ADV Meal Essentials

After more than fourteen years on the road I still enjoy the challenges that feeding both of us entails. I love to wander through local markets and marvel at the exotic, intoxicating and often-unrecognizable ingredients. I adore the smell of the spices in the markets of Morocco and India, the variety and intense flavour of the meats in Argentina and, my favourite, the glorious markets and street food stalls of Asia.

Food is one of the greatest pleasures of travel. But why cook when you can enjoy the local foods and experience the culture of the country you are travelling through? There are times when food is scarce, when there are no markets, restaurants or food stalls. What do you do then?

 

I love to wander through local markets and marvel at the exotic,intoxicating and often-unrecognizable ingredients." Lisa Thomas

Foodstuffs To Carry With You

Over the years we've learnt wht to carry with us and which ingredients it's better to pick up fresh along the way. We try to keep a core of the the same basic elements with us wherever we travel in the world, which gives us the greatest level of flexibility and creativity when mixed with locally bought produce. Of course there may have to be a few substitutions when we’re unable to find exactly the items below. But luckily the majority in this list are easy to locate almost anywhere in the world. Below we've list our ADV Meal Essentials. If you have other ideas or ingredients that you can't live without when you travel, let us know in the comment section below.

Essential dried herbs that can add flavor to most meals:

With this small selection of spices and herbs you can make almost anything taste wonderful.

We carry our spice inside plastic film canisters. They're small, water-proof, dust proof and best of free from most retro camera stores.

1. Curry powder.
2. Mixed herbs.
3. Paprika.
4. Ginger.
5. Cayenne pepper.
6. Cinnamon.
7. Coriander seeds.
8. Dried chili.
9. Cumin.
10. Salt.
11. Pepper.

Off The Grid

Depending on how far 'off-grid' you decide to ride and explore will effect whether you can buy food or not. In the remote corners of the world like The Bolivian Altiplano (second highest plateau in the world), Africa's Sahara Desert or Brazil's Amazon Jungle your going to have a tough time finding a 7-11 corner store. If the region your traveling through is sparsely populated then resources of any kind are going to be minimal simply because of a lack of humans. This is when carrying a carefully chosen selection of simple tinned food stuffs can literally be a life saver. Check out the list below to see what we carry as our go-to ADV bike pantry. You might be surprised but this simple selection can be turned into several delicious meals.

Tins of the small variety size:

• Spam.
• Tuna.
• Mixed vegetable.
• Corn.
• Mushroom.

 
Dry Produce:

• Spaghetti.
• Rice.
• Couscous.
• Powdered milk.
• Coffee.
• T-bags.
• Sugar/sweetener.
• Stock cubes (variety of possible of beef, chicken,
• vegetable and fish.
• Cornflour. An essential ingredient for thickening stews/soup/sauces.

 Packets:

• Soup packets.
• Taco/chili seasoning.
• Brown gravy
• Green curry paste.
• Rice seasoning.
• Dried peas.
• Raisins/sultanas/dates.
• Concentrated tomato puree.
• Carton of long-life cream.

• Worcestershire sauce (English sauce).
• Soy sauce.
• Olive oil – preferably extra virgin.
• Tabasco.
• Honey.
• Habanero sauce (or equivalent hot sauce).
• Sesame oil.
• Carton of long-life cream.

If you are unable to find small bottles make sure you decant into small plastic (leak-proof) containers.

Whenever we go to a café we make sure to take a few extra sachets of sugar/ sweeteners, tomato or mustard sauce away with us.

OK, that should keep you going for a while. Remember that this started list is designed to suit our taste, you're will be different, so feel free to mix and match teh spices and sauces section to make sure you have the ingredient that work for you.

Remember to share your photos and stories with us if you create something wonderful, weird or wild to eat on your travels.

DIRTY DINING 'An Adventurers Cookbook'

Need more meal ideas, tips, tricks and ideas for your next adventure? Make sure you check out my cook book DIRTY DINING 'An Adventurers Cookbook' or visit the

Dirty Dining Facebook page.