Australian Hiker

Rating

Back Country Cuisine Elite Biryani Lamb Review

The Back Country Cuisine Elite Biryani Lamb was the first of the ‘Elite range’ I had the opportunity to taste and I must admit, I had some preconceived ideas about what to expect. When you look at the standard Back Country meals which come in small, medium and family (you typically won’t see the family size in many stores but they are available online for group outings) we have always worked on the basis that the regular sizings were a two person meal, albeit on the slightly smaller side.

When I first saw the new Elite range I assumed this was a higher grade of meal over and above the standard fare and this is how it panned out. First up, this meal is also promoted as a single serve meal but when Gill and I did the taste test, it was definitely filling enough for two people. In addition if you look at the Back Country website they state:

‘This Elite high calorie meal is light to carry and provides tasty, fast nourishing food for adventure.
A filling classic Indian dish with aromatic rice, freeze-dried lamb, green peppers and corn.’

For me this meal has two key benefits:

• It has 797 calories which is a great way to meet your energy requirements on-trail; and secondly
• It has 33.4 grams of protein which is just what you need after a big day to help repair and maintain muscle – in fact, you will be hard pressed to find a commercial meal that packs this much protein.

The down side for us at least is that this meal also packs a sodium (salt) punch coming in at a hefty 2230 mg (see packet details below). In our case we don’t use much salt even when the recipe calls for it, so we really notice any degree of salt in a meal. Having said that we realise that others may be more used to a higher level of salt in their diet.

These meals are very easy to prepare – as long as you can boil water then you’re set. The meal packet recommends adding 250 ml of water to rehydrate the meal and we found that when we checked the meal after 10 minutes (the minimum rehydration time), it was bit watery but after leaving it for a total of 14 minutes the consistency was good.

The meal comes in a bag that is well designed and the bottom opens out to form a flat base for those minimalists who want to leave the bowl at home. The option exists to tear the top off the bag to allow easy access to the food but if you have a long handled spoon you won’t need to tear the bag. My other reason for not tearing the top off the bag is that you minimise any mess and after you’re done, you can re-zip the zip lock.

Now onto the taste test, what did we think?

Taste Test

He said

• Taste wise I didn’t find this meal overly spicy or offensive. I think the texture was good and the taste was good. While this is an Indian meal it’s not spicy or hot so will suit the average hiker. Where I had an issue was the high sodium level which as a low salt eater, was very noticeable.

She said

• I liked this meal and would happily consume it in when on-trail. I did find the meal salty but if you’ve done a big day sweating during a hike maybe this is not such a bad thing. While this meal is tasty I’m not a fan of corn being used as a meal ‘filler’ given it detracts a little from the overall appearance.

Price wise this meal has a RRP of $24.99 but can often be found at a cheaper price.

So, what’s the verdict? Would we buy this meal again? This meal outdoes many of the standard Back Country meals when it comes to taste even with the level of saltiness. In addition, the high level of protein in this meal sets it aside in a crowded market and if protein intake is what you are after then you can’t go past this option. While I did enjoy this one, unless I’m after a protein hit I still prefer other meal offerings so this meal not likely to dislodge anything from our top 10 meal list. Having said that, I do like it as an on-trail meal and would be happy to eat it.

We Like

• Taste is good
• Protein hit is excellent and hard to beat
• Long lifespan
• Minimal preparation time. All you are doing is rehydrating these meals so once you add boiling water there’s only a 15 minute wait
• If you eat from the bag there is only the spoon to clean up. In fact you may not even need to carry a bowl at all thereby limiting the weight you carry
• Freeze dried. This takes much of the weight out of the meals and helps to limit the impact on your body

We Don't Like

• The main negative of any commercially preprepared dehydrated/freeze dried meals is the cost. This meal comes in at $AUD $24.99 RRP for what is a single serve meal but having said that it could be a two-serve meal for hikers with average appetites. Price wise this meal is comparable to other similar products on the market
• The high level of sodium!

Best Uses

An easy to prepare meal for short or long trips when camping and hiking

Buy One

You can purchase the Back Country Cuisine Elite Biryani Lamb meal online from Macpac, Snowys, Wild Earth or from Wildfire Sports

Disclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

Other Versions

Back Country Cuisine has a large range of meals for you to choose from including the Elite range which provides some different taste offerings

Investment

• AUD $24.99 RRP single serve (usually sells for less in store)

Back Country Cuisine Elite Biryani Lamb as purchased

Bottom of the bag flattened out. This makes it easy to keep the meal upright when you set it down

Back Country Cuisine Elite Biryani Lamb nutrition panel ingredient panel. The suggested level of water to add is spot-on provided you let it soak for a little longer than the recommended time

Back Country Cuisine Elite Biryani Lamb un-rehydrated open bag

Back Country Cuisine Elite Biryani Lamb rehydrated ready to eat

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased by the Australian Hiker from a retail store

Last updated

8 February 2025

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