge and then transfer it onto the trays once the first round is fully dried and removed.
Run the dehydrator until the food is completely dry. When you touch each ingredient it should be firm and not squishy nor soft.
Weigh out each camp serving and store in a vacuum sealed bag or similar. Each serving should be 150-200g (5-7 ounces) of dried food. Although you may find a different weight works better for you.
Now you’re done! I usually find this recipe makes about 4-5 x 150g camp meals; however, the amount does vary. I hope you enjoy this tasty dal out in the backcountry! It is one of my absolute favourites!
Rehydrating Instructions:
Hot meal instructions:
Place your dehydrated food into your pot.
Cover your meal with water.
Bring water to a boil.
Turn off your stove and cover your pot.
Let sit for ~10 minutes.
Take off lid and enjoy!
Cold soak instructions:
Place your dehydrated meal in your designated cold soaking container a few hours before you want to eat it.
Pour water into container to cover meal.
Let sit for ~3-4 hours.
Enjoy!
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