Campfire Curry Ramen

Kaitlin totally outed me in her Pho Ramen post from a few weeks ago. We had planned to blog this campfire curry ramen recipe while camping in the woods of California’s Sequoia National Park, but I forgot the curry powder to make it. It was a devastating blow. Of course, we ended up with an off-the-cuff Pho Ramen creation (Kaitlin’s doing), which turned out to be brilliant in and of itself. No regrets on that one. But one couldn’t help feeling a sense of unfinished business. This campfire curry ramen is an heirloom recipe in our family, despite the fact that yes, it contains a packet of 33-cent instant noodles. It’s one of the clearest food memories from my childhood, and if you take a look at some of the old photos in the Pho Ramen post, you’ll see that 10-year old me and 8-year-old Kaitlin are slurping away at this very dish. This curry ramen recipe was invented by my dad during a camping trip with a buddy in the Grand Canyon. He had a packet of instant noodles, some scraps of beef jerky, and a little vial of curry powder in his mess kit. Water was boiled, and this curry ramen was born. Now, on every camping trip we go on, this curry ramen HAS to make an appearance. So when we headed up to the Adirondacks over 4th of July weekend, it was the perfect opportunity to get a campfire going, break out the beef jerky, and finally share this recipe with all of you. This curry ramen is best served in the great outdoors, but it can also be done on the stovetop!

Recipe Instructions

In a medium pot over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil, onion, and beef jerky (if using). Sauté until the onion is slightly softened, and add the curry powder. Cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the seasoning packet from the instant ramen package… and then add the noodles. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the noodles are cooked but still al dente. Serve immediately! If you want to do a variation on this recipe, feel free to add any leafy greens (my dad once found wild watercress while on a camping trip out west, and it went straight into the curry ramen pot), fish balls or beef balls (which go amazingly well with curry––just boil them in the soup for a few minutes before adding the noodles), or even a beaten egg (which takes any bowl of instant ramen to the next level). Enjoy this camping curry ramen on your next outing everyone!