Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > All Miscellaneous questions > Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else
Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else This is an opportunity to ask any question, and post any notice you wish that doesn't fit into one of the other sections.
Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #31  
Old 31 Jan 2008
lorraine's Avatar
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Definitely Nomadic
Posts: 523
And so I guess you then don't have to add salt??? ;-)
Thanks!
Lorraine
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Old 31 Jan 2008
mattcbf600's Avatar
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: London, England
Posts: 706
so did some rice last night to see what I did, and what my wife did differently... turns out I put the rice on the small ring on a very low heat so it's just bubbling very lightly, and she puts it on the big ring full blast... her rice gloopy and sticky, mine light and fluffy... no rinsing involved! Success.

Mine takes about 20 mins, hers 5.

We just have rice for the next two nights.

Anyway - what's the point in this convo? Next trip I'm doing it Victorian style and taking a full silver service set and a cook.

m
__________________
------------------
http://thelondonbiker.com/blog

Watch some of my camp cooking videos

AIM: mattcashmore
SKYPE: matthewcashmore
MSN: matthew@matthewcashmore.com
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Old 31 Jan 2008
lorraine's Avatar
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Definitely Nomadic
Posts: 523
Ah-ha! Matt doesn't rinse! I've long suspected the rinsing is all a farse. And the times I have had rice success, it hasn't seemed to make much difference between rinsing or not. Interesting not everyone is doing the Holy Grail of measuring 1:2. So, it's all as I've long suspected—you either have a knack for rice making, or you don't. A bit like gravy-making...and no, I'm not suggesting debating that one!
Lorraine
Reply With Quote
  #34  
Old 31 Jan 2008
*Touring Ted*'s Avatar
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Wirral, England.
Posts: 5,670
In a perfect road kill scenario, you would also be supplied with desert, As seen here: http://therapysessions.blogspot.com/ShowLetter.jpg (Do not click if squemish. You have been warned)

As for my recipes, i find salami and cheese in bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner keeps me going. Obviously followed by a litre or 2 of Quilmes.
__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Old 31 Jan 2008
Nigel Marx's Avatar
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Posts: 798
Thumbs up Rice and stir-fry

My rice cooking method doesn't involve rinsing. I can't see any difference when I cook rice, if it's rinsed or not. I use the 2:1 ratio thing, lowest heat that will still boil and use the tip of a spoon or fork handle to feel when it's started to stick just a little bit to the bottom of the pan. Just push down to the bottom, not stirring and scrape a millimetre or two. You have a minute or two leeway about when to take it off, if the heat is low enough, and then it's still easy to clean the pot.

Set aside at that point with a lid on and, unless it's a screaming cold wind blowing, you then have enough time for the stir-fry meat and vege to be cooked and it will still be hot.

It's a quick meal really. Set up kitchen, get rice cooking, cut up meat and vege, take off cooked rice and cook stir-fry, eating in under 25 minutes from stopping. Rice goes into the pan with the stir-fry to be eaten and you only have two pots and a fork to clean.

I agree with the sesame oil tip from earlier. That and chilli paste, garlic and onions are the first things that go in my traveling kitchen. Hey! Now there's a good idea for a workshop at the up-coming New Zealand HU Mini-Meeting.

Regards

Nigel in NZ
__________________
The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription
Reply With Quote
  #36  
Old 5 Feb 2008
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: GENT Belgium
Posts: 503
Red face Cooking

Thanks to everyone for all the great ideas.... but regarding rice, I like the idea of boil in a bag!!! 5 minutes no mess ..... LOL

I should try adding stock cubes, I wonder if that works …

I tried the other day making potato cakes, grate potato, onion, squeeze in a towel to remove the fluid, add egg, cheese spices what ever is handy and fry until golden brown ….

Eeerrrm, I had to eat 3 whilst the wife would only eat one….

Conclusion, made hell of a mess, burnt all cooking equipment …. Only worth doing again if you’re dying of starvation and only have potato’s, onions and a dozen new tea towels !!!

Does anyone know of a pan stacking system (rice ot one, veg pot two etc) I could use with the trangia !! I've seen something but its only for carrying food, not cooking it ...



