Hello everyone. I'm Tsukui from WAITER-U, a cafe in Shimokitazawa that's like a campsite. Today, I'm going to share some great ways to solve common problems you face when cooking outdoors.
You dream of cooking while camping, don't you? But when you just wing it, isn't it often quite difficult with unfamiliar equipment and surroundings? So, today, I'd like to suggest cooking one meal at home using your usual camping gear before you go camping.
There's all sorts of camping gear, isn't there? Kettles, mess tins, skillets... I'm the type of person who does everything with a mess tin. Some of you might be wondering what a mess tin is. A mess tin is, simply put, a rice cooker. Originally, the item released by the Swedish company Trangia was apparently called a "mess tin," but recently, cheaper versions have come out from places like Daiso, and of course, the original Trangia mess tin is always available at camping stores.
A mess tin was originally meant for cooking rice, but for example, if you turn the lid upside down and place a burner with a trivet underneath, you can use it as a makeshift frying pan. It's also great for steamed dishes and stews. It's truly an all-purpose cooking utensil that can do anything.
However, if you suddenly try to make a recipe you saw online or on YouTube for the first time while camping, a lot of unexpected things can happen when camping, so it often doesn't go well. That's how it was for me. So, I recommend trying to make a simple snack for dinner using only a mess tin, perhaps on a weeknight. If you do that, cooking during your actual camping trip will go surprisingly smoothly.
So, how exactly do you use it? What's recommended to make? Those are the questions, aren't they? I'll introduce two mess tin recipes that I often make.
Recipe 1: Easy Cheese Fondue
First up is cheese fondue. That said, it's not the authentic kind where you melt Emmental cheese and eat it with baguette, but rather an easy "cheese fondue-style" recipe that's relatively simple to make.
What you need is Camembert cheese from brands like Yukijirushi. The key is to buy the type of Camembert cheese that's wrapped in paper and you cut yourself, not the pre-cut kind.
Line the mess tin with aluminum foil and place the Camembert cheese inside. Make a cross-cut on top of the Camembert cheese and wrap it in aluminum foil. This way, when it's done, the top of the cheese will melt, creating a wider opening for dipping.
Then, add anything that would be delicious to dip in cheese, such as sausages like Schau Essen, asparagus, baby corn, green beans, etc. Fill the mess tin with water up to about 5mm from the bottom.
Close the lid of the mess tin and put it on the heat. If using solid fuel, cook until the 14g piece burns out. If using a CB can burner, the heat is strong, so it will be ready in about 2-3 minutes, or 5 minutes at most. The cheese inside will melt, and the vegetables and sausages you put in with it will be perfectly cooked, making a great snack. Since you just throw everything into the mess tin and it's ready in 5 minutes, it's really easy. Please give it a try.
Recipe 2: Mentaiko Takana Rice
The second dish is Mentaiko Takana Rice, a very satisfying meal that counts as one serving of rice. This is also easy and I make it often. When cooking rice in a mess tin, you absolutely must soak the rice. When going camping, it's recommended to use rinse-free rice as much as possible to save the effort of washing rice.
Put 1 go (approx. 180ml) of rinse-free rice in the mess tin and soak it for about 30 minutes. This will make the rice fluffy and delicious. If you soak the rice before doing chores like washing dishes when you get home, you'll be ready to start cooking in 30 minutes. When you go camping, if you set up just the table and soak the rice before starting other tasks like setting up the tent, cooking later will go smoothly.
After soaking for 30 minutes, add 330cc of water for 1 go of rice. Some mess tins have the water amount for 1 go written on them, so check that. Most recipes usually say about 200cc of water for 1 go, but in my experience, 200cc often leaves the rice a bit undercooked, so I recommend a slightly larger amount of about 330cc.
After adding water, add enough takana (pickled mustard greens) to cover the rice, and finally, place one mentaiko (spicy cod roe) in the middle. Then, just put it on the heat. If using a CB can burner, cook for 10 minutes. If using solid fuel (14g), cook until the flame goes out (about 14 minutes). Steam will come out from the gap in the lid, which is a sign that the rice is cooked.
Once removed from the heat, wrap it in a towel and let it steam for about 10 minutes. This ensures that the heat is distributed evenly throughout the rice, making it delicious. Just before eating, add about two pieces of pre-cut butter and let it melt as you enjoy it. This is also really easy and delicious, so please try making it.
This recipe can be made perfectly fine on your home stove, not just with a camping burner. Please try it out on a weeknight, for example, and enjoy smooth cooking during your actual camping trip.
Today, I introduced two easy camping meal recipes made with a mess tin. In this program, we will continue to provide information for beginners and those who are thinking about going camping, to make camping more enjoyable and to alleviate any worries about camping. See you next time!
