The one ingredient that revolutionised my DofE dinners
For dinners on DofE I always recommend using boil-in-a-bag meals: they’re quick to prepare, don’t need a plate or bowl, and taste great. However, over the course of my Bronze, Silver and Gold expeditions, I discovered one lightweight ingredient that will take your dinners to another level.
The one ingredient that revolutionises dinners on DofE are chilli flakes. They are incredibly lightweight, are easy to pack, and have a powerful impact on the flavour of a dish.
Why chilli flakes?
Two of my personal favourites boil-in-a-bag meals are chilli with rice and all-day breakfast, both by Wayfayrer. However on my expeditions, I still found that the flavours got a little repetitive, especially for the longer five-day Gold expedition.
So, I decided I wanted to come up with a way of vastly improving the flavour or boil-in-a-bag meal without having to bring pots of sauce or other bulky ingredients. I love spicy foods, and so the conclusion was chilli flakes.
The biggest benefit of chilli flakes is that they can be wrapped in a little cling film pouch weighing just several grams, which adds almost nothing to the weight of your pack. And yet, despite their insignificant weight, they pack a very significant flavour.
Which chilli flakes?
I used chilli flakes like these. To wrap them, I laid a roughly 20cm x 20cm square of cling film on a countertop and poured a small heap of flakes into the middle. Then I picked up all four corners of the square, twisted the chilli flakes at the bottom to create a seal, and voila! A perfectly packaged pinch of perfection.
What if I don’t like spicy food?
I’ll admit, if you don’t like spicy food then this little tip won’t revolutionise your dinners on DofE quite as much. But don’t worry — there is a few similar(ish) ingredients that you can use to add a hit of flavour to your already delicious boil-in-a-bag meals.
For those who aren’t such a fan of spicy food, I’d recommend bringing one or two spices (wrapped the same way as chilli flakes) which depend on the boil-in-a-bag meals you chosen.
Mint leaf powder complements lamb, fish and salad dishes and has a strong flavour to it
Oregano complements meat, especially with tomato sauce as well
Thyme is a good all-round addition that complements meats as well as vegetable-based meals