Salut Matt
Reply With Quote
  #37  
Old 5 Feb 2008
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Staffordshire. uk
Posts: 766
Lorraine, impasto is talking about making "damper" which is made simply from self raising flour, a pinch of salt and enough water to make the dough. It's so simple and tastes sooo good I must remember to make some next time I'm away. They would be great done over a B-B-Q. You could try adding nuts and raisins to the dough as well or spreading "nutella" on them afterwards.

Bugger, now I've got to make some, I'm drooling.

As for the rice thing I use good ole Uncle Bens boil-in-the-bag when I'm camping if I can find it. Stick it in boiling water for 10 minutes and you drain it in the bag. What do others do about draining the water off afterwards as I think this makes a lot of difference. You really need a propper sieve.

Last edited by Flyingdoctor; 5 Feb 2008 at 13:54.
Reply With Quote
  #38  
Old 5 Feb 2008
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: England
Posts: 277
'self raising flour, a pinch of salt and enough water to make the dough. It's so simple and tastes sooo good I must remember to make some next time I'm away.'

Mmm, good call.

Simple bread is such a nice morale booster.

My easy recipe for (unlevened) bread.

14 tablespoons of plain flour.
1/3 pint of Milk (or water will do)
1 teaspoon baking powder.
1 teaspoon salt.

Throw it all together, knead it till stretchy and silky, then throw it in tin foil and get it on that fire! That is easily enough for two people to feel full.

Or alternatively, flour the bottom of a pan, flatten your dough out and throw it in there, and drizzle oil on, then top with cheese/tomatoes/anything else you fancy, stick the lid on your pan and cook. Wait until the cheese bubbles. Hey presto, a beautifully crispy baked pizza. Even better, the bread stops gloop getting on the bottom of your pan, so just have to wipe it clean!

Happy Riding

Joel
Reply With Quote
  #39  
Old 5 Feb 2008
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 184
I notice there's alot of talk of "boil in the bag" rice........

Now STH American veteran please correct me if I'm wrong but; What is the chance of finding boil-in-the bag rice in the back of beyond?
__________________
'99 R1100GS - In a suitable shade of black

It's not that life is so short, It's just that we're dead for so long....
"The world is a book, those who do not travel read only one page." ~ Saint Augustin
Reply With Quote
  #40  
Old 5 Feb 2008
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Southampton
Posts: 671
Sieves

Collapsible Colanders - Lakeland, the home of creative kitchenware

or

Trangia multi-disk
__________________
Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009
Reply With Quote
  #41  
Old 5 Feb 2008
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,598
Ok, just a few pointers

the slow cook method in which teh rice absorbes all teh water. ensure a low heat, and instead of water use one of those small one person clear dry packet soups to flavour the water.

problem with rinsing is you get the rice wet, true you remove the dry rice dust which tends to jellyfy, but the wet rice starts to get glutinous. To fast boil you need -lots- of water and throw the rice in dry. either way do not stir. let the water do the work.

Bread : I quite like 'Chapatties' for savoury use. you can make wholewheat ones which are my favourites. if so mix enough water to get a stretchy dough. Then keep it for several hours either wrapped in clingfilm or wiped with oil to prevent evaporation. this is needed to make the husk parts of the wholemeal flour soft. You can use white flour, (preferably self raising without the wait). in each case add about half a teaspoon full of salt to teh water. You can cook it in any pan, just dry fry them. The pan or plate of metal needs to be hot. you can also use a flattish rock, just lie it in a fire for a while to heat up. The dessert arabs use a huge wok upside down over dying embers of a fire. That way the heat collects. When cooked rub them in butter ( or oil) lightly, then stack them as each is done in a warm place ( ideally wrapped in towelling or similar) for 10 to 30 minutes, this will help them to soften and continue cooking. Use pieces of them as eating utensil for your food or chopped or torn into pieces as a crude pasta.
You can flavour a tin of beans or other food by adding a teaspoonful of curry powder. or mix your own. a suggested start is equal volumes coriander, cumin and ginger ( all ground) half a measure of tumeric. and to heat it up a quarter measure of ground chilly. Vary that to suit your own taste.
Note, try to eat yoghourt whenever you eat beans/pulses. it helps your bodys' digestion and its ability to obtain protein from teh food.

