Recipes — gondirtin - Outdoor Cooking, Overlanding, & Camping

Dalat style Vietnamese Pork Meatballs, Xíu Mại Da Lat

Nestled amidst the lush plateaus and misty mountains of Vietnam, the charming city of Dalat unveils a tapestry of beauty that captivates the senses. Known as the "City of Eternal Spring," Dalat is a hidden gem beloved by travelers seeking tranquility, breathtaking landscapes, and, of course, gastronomic wonders. During the French occupation of Vietnam, French citizen would often flock to the cooler temperatures of the mountainous region of Dalat to as a get-away from the usual hot and humid climate of the cities and jungle below. This is the reason many buildings look French and have that small French town vibe.

porkgondirtinOctober 5, 2023vietnamese food, viet cooking, vietnamese camping food, vietnamese cooking, viet foodComment

Bánh Xèo at Camp, Savory Crispy Vietnamese Turmeric Crepes

Whenever I introduce people to Vietnamese food, I always tell them that a majority of Vietnamese food is basically a cooked something that turns into a salad wrap. Anything that’s typically fried are traditionally enjoyed by wrapping said fried thing into a piece of lettuce, herbs, and dipped in nước chấm, or a sweet fish sauce based dipping sauce. The Vietnamese love the yin and yang play of textures, and flavors. If there’s something fried, it has to be accompanied by something fresh. This style of cuisine keeps the person eating from getting overly fatigued from eating the same dish.

vegetarian, seafood, porkgondirtinSeptember 28, 2023vietnamese food, viet cooking, vietnamese camping food, vietnamese cookingComment

CAMP RECIPE: Japanese Taco Rice (Okinawa Taco Rice)

I find that I have this strange attraction towards foreign occupation food. It hits all the spots; resourceful, soulful, and extremely delicious. Okinawa taco rice is one of those dishes. This dish originated from the American occupation of Japan after World War 2. The small island of Okinawa flooded with an influx of US military bases, and with it, American soldiers. These Americans weren’t used to the taste of Japanese food like we are today. Instead, they craved the taste of home. And for many of these soldiers, it was Mexican food. Local restaurant owners wanted to capitalize on this food vacuum and thus, taco rice was born.

beefgondirtinJanuary 16, 2023japanese food, japanese camping recipe, japanese camping foodComment

Vietnamese Inspired Breakfast Frittata

Frittatas can be a very same-same affair. Everyone loves the frittata camp breakfast staple of bacon, potatoes, and cheese. It’s easy to quickly put together with minimal dishes to wash, and because, well, it's simply delicious. But every so often, an injection of something different goes a long way.

The Vietnamese have a steamed egg dish called chả trứng hấp that is enjoyed with rice.

This is my take combining that humble Viet dish and the frittata.

pork, vegetariangondirtinDecember 16, 2022vietnamese food, viet cooking, vietnamese camping food, vietnamese cookingComment

CAMP RECIPE: Korean BBQ Bulgogi Tacos

Bulgogi, traditionally enjoyed with rice or as lettuce wraps, is to Koreans what phở is to the Vietnamese, matzo ball soup to the Jewish, the taco is to the Mexicans, and spaghetti and meatballs are to Italian-Americans. It’s the single Korean dish that has transcended far beyond its humble, and also some royal roots. Everyone has their own rendition of this sweet and savory meat dish, there’s no single “this is it” recipe. It’s even been popularized by Korean-American chef and restaurateur, Roy Choi, when he opened up the Kogi BBQ Taco truck in Los Angeles where he combined the City of Angel’s two favorite foods, Mexican and Korean, together into a taco. And now, you too can enjoy this unique blend of cultures at camp.

beefgondirtinJuly 30, 2022korean food, korean camping food, camp cooking, camping food, camp foodComment

EASY CAMP RECIPE: Vietnamese Chicken Salad, Gỏi Gà

Good salads should never be hard find. But its increasingly becoming more and more difficult to find a salad at any fast casual restaurant that isn’t at some ridiculous price for a few leaves, a few nuts, a protein, and dressing. I should never have to chose between being able to get two hamburgers for the price of one salad. The current meteoric rise of inflation hasn’t helped. Because of the Great Salad Dilemma™, we tend to make our own salads at home and at camp.

EASY CAMP RECIPE: Vietnamese Chicken Rice Porridge, Cháo Gà

Few things hit harder than a bowl of hot soup at a chilly camp night. A bowl of chili is fine. But it doesn’t get the body temperature up. Chili is a hot dish that is best enjoyed when its much cooler to make it much more shovel-able (the act of taking a spoon of food to shove into your mouth without worry of burning your whole mouth). Asians LOVE soups that take time tested techniques to enjoy when they’re face melting-ly hot. You know, soups that are so hot that they fog up your glasses as you go into for a bite. That’s the kind of hot soups we’re talking about here.

CAMP RECIPE: Korean BBQ PIZZA

Pizza at camp? Yes you can. With the portable and versatile pizza ovens out there these days, you can easily transport one to the campsite. And with some smart prep at home, assembling and baking up that pie in the open air is a breeze.

beefgondirtinJune 29, 2022korean food, korean camping food, camping food, camp cooking, camp cookComment

Vietnamese Seared Tuna Salad with Tomatillo Fish Sauce Dressing, Gỏi Cá Ngừ, at Camp

On our month long trip in Baja, improvisation was key. We couldn’t depend on our usual “things to buy” whenever we’re in the States. We were at the whim of what the markets had to offer. We lived the gentrified millennial dream: eating locally and seasonally. We travel with a fairly wide selection of spices and seasoning so we can whip together basically anything we want. We can throw together American, Indian, Korean, Mexican, or Vietnamese pretty easily. This salad was inspired a traditional Vietnamese chicken salad, gỏi ga, then fused with our love of grill seafood from the streets of Vietnam.

