Camp Stove Recipe: Chickpea Curry

This Camp Stove Recipe for camping features vegan Chickpea Curry (or Chana Masala).  It’s ready, start to finish, in about 20 minutes, and will leave you feeling full + satisfied.

Camp Stove Recipe: Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry)

A few months back, the husband started gushing about nature.  That’s right, he wanted to go camping.  To be more specific, he wanted to go on an epic, multi-week, national park-hopping, cross-country hiking and camping trip.

While I admitted that this sounded amazing (and exhausting), I had never been camping before.  Ever.  That’s right– he was taking this city-diva into the wilderness.

To be honest, I wasn’t incredibly worried about sleeping in a tent, or showering in a bath-house, or getting a little dirty.  My main worry was, you guessed it– the food!

I assumed (correctly, I might add), that a lot of the national parks are fairly isolated, with limited restaurant access.  We decided, of course, to go anyway and make it work.  What followed was a whirl of food planning, trip planning, and then eighteen days of driving, hiking, and delicious campground cooking.

This Camp Stove Recipe was one of my favorite campground meals, because it is FAST and delicious.  It’s ready, start to finish, in about 20 minutes, and will leave you feeling full and satisfied.  None of the ingredients for this chickpea curry need to be refrigerated, so if you’re planning on hiking all day, you don’t need to find a way to keep anything cold while you’re gone.

Camp Stove Recipe: Cooking Curry

To start with, gather all the ingredients and equipment before you leave for your camping adventure.  For this Camp Stove Recipe, Chana Masala,  you’ll need a camping cook-stove, a cast iron or stainless steel skillet, a small metal turner or spatula, a saucepan with a lid (for the rice), a measuring cup (for the rice), a cutting board, a knife, and then bowls and spoons (or plates and forks) to eat it all with.

You’ll also need some pre-mixed tandoori masala spices (I like the tandoori masala spice mix from Whole Foods), garlic powder,  olive oil, canned chickpeas, canned fire roasted tomatoes, and an onion.  Bring along some instant rice to serve with the curry.  You could, of course, bring jasmine or basmati rice instead, but instant rice will be much faster and simpler.

Chana Masala

Camp Stove Recipe: Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry)

To prepare the curry, set up the camp stove, and go ahead and start boiling the water for your rice.  While the water heats up, sauté the onions and spices in the skillet, then add the garlic and tomatoes.  Let the tomatoes cook for about five minutes, and then add the chickpeas (liquid and all).

Let the whole thing simmer for a few minutes, and the liquid will cook down.  Finish the rice while your curry is cooking.  Make sure to add some more garlic powder and salt to your rice– Instant rice is not incredibly flavorful.  Finally, scoop rice and curry into bowls, and dig in.

Need more help?  Check out these Camping Recipes for a Happy Glamper for tips on making campground cooking easier and more recipe ideas!

5 from 2 votes

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Camp Stove Recipe: Chickpea Curry

This Camp Stove Recipe features vegan Chickpea Curry (or Chana Masala) and is FAST.  It's ready, start to finish, in about 20 minutes, and will leave you feeling full + satisfied

Serves 2 as main dish, 4 as side dish

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 307 kcal

Author Champagne Tastes

Ingredients

• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to season rice
• 1 TB tandoori masala spice mix
• 1/2 TB garlic powder, plus more to season rice
• 1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas (also labeled garbanzo beans)
• 2 cups instant white rice

Equipment Needed:

• camp-stove with propane
• cast iron or stainless steel skillet
• small metal turner or spatula
• saucepan with lid (for rice)
• measuring cup (for rice)
• cutting board
• knife
• can opener (if cans aren't pop-top)
• bowls or plates
• spoons or forks

Instructions

1. Prepare camp stove with propane tank.

2. Begin boiling water for rice, and cook according to package directions. Season rice to taste with salt and garlic powder.

3. Set flame to medium, and heat olive oil until it begins to ripple. Add diced onion, salt, and spice mix. 

4. Sauté onions for 2-3 minutes, until they soften and become translucent. Lower flame slightly, add garlic powder and fire roasted tomatoes, and cook 4-5 minutes. 

5. Add chickpeas (add the entire can- don't strain the liquid), and cook over a medium flame until the liquid reduces and thickens (2-3 minutes).

6. Serve chickpea curry over rice.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts

Camp Stove Recipe: Chickpea Curry

Amount Per Serving

Calories 307 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6g 9%

Sodium 884mg 37%

Potassium 258mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates 54g 18%

Dietary Fiber 6g 24%

Sugars 1g

Protein 9g 18%

Vitamin A 17.1%

Vitamin C 2.5%

Calcium 5.7%

Iron 25%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.