5 Overlanding Camp Kitchen Tips & Kimchi Jjigae (Stew) Recipe

Karissa and Linhbergh (@gondirtin) are known for making incredibly delicious meals whenever they’re out camping – from fresh fried fish in Baja to Vietnamese street food. They are proof that cooking while camping doesn’t need to be complicated to be inspiring and delicious.  
 
We asked Karissa and Linhbergh for their top camp kitchen tips while overlanding and some of their favorite meals. Here’s what they had to dish out.

1. Decant all of your spices, seasonings, and oils. When you buy items to stock your camp pantry, they come in containers of various sizes. This makes it harder to pack into your space limited camp pantry. Decant, or remove, them and put everything into similar-sized containers for easier packing. No one needs a huge bag of flour, or a huge bottle of olive oil, when you’re out camping. Spending the extra time, and money, to rehome everything will make your camp experience easier and smoother when it is time to cook or clean up.
   
   
2. Pack the spices and seasoning that you use the most at home. Have a particular seasoning that is your secret sauce to make everything you cook delicious? Bring it. Having the flexibility to throw together whatever you crave whenever you crave it is power most campers don’t realize they can wield. Plus, cooking up food that tastes  “close to home” is incredibly comforting.
   
   
3. Pack similar items into groups. It almost seems like a no-brainer. But we all know how last-minute packing can lead to the garlic powder somehow being stuffed into the show bag. Take the time to pre-pack before a trip and make sure everything that is part of a particular pursuit is packed together. All the spices should be together; all the oils or liquid seasonings should be together; bathroom items should be together; and sleeping items, together. Taking the time makes your camping experience that much smoother when you’re out there.
   
   
4. Always have on hand some kind of acid. The more the merrier. A dash of vinegar or a slice of citrus can make a meal that tastes okay, to something with so much more pizazz! Acids can be a good middle ground of multiple uses. Rice wine vinegar can be used for any quick pickling, a dumpling sauce, or salad dressing. Limes can be used for alcoholic beverages, or squeezed as a quick flavor burst on any Indian, Vietnamese, or Mexican dish.
   
   
5. Leave specialty cooking equipment at home. You're already limited on space as is. So leave any cooking equipment that was specifically made for one task at home. For example, you most likely wonʼt need a zester, or a boiled egg cutter, when on the road. All you need is a few pots, a good-sized cast iron pan, a kettle, a chefʼs knife, and a paring knife. You're on the road. Your food should be fancy — not your kitchen.  
    

Use Dometic’s new GO soft storage to easily organize and store all your camp kitchen supplies and enjoy this kimchi jijgae (stew) recipe on your next camping adventure.

Kimchi Jjigae (Stew)

Serves: 4 
Prep time: 15 min 
Cooking time: 15-20 min 
 
This is a meal for those lazy days at camp when you roll in late but need something that hits the inner core of your being. Or for those colder nights when a sandwich just won’t do. It’s quick to put together and cook up. 

• ¼ lb pork belly, ground pork, or bacon
• 1 14-16 oz box of soft tofu
• 6 shiitake mushrooms (can substitute button or cremini mushrooms)
• 1 bunch of enoki mushrooms
• 2 cups of kimchi
• ¼ cup kimchi juice
• 6 cups of water
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ an onion, quartered
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 4 tbsp gochugaru chili powder
• 2 tbsp gochugaru chili pepper flakes (optional
• 4 tbsp soy sauce (use 2 tbsp if using bacon)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 green onions 

Directions

Slice the ¼ lb of pork belly (or other meat) into ¼ inch bite-sized pieces and place in a medium-sized pot. Cut the tofu into pieces of about 2 x 1 inch pieces. Slice the 6 shiitake mushrooms. Cut off the dirty/muddy end of the enoki mushroom bunch (the bottom inch to inch and a half), and split the bunch of mushrooms into 4 to 6 smaller bunches. Set aside.

Brown the pork. Toss in the quartered onion half.  Sauté until the onion is translucent. Add in the 6 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the 2 cups of kimchi with and the 1/4 cup of kimchi juice. Then toss in the rest of the seasoning; the 4 tbsp of gochugaru chili powder, 2 tbsp of gochugaru chili pepper flakes, 4 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of fish sauce, and the 1 tsp of pepper. Mix to incorporate all the ingredients.

Turn the heat to high and the pot up to boil. Once it’s boiling, throw in the tofu and mushrooms and let it all simmer for about 10 to 5 minutes.

The stew is basically done. Taste to adjust for any final seasoning. Julienne 2 green onions as a garnish on top. Enjoy with a bowl of white rice.