Camping food needs to be quick and simple, but it can still have a gourmet touch.
Here’s our recipe for a Moroccan-inspired chargrilled or barbecue meal that works with fish, chicken or, in this particular version, with aubergine steaks.
Use a camping stove, a barbecue or our favourite – a Cadac Safari Chef.
Moroccan aubergines with chargrilled broccoli
Ingredients (for two)
One large-ish aubergine
Olive oil
Lemon
Two small or one large clove of garlic
Chopped fresh chilli or chilli powder
Ground coriander and cumin, fresh coriander (optional)
Black pepper and salt
Flour (we use chickpea/gram)
- I haven’t given quantities for the spices/herbs, as it’s all a matter of taste. I’m pretty generous with them! Mix your spices with lemon juice and, a couple of tablespoons of oil.
- Slice your aubergine lengthwise into around six steaks. Marinate in the oil mix for as long as you can spare.
- Heat up the griddle on your Cadac or a frying pan on a camping stove. If you’re using a barbecue, use something on top of the bars or you’ll lose all the taste through the gaps. The reusable barbecue sheet shown here gives you a good cooking surface.
- Brush off the marinade and reserve (all you’ll get bitter garlic). Griddle the aubergine till starting to go tender, but don’t let it char or completely cook through.
- Put the part-cooked steaks back in the marinade for a little while and then dust with flour.
- Griddle again until completely cooked. Slightly overdone in our picture, but still delicious!
- Serve with rice, quinoa or bulgur wheat and the broccoli (below). We add sunflower seeds and sometimes a tin of lentils to our grain side-dishes, plus spices when we need a bit extra oomph. Some yoghurt or mayonnaise is nice on the side too.
For the chargrilled broccoli
A head of broccoli cut into small florets
Lemon juice
Garlic
Seasoning (try Tajin – limey, salty, delicious and goes with everything!)
- Boil or steam the broccoli until nearly tender, but still with some bite.
- Toss in seasonings, garlic, lemon/Tajin and a little oil.
- Griddle till charred.
Books
Camping cooking tips and veggie/vegan recipe books
If you like vegetable dishes with great flavour and a bit of flair, the books below are the ones we use the most.
Planted just happens to be vegan (though the chef-author isn’t). Veggiestan is middle-eastern and Vegan Street Food is Indian and south-east Asian cooking. Many of the recipes are too complicated and rich in ingredients for camping, but they’re very adaptable (and so are we!).
Have a look at our travelling spice ideas below.
Don’t forget your camping spice tin
Make yourself a neat camping box of herbs and spices and you’ll never have to rummage in your kitchen bag again.
If you’ve got a weigh-and-save or zero-waste shop near you, you can refill containers like these more cheaply and with less wasted packaging too. We all have our own essentials and favourites, so pick and mix to suit, but here’s what we always have:
Curry powder, Mixed herbs, Chilli powder, Cumin, Coriander, Chinese five spice, Garam masala, Whole spices (cardamom, star anise, cloves), Smoked paprika, Dried lime leaves, Sesame seeds
A masala dhaba is a great idea, providing it has airtight lids or a double outer lid.
Go for a neat set of magnetic tins.
Or simple stackable boxes with transparent lids so you don;’t have to open every box to check what’s inside.
This lovely German set of spice and herb tins has good lids and all the labels you need to keep things organised.