Backpacking Friendly KOREAN ARMY STEW, Budae Jigae

Long days on the trail should always be rewarded with a good, hot meal. Especially those days where it’s been the perfect hiking temperature —you know what I mean, those not to hot, not too sweaty, blue sky days. But as soon as the sun starts dipping, it gets a bit chilly. Nothing hits that chilly spot harder than a noodle soup. Not many noodle soups touch the inner soul as like budae jjigae, Korean army stew.

pork, vegetariangondirtinJanuary 31, 2022korean food, korean camping food, camp cooking, camping foodComment

Backpacking friendly Apple Cider Chai: It Ain't FALL Camping Without THIS

Ordering a chai at a coffee shop usually amounts to about $5 of disappointment. They’re normally 98% milk with just barely a dash of spiced tea flavor. It’s actually very rare to order a chai that is actually a dark, robust, a punch of masala spices, milky, and sweet. Even actual Indian restaurants are just okay tea affairs. I’ve resorted to making chai’s at home thanks to Shruthi….

drinksgondirtinOctober 30, 2021fall camping, autumn camping, camp food, camp cooking, jetboilComment

Cold Camping Beverage: Backpacking friendly Mulled Wine

The leaves start changing color, the air get just a little crispier at night, and when the chill penetrates into your thin jacket a little deeper, you know it’s fall —it’s finally puffy time.

Just like how the pumpkin spice latte (PSL) is what coffee is for the fall season, mulled wine is what camping is for the fall season. It’s the PSL of chilly camping beverages.

And, let’s be real, PSLs are freaking delicious.

drinksgondirtinOctober 27, 2021fall camping, autumn camping, camp food, camp cookingComment

How to make TikTok BAKED FETA PASTA at CAMP

This dish has become a staple of ours when we’re on the traveling on the road. It’s incredibly simple to prep, ingredients are easy, and readily available at pretty much any grocery story, and well, its delicious. Contrary to the viral TikTok videos, you don’t need to bake this. Baking only double caramelizes the feta cheese and makes it “social media friendly”. I mean, who doesn’t like looking at some perfectly browned cheese?

Here’s my version of this (now) iconic dish and how, very easily, camp-ify it.

vegetariangondirtinAugust 8, 2021camp cooking, camp cook, camp food, camping foodComment

Camp Vietnamese Hot Pot, Lẩu Thái

Hot pot. It’s a phrase that is synonymous with parties, get togethers, celebrations, and good times for many people around the world. Ever wonder how to feed a bunch of people delicious food without breaking the bank? Hot pot is the answer. Growing up, the lẩu thái (thai-inspired) variant of Vietnamese hot pot, was the go-to dish for my mom to serve whenever we knew that the rest of the massive Nguyen clan was coming.

Camp Friendly Japanese Breakfast Raw Egg Over Rice, Tamago Kake Gohan

In western countries, breakfast has become the excuse for desserts first thing in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ALL about desserts —especially breakfast desserts. I thoroughly enjoy the early morning western staples of pancakes, waffles, french toast, yogurt, açai bowls, and, of course, the sugariest of sugared breakfast cereals like everyone else. But, if I can choose to enjoy these desserts during non-breakfast times, that’s makes enjoying those sweet delights even better…

Camp Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup, OXTAIL PHO!

Phở is the spaghetti of the Vietnam. It’s the country’s most known dish, the most talked about, and somehow translated extremely well to non-Vietnamese people when made the leap over the pond to western countries. And, like spaghetti, mom always makes it best. The next best thing while you’re traveling on the road? Make phở yourself and have a full on chill day at camp.

Camp Vietnamese Iced Coffee, Cà Phê Sữa Đá

It’s a well known fact that camping and coffee go hand-in-hand. The fact that we make the choice all leave our day-to-day grind to slow down and appreciate what’s around us for a few days, a week, a month, or indefinitely. That very cup filled with that black soul nourishing liquid is the exact catalyst for many of us to take a step back, breathe in a little deeper, and turn down the go-go-go clock.

One Pot Vegan White Bean Chili -- Camp Edition

Plant-based or vegetarian are phrases that could make some scrunch their nose. I am very guilty of this. Vegetarian, or healthy meals, are, from my experience, bland affairs with very little depth. The dishes that try to have some kind of identity are usually barely passable versions of extremely gentrified curries hailing from southeast asian countries….

Vietnamese Smoked French Dip

The most American I ever felt as an immigrant kid growing up in America was when I was 18 and I ordered my first French dip at Applebee’s. Nothing felt as far removed from home-cooked Vietnamese food than, to me, a decadent meat filled sandwich where you dip the whole contraption into its own juices. In those few moments of enjoying the sandwich, the feeling of being included and accepted as just another American kid, and not an immigrant kid with strange cultural traditions and stinky food, was incredibly powerful.

Easy Camp Korean Army Stew, Budae Jjigae

This is a meal for those lazy days at camp when you roll in late but need something that would hit the inner core of your being. Or, it’s for those colder nights when a sandwich just won’t do. It’s quick to put together, and quick to cook up.

Food has this crazy way of transporting you back instantly to a specific moment in time. Memories of the place you were at. Memories of the people with you. Memories of the flavors. Memories of the smells. Memories of your reaction to a first taste….

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