Whole Home Camping: Our Favorite Camp Curry + Sourdough Naan Bread
An easy stovetop or slow cooker recipe. Can be made ahead + reheated at camp. Plus: a simple meal plan for a weekend outdoors.
Four years ago, our family purchased a pop up camper from a friend, and it has been one of the best decisions we ever made. Up until then, we were occasional tent campers, and didn’t realize what a level up it would be to have all our camping essentials stocked and stowed in one place. We have learned the quirks of owning a vintage camper, done some minor upgrades to make it our own, and have fallen in love with the charm of pop up tent camping.
Before
After
Now on to the food: I love all the planning and prep that goes into eating well while camping. I like to sit down a couple weeks in advance to make a rough meal plan and place a Thrive Market and/or Azure order. For the first meal, which is usually just a couple hours after we arrive at camp, something like a premade soup or chili is always a win.
Curry is at the top of the list when it comes to meals - not just while camping, but at home too. This recipe involves chopping whatever variety of veggies you can find in your produce drawer, adding a protein, some lentils to thicken it up, broth, and lots of curry paste and powder. Simmer for a bit, add coconut milk, and serve topped with roasted cashews and fresh cilantro and basil. For the sourdough naan, all you need is three hours after mixing up before rolling out into flatbreads. If you’re taking this meal camping, I suggest cooking the naan at home - unless you travel with a rolling pin.
Camp Curry + Sourdough Naan Bread
Makes about 8 hearty servings + 12-14 flatbreads
TOOLS
Knife
Cutting Board
Cast iron skillet or slow cooker
Rolling Pin
Dutch Oven or Slow Cooker
INGREDIENTS
Naan
310 grams water
100 grams sourdough starter (discard or fresh)
50 grams yogurt
15 grams honey
30 grams olive oil
10 grams salt
500 grams fresh milled flour - 50/50 kamut and hard white wheat
Melted butter, 1 clove pressed garlic, + fresh chopped parsley, to brush on cooked flatbreads
Curry
Ghee or coconut oil, for sautéing
3 cups of any variety of seasonal veggies: peppers, carrots, zucchini, sweet potato, butternut squash (I highly recommend the sweet potato/butternut)
1 large onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2ish lbs chicken thighs
3 cups- 1 quart broth
1 cup dried lentils
1 jar curry paste
3 Tbsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
Toppings: cilantro, jalapeno, basil, pine nuts or cashews, pickled onions
METHOD
For the Naan: mix all ingredients in the bowl of a stand up mixer with dough hook attachment - or you can mix by hand. Mix/knead for 7-8 minutes. Let sit 3-4 hours, then divide into balls about 75 grams each. Roll out in 5-6” wide by 8-9” oval shape. Cook on a hot cast iron skillet, about 45 seconds each side. Dough can be transferred to the refrigerator and cooked the following day. Brush with garlic, parsley, butter mixture before serving.
For the curry: over medium low heat add 2 Tbsp cooking fat and 1 chopped or sliced onion to dutch oven. Saute’ for 5-6 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn golden. Try not to over-stir. Add minced garlic. Move garlic and onions over to one side of the dutch oven and sprinkle curry powder into the bottom of the pot and toast for one minute. This adds a delicious layer of flavor to the curry. Now add in your veggies, chicken thighs, broth, lentils, and curry paste and simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours minimum. You can move to the oven on low if you want the curry to cook all day.
30 minutes to one hour before serving, add one can of coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste. If you have greens that need to be used up, chop up and toss into the curry right before serving.
Serve scooped over basmati or jasmine bone broth rice and sourdough naan. A fresh cucumber and tomato salad is the perfect addition to this meal.
Camping Weekend Meal Plan
Friday
Dinner:
Pre-made Camp Curry with Sourdough Naan
Saturday
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Beach BLT’s with leftover bacon - pack in the cooler with siete potato chips, fresh cut up watermelon and sparkling waters
Before heading off on the day’s adventures: Throw beef chuck roast in Vitaclay or Slow Cooker with one packet of Siete Carnitas or Taco Seasoning, 1 cup of water, and 1 can of chilis in adobo (optional but adds extra flavor and spice). Let cook on low at camp site all day. Make sure slow cooker is in a safe place before venturing out from your camp site.
Dinner:
Slow Cooker Shredded beef tacos with all the toppings: salsa, shredded cheese, guac, grilled corn, sour cream, *slaw, lime juice and cilantro
*When camping, I prefer not to bring lettuce as it gets soggy really fast in the cooler, unless you use it up the first day. I like to bring a bag of pre shredded slaw and mix with a little sour cream or mayo and lime juice + salt.
Sunday
Breakfast:
Shredded beef breakfast tacos - build just like the bacon and egg tacos but filled with leftover shredded beef instead of bacon. Serve with leftover taco toppings from the night before.
Lunch on the road:
Cooler Charcuterie: Pack extra pepperoni, sliced cheese, apples, crackers, etc. I bring paper plates and a roll of paper towels, and wipes in the car to minimize the mess. Full bellies = happy traveling buddies.
I would love to know your go-to camp meals in the comments!