Update your emergency food supplies with ethnic variations | NOLA ...

"Look what I found for my hurricane evacuation kit!" my friend said, waving her find at me. She had a four-pack of individually sized portions of hummus from Mona's Middle Eastern grocery in Mid-City.

Because she is an organized person and because a tropical storm was stirring around in the Caribbean, she had gone through her stash of shelf-stable food to reorganize, replace, use up and replenish.

We all know the drill. Many of us learned the hard way that you must have on hand food that can sustain you and your family, on the road and in place,?without power or refrigeration.

But my friend made me realize that this is a good time for an update. Your staples don't have to be all chili and peanut butter. Much new stuff has come onto the market in the last few years, and lots of staples are now sold in small-size aseptic packages.

Plus, because homemade pickling is such a big trend, my friend had jars of homemade pickled figs, carrots and more. She had couscous, which requires only a few minutes soaking time in water to hydrate it, as well as cans of coconut milk.

The best item for her updated emergency kit: Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee packs. If you haven't seen these, the micro-grounds in these tiny packets dissolve in cold water or milk as well as hot water.

She inspired me to see what other small-size, good-for-a-while foods might be hiding on ethnic market shelves. I knew about crema, the canned "table cream" available in Hispanic markets. It's not evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk, but rather a light cream to use in dishes, pour on fruit, etc.

At the nearest Hispanic market, there also was the Mexican equivalent of hummus: Small serving-for-two pouches of refried beans. Smear some on tortillas with a little canned meat or chicken and cheese, or stir in something spicy to create a high-fiber dip with chips or crackers.

The market also had packages of Sire brand toasts, an Italian toasted bread product with pieces about the size of slider buns. It was a family-sized bag, but it looked like a good breakfast alternative for when fresh bread runs out. Or it could be used as a cracker, great for peanut butter and jelly.

Something I hadn't seen in years was at the market, too: Saltine crackers packaged in single sleeves, a quarter of the size of the big box. The market also had a large selection of powdered drink mixes.

At Asian markets, look for dried cellophane noodles made from mung beans, which tenderize and become translucent after a brief soak in hot water. Dried mushrooms are another option.

The International Market in Metairie was a gold mine for canned meats and fish. There are all kinds of pates, including shrimp pate and turkey pate; canned sprat (similar to herring, canned like sardines); sardines in all kinds of sauces and in upright cans; baby clams and much more. At one market, I found Goya chunk light canned tuna mixed with corn and jalapenos.

Perhaps the most useful product was 4-ounce pouches of Ducal brand tomato sauces in different styles: Sofrito, con queso and ranchera.

The trick with your evacuation foods kit is that you don't want to waste money on food you are not going to eat. You know your tastes, and if your krewe would never eat hummus at home, you don't want it in an emergency situation, either. If your group has adventurous tastes, however, go for it.

In general, it's best to stick to variations on a familiar theme. If your wife loves sardines, maybe she'll also like sardines in mustard sauce. Taste first before stocking up.

General rules and other ideas:

Plan on at least a three-day food supply. The rule of thumb is two cans of food per person, per day. Buy a couple of cans to add to the stash every time you grocery shop. Think of food groups: Get non-perishable (cans/dried/aseptic pouches) meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, milk and soup.

Parmesan cheese in a can is meant to be kept at room temperature, even after it's opened. This has big potential to add a lot of variety to dull meals.

Remember to check the sodium on all canned items in your hurricane kit. Buy low-sodium if possible, because salty foods, and especially salty snacks, can make you thirsty, which is even more uncomfortable in an emergency situation. Soups and broths are always a good idea, and plan to stock at least 1 gallon of water per person per day. In hot weather, you will need more.

Use your vacuum sealer on all kinds of semi-perishables, such as tortillas or other types of bread that it wouldn't smash.

The web site www.minimus.biz ?has all things individually sized, such as those little room-service condiments, individual boxes of cereal and, in the lunch category, everything from squeeze packets of peanut butter and almond butter to canned pate and 2-ounce tins of wild smoked salmon.

The cereal aisle at Dorignac's has a variety of single-serving breakfast cereals, sold individually, so you don't have to buy an eight-pack that includes the Apple Jacks no one in the family will touch.

Remember a saucepan, a manual can opener, kitchen shears and a basic assortment of herbs, salt and pepper. And of course, hot sauce.

Ethnic markets can be great places to find cheap, portable hibachis and grills.

What's in your evacuation food kit these days?

Source: http://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2012/08/update_your_emergency_food_sup.html

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