Spam in space? Testing a menu fit for Mars
When Day 6 last checked in with Simon Engler, he was preparing to be sealed up inside a simulated Mars habitat. His mission: to boldly cook and eat food. In Hawaii the NASA funded "HI-SEAS" project is trying to sort out what kind of menus astronauts could cook and eat from while on a mission to the Red Planet. The volunteers spent four months living, cooking and eating together in a small structure on a remote field in Mauna Loa, Hawaii. On Tuesday, Simon emerged from the habitat. We asked him what's for dinner.
Here is Day 6's original interview with Simon Engler and Kim Binsted: Rebooting the space menu to cook food on Mars
Check out these fit-for-Mars recipes:
Blueberry lemon pancakes
Ingredients:
3 c warm water
6 tbsp vegetable oil
6 tbsp egg crystals (equal to 3 eggs)
½ c whole wheat flour
¾ c all-purpose flour
1 c cornmeal
½ c granulated sugar
4 ½ tsp baking powder
2 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp lemon powder
3/4 c buttermilk powder
2 c freeze-dried blueberries
Directions:
1.Mix all dry ingredients and then water.
2.Let stand 2-3 minutes to reconstitute blueberries.
3.Add additional water or flour if necessary for the correct consistency.
4.Pour about 1/2 c. batter per pancake into hot skillet.
5.Turn when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.
6.Serve with honey or syrup.
Spam fried rice
Ingredients:
2 C. rice, medium grain - cooked in rice cooker
2 tsp. olive oil
¼ c olive oil
½ c DH mushrooms + 1 c water - ½ c reclaimed
4 cups (taken from ½ c DH peas + ½ c DH carrots + ½ c DH sweet corn + boil 6 cups water - 2 c reclaimed)
2 tbsp DH onion (made ½ c of onions + 1/3 c water)
6 tbs egg powder + 18 tbs water
1 can turkey spam
1 tbs garlic powder
½ c. soy sauce with ¼ tsp sesame oil
Directions:
1. Cook rice in rice cooker
2. Cook peas, carrots, and corn in 4 cups water for 30 minutes or until soft
3. Rehydrate onions and mushrooms
4. Rehydrate eggs and scramble in 1 tbsp olive oil - set aside
5. Cut spam into ¼ " cubes
6. In wok, add 2 tbsp olive oil and sauté spam and 2 tbs onions until browned
7. Add mushrooms, and 4 cups vegetable mixture.
8. Add rice and ¼ c olive oil and sauté.
9. Stir in egg and garlic powder.
10. Add soy sauce and stir fry a couple minutes before serving.
For more recipes head to the HI-SEAS website.