Lamb Couscous Pilaf
This dish is seasoned with Garam Masala, a spice blend popular in India and Pakistan. As a blend, Garam Masala varies somewhat from maker to maker. The basic formula includes cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Some brands also include red pepper. Most varieties of wheat pasta don’t cook well above 9000 feet altitude. Couscous in an exception to this rule.
- 2/3 pound Ground Lamb
- 1 cup Couscous
- ½ cup freeze-dried Green Peas
- ¼ cup diced Dried Apricots
- ¼ cup Zante Currants
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Onion Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Dried Garlic Flakes
- 2½ teaspoons Garam Masala spice mixture
- ¼ teaspoon Saffron, tightly packed
- 1½ teaspoons Salt
- ¼ cup shelled Almonds
- ¼ cup unsalted shelled Pistachios
- ½ pound Dried Figs
At home
The first step in dehydrating the Ground Lamb is to cook it. Animal fat is far more perishable than vegetable fat, so unless it’s vacuum sealed, dehydrated meat will only keep for about 2 weeks without refrigeration. With vacuum sealing this is extended to about 6 weeks. I use the FoodSaver for vacuum sealing my food. We will be taking special steps to remove as much fat as possible from the meat in order to minimize this problem. It’s important to use the lowest fat meat you can get, both for longer shelf life and for quicker reconstitution. Greasy dried meat doesn’t like to soak up water.
We will cook the Ground Lamb in a vegetable steamer rather than frying it, so that it won’t be sitting in its own grease at any time. In order for it to dry evenly, all the pieces should be of similar size. So rather than crumbling it, roll it into little 1/3 inch meat balls. Place these in the steamer and steam for about 10 minutes. Once the meat has cooled, blot it with paper towels to remove any remaining grease.
Spread out the cooked meat on the dehydrator tray without the pieces overlapping. Set the temperature at 145° Fahrenheit for the whole drying time. The meat will be hard like dog kibble when it’s done. This usually doesn’t take more than 4 hours. Package the Ground Lamb in its own bag, preferably using a vacuum sealer.
Some health food grocery stores sell freeze-dried green peas in 1 pint tubs for a lot less than you’d pay for foil pouches at the backpacking store. Package the Green Peas, Dried Apricots, Zante Currants, Dried Onion Flakes, and Dried Garlic Flakes in the same Zip-Loc bag. Put the Garam Masala, Saffron, and Salt in a suitable small container. Roast the Almonds for about 10 minutes in a 350° Fahrenheit oven. The same goes for the Pistachios if they’re not already roasted. Once cool, package the nuts together in a small bag.
In camp
Put the Ground Lamb in a 500 ml Nalgene Lexan jar and pour in enough boiling water to cover it. Leave to soak for one hour. The Lexan jar is heat resistant and watertight, so you might want to break out your stove during your lunch stop and start the Ground Lamb soaking then. After the Lamb has finished soaking, put it in the cooking pot and add more water to cover, if needed, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Pour the excess liquid off the lamb into a measuring cup, top up to 2½ cups with water, and pour back into pot. Add Green Peas, Dried Apricots, Zante Currants, Dried Onion Flakes and Spices to the pot and bring to a boil. Remove from stove, add the Couscous and stir well. Cover the Couscous and let it sit for 10–15 minutes. Once the liquid is absorbed, stir in the Almonds and Pistachio Nuts. Dinner is now ready to serve. The Figs are for dessert.
| Total calories: 2345 | ||||
| Fat grams | Carb grams | Protein grams | Fiber grams | Sugar Grams |
| 76 | 359 | 102 | 47 | 163 |
| Fat calories | Carb calories | Protein calories | Sugar ÷ Carbs | |
| 663 | 1090 | 331 | 52% | |
| Percentage of total calories | ||||
| 29% | 54% | 17% | ||
Nutritional values for Lamb Couscous Pilaf and Figs
If you want to make any changes to this menu, I suggest you download it as an Excel spreadsheet so you can recalculate the nutritional values.