Good To-Go Indian Vegetable Korma

Good To-Go makes possibly the finest dehydrated backpacking meals available.  Their dishes trend toward ethnic flavors and spices, so on my recent Savage Gulf hike I made sure to bring along several of their meals that I had yet to try.  My favorite was Indian Vegetable Korma.

When I prepare one of my own creations in the backcountry, the reason I’m willing to pack that little bit of extra weight is because my finicky stomach craves flavor and freshness, as well as a savory component.  Standard meals just don’t get my appetite hyped, which is why I usually don’t bring any pre-packaged meals such as Mountain House (hate to pick on them, but they’re the “standard”).  I will make an exception in the future for Good To-Go’s Indian Vegetable Korma though.

On the 3rd night of a trip during which my appetite was blunted and impacting my hiking ability, this meal perked me up immeasurably.

I had brought the double portion, so I brought 2 1/8 cups of water to a boil in my Evernew 0.9L pot and then added the contents of the package, mixed it, put on the cover and set it into its AntiGravity Gear pot cozy while I completed some camp chores.  The directions say to wait 20 minutes, but I waited 25 to be safe.

When I came back and took off the pot lid, the most amazing aroma wafted out and immediately my stomach came to attention.  And oh man, once I started eating it was almost indescribably good.  Fresh-tasting chickpeas, carrots, parsnips, tomato, green beans and sweet peas mixed with spices, walnut and coconut with a hint of yogurt in the sauce.  THIS was proper Indian fare!  The vegetables rehydrated well, with the hint of crunch seeming to reflect fresh veggies as opposed to incomplete rehydration.  The tomatoes and yogurt gave it a tanginess that my body seemed to crave.  There was a nice light level of heat as well, always a plus with me.

Given what my appetite had been like the previous 3 days, I was shocked that I ate every single bit of this meal.  Perhaps if I’d had this on Day 1 my hike would’ve gone better!  The meal contained 790 calories in a 6.8 oz. package once repackaged into a ziploc, and that’s a pretty good bang for the ounce as far as dehydrated meals go.  29 grams of protein to help muscles recover too.  I like my meat, but chickpeas and lentils do the job too.

Good To-Go meals are a bit pricey- this one cost me $12.95- but they’re worth it in my opinion.  If I was thru-hiking I’d toss one in every resupply box as a treat.  If you know someone who is thru-hiking, you should mail them one of these as a surprise.

I will definitely bring this meal along again in the future.  It makes a perfectly fine standalone meal, but would also pair nicely with my samosas as a side dish.

Grade:  A