Last edited by oldbmw; 5 Feb 2008 at 23:35. Reason: spelling/typo
Reply With Quote
  #42  
Old 6 Feb 2008
quastdog's Avatar
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Chiangmai, Thailand
Posts: 509
I can't believe that there's no discussion about what type of rice to use. There's all kinds of rice - some make sticky rice, some make light and fluffy rice, some make bad rice, some make yummy rice. You can't just pick any old bag from the dozen or more varieties sold in the store and make the same rice with all of them.

How do you know which one to buy?
__________________
quastdog
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Reply With Quote
  #43  
Old 6 Feb 2008
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Staffordshire. uk
Posts: 766
Quastdog you're absolutely right. I prefer Indian Basmati. I buy it in 10Kg bags for £8 from Lidl's. But I'll use Uncle Ben's American long grain for convenience when camping. I've had to buy fast cook rice on occasion but I always end up throwing it away it's awful stuff.
Reply With Quote
  #44  
Old 7 Feb 2008
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,598
Quote:
Originally Posted by quastdog View Post
I can't believe that there's no discussion about what type of rice to use. There's all kinds of rice - some make sticky rice, some make light and fluffy rice, some make bad rice, some make yummy rice. You can't just pick any old bag from the dozen or more varieties sold in the store and make the same rice with all of them.

How do you know which one to buy?
long grain rice if you want the grains to stay separate short grains for a sticky lump.
Reply With Quote
  #45  
Old 7 Feb 2008
mattcbf600's Avatar
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: London, England
Posts: 706
Just tried some very basic bread - using my spork as a measuring tool - 4 heaped spoons of self raising flour and about a 1/4 cup of water, kneaded and mixed in the large trangia pan until dough... then kneaded into a flat bread and cooked (with a little olive oil) on a low heat for 10 mins....

Tasted delicious and is going to be made on the road many times I can tell..... add jam for a sweat and eat with your rice and salami for the main... will try it again tomorrow and see what happens when you mix small chunks of meat to the mix prior to cooking.

m
__________________
------------------
http://thelondonbiker.com/blog

Watch some of my camp cooking videos

AIM: mattcashmore
SKYPE: matthewcashmore
MSN: matthew@matthewcashmore.com
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 4 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 4 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Round road trip from Pakistan to London Switzerland khurramkhan Route Planning 3 13 Apr 2010 08:48
Round road trip khurramkhan Travellers' Advisories, Safety and Security on the Road 4 7 Mar 2008 20:05
Road Report I: Mexico fencermatt Central America and Mexico 2 23 Oct 2007 23:59
Chita to Khabarovsk route description Chris Scott Northern and Central Asia 3 23 Feb 2005 18:13
djibouti - eritrea miles murray sub-Saharan Africa 3 13 Jan 2005 19:56

 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now
, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

ALL Dates subject to change.

2024:

  • California: April 18-21
  • Virginia: April 25-28
  • Germany Summer: May 9-12
  • Québec: May 17-19
  • Bulgaria Mini: July 5-7
  • CanWest: July 11-14
  • Switzerland: August 15-18
  • Ecuador: August 23-25
  • Romania: August 30-Sept 1
  • Austria: September 12-15
  • France: September 20-22
  • Germany Autumn: Oct 31-Nov 3

2025 Confirmed Events:

  • Virginia: April 24-27 2025
  • Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
  • Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
  • CanWest: July 10-13 2025
  • Switzerland: Date TBC
  • Ecuador: Date TBC
  • Romania: Date TBC
  • Austria: Sept. 11-15
  • California: September 18-21
  • France: September 19-21 2025
  • Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2 2025

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

Adventurous Bikers – We've got all your Hygiene & Protection needs SORTED! Powdered Hair & Body Wash, Moisturising Cream Insect Repellent, and Moisturising Cream Sunscreen SPF50. ESSENTIAL | CONVENIENT | FUNCTIONAL.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.




All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:30.