Restaurant Noodles from a Mess Tin
Cooked outdoors, in the sun, in a camping mess tin — and it still came out looking like a takeaway. Here’s how.
Most “camp food” is beige, sad, and out of a packet. This isn’t. Marinated duck, a proper spread of veg, rice noodles and a sweet chilli sauce — the whole thing came out of a single mess tin and plated up sharp enough for a carrot-rose garnish. If you can do this on a trangia, you’ve got no excuse in a real kitchen.
Feeds 2. Total hands-on time ~20 min (plus marinating).
The Full Cost — Nothing Hidden
| Ingredient | Cost |
|---|---|
| Duck strips (175g) | £3.20 |
| White onion (1) | £0.15 |
| Mixed veg — carrot, courgette, pak choi, sugar snap, baby corn (200g) | £1.10 |
| Blue Dragon sweet chilli & garlic sauce (1 pack) | £0.90 |
| Rice noodles (1 pack) | £0.70 |
| Marinade — soy, lime, Chinese 5-spice | £0.35 |
| Total for 2 | £6.40 |
| Per serving | £3.20 |
Macros (per serving, approx)
| Protein | Kcal | Carbs | Cost/serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~22g | ~480 | ~62g | £3.20 |
Protein’s on the lean side for a Skint Gains main — see the verdict for the fix.
Ingredients
- 175g duck strips
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 200g mixed veg: carrot, courgette, pak choi, sugar snap peas, baby sweetcorn
- 1 pack Blue Dragon sweet chilli & garlic sauce
- 1 pack rice noodles
- Marinade: soy sauce + lime juice + Chinese 5-spice
Method
- Marinate the duck in soy sauce, lime juice and Chinese 5-spice. 20–30 min minimum; overnight if you can — 5-spice gets seriously punchy given time.
- Caramelise the onion. Slice the white onion and cook slow until golden and sweet. (Tip: pull half out and stir back in at the end so you keep some texture.)
- Sear the duck in the tin until coloured through.
- Add the veg — carrot, courgette, pak choi, sugar snap, baby corn — and cook until just wilted but still with bite.
- Stir in the sweet chilli & garlic sauce.
- Add the rice noodles and toss through.
- Spoon in some of the marinade to taste — make sure it comes up to a proper boil, since it’s had raw duck in it.
- Plate up. Bonus points for a carrot-rose garnish if you’re showing off.
The Honest Verdict
£3.20 a serving, out of a mess tin, and it looks like something you’d pay £12 for in a noodle bar. That’s the win. Only knock for the muscle crowd: at ~22g protein a serving it’s light — bump the duck to 250–300g (or throw in a handful of edamame or an egg) and you’ve got a proper high-protein main for barely more money. Gains, minus the pain on your wallet — even off-grid.
Hero photo already shot (mess-tin plate-up, carrot rose). Slot in real receipt prices before publishing. Add affiliate line for the sauce/noodles if wanted.