Upgrading instant noodles

Common mistakes

• ×Using the whole flavour sachet – very salty
• ×Letting the egg set only briefly – still runny inside
• ×Carrying eggs uncooled over several warm days
• ×Stirring peanut butter into the group's soup without asking about allergies
• ×Too much water – the broth gets watery
• ×Leaving sachets and egg shells behind

Materials

• Instant noodles (with flavour sachet)

  Per person 1 pack (only half the flavour sachet)

  The flavour sachet contains a lot of salt – half is usually enough.

  Usually contain wheat (gluten); the sachet can contain celery, soy or fish.

• Clean drinking or treated water

  Per person about 400–500 ml, as on the pack

  Treat water from streams or lakes first – also for rinsing vegetables and beans.

  Carry enough for cooking, drinking and washing up.

• Fresh egg in an egg box(optional)

  Per person 1 egg – only on short trips, carried cool

  Only for short trips: carry cool and unbreakable, use the same day.

  Always cook egg right through until white and yolk are firm; wash your hands afterwards.

• Smoked or plain tofu (vacuum-packed)(optional)

  Instead of egg: per person about 50 g, diced

  Is a chilled product: only for short day trips with a cool bag, use up as soon as it is opened.

  Contains soy.

• Dried vegetables (soup mix, peas, carrots, leek)

  Per person 1 handful (about 10–15 g)

  Soup vegetable mixes often contain celery.

  Store dry and tightly closed.

• Peanut butter (no added sugar) or tahini(optional)

  Per person 1 tablespoon

  Peanuts and sesame are common, sometimes severe allergy triggers – ask who is eating first.

  A tube or tight tub so nothing leaks.

• Sesame seeds or sesame oil(optional)

  Per person 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds or a few drops of sesame oil

  Sesame is an allergen that must be declared.

• Stove

  Never operate inside a tent, shelter or enclosed room – carbon monoxide and fire risk.

• Stove fuel (canister, liquid fuel, alcohol)

  Store fuels apart from food and in original containers or bottles intended for them.

  Store cool, well ventilated and out of children's reach.

• Metal pot (stainless steel, aluminium, titanium)

  With lid, about 0.75–1 litre per person

  Hot – scalding risk.

• Bowl or large mug with spoon

  A mug to crack the egg into and a bowl to eat from

  Children eat from their own bowl – not straight from the hot pot.

• Long cooking spoon (wood or heat-resistant plastic)

  A long handle keeps your hand out of the hot steam.

Prerequisites

• ·Able to use the stove safely, or an adult helps
• ·A permitted, safe cooking spot outside
• ·Fresh egg or tofu only on a short trip with cool transport

Safety

• Only take eggs on short trips, cool and unbreakable. Crack it into a mug first and check: if it smells bad or the shell is dirty or cracked, do not use it. Leave the egg in the boiling soup until white and yolk are completely firm. Wash or sanitise your hands afterwards.
• The flavour sachet contains a lot of salt. The pack says how much salt a portion has. The WHO recommends that adults eat less than 5 g of salt a day in total, children even less. So use half the sachet first and add flavour with peanut butter, sesame or herbs. In great heat with heavy sweating a little more salt can make sense – still drink enough.
• Eat cooked food hot straight away. Do not leave leftovers without cooling for more than two hours – and never overnight in the lukewarm pot. Anything left over is heated until it is steaming hot all through before eating, or it is thrown away. Pack food and rubbish animal-proof at night.

How it works

Instant noodles are already pre-cooked and dried, which is why they are soft in three minutes. On their own they provide mainly carbohydrate and fat, but little protein and hardly any vegetables. An egg or tofu adds protein, dried vegetables add colour and fibre, and peanut butter or sesame make the broth creamy and filling. Because peanut butter and spices already give a lot of flavour, you need less of the salty sachet.

Background

Variants

Children's noodle soup

Only a third to a half of the flavour sachet, no chilli, but small peas and carrots from the dried vegetables. Break the noodles into small pieces in the pack before cooking so they can be eaten with a spoon.

Vegan

Tofu instead of egg, peanut butter or tahini for creaminess. Check whether the noodles and the sachet are vegan – some contain egg, fish or meat extract.

Without nuts and sesame

Instead of peanut butter and sesame, stir in a knob of butter or a spoonful of oil and dried herbs. With severe allergies only use products whose ingredient list you have read yourself.

Common mistakes

• ×Using the whole flavour sachet – very salty
• ×Letting the egg set only briefly – still runny inside
• ×Carrying eggs uncooled over several warm days
• ×Stirring peanut butter into the group's soup without asking about allergies
• ×Too much water – the broth gets watery
• ×Leaving sachets and egg shells behind

Limits and risks

• –No substitute for balanced meals on long trips
• –Salt needs with heavy sweating vary – no fixed recommendation
• –No figure for how long eggs keep without cooling – day trips only

Material alternatives

Derived from material properties: a substitute must have all relevant properties. Observe the notes on the substitute.

Stove fuel (canister, liquid fuel, alcohol)

Dry firewood (Collect only where permitted.), Tinder (Carry in waterproof packaging.), Char cloth (charred cotton) (Store dry in a tin.), Finest-grade steel wool (Store separately from batteries – fire risk.), Fatwood (resin-rich wood) (Collect only dead wood where permitted.), Petroleum jelly cotton balls (Use only pure cotton.), Cooking oil or cooking fat (tallow, lard) (Never put out burning fat with water – cover it with a lid to smother it.), Tree resin (spruce, pine) (Resin is flammable and sticks to the skin when hot – melt it only slowly over low heat.), Birch bark (from dead, fallen wood) (Never peel from living trees.)

Metal pot (stainless steel, aluminium, titanium)

Single-wall stainless steel bottle (Heat only single-wall bottles without paint/plastic; remove the lid before heating.)

Results come exclusively from structured entries. No improvised instructions are generated.