Video summary

2016 Israeli Manot Krav Ration 24 Hour MRE Review Cooking Matzah Fish Cake Meal Ready to Eat Tasting

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / Channel

  • Steve (1989) reviewing the Israeli IDF “Modern Krav” / Monokrav (“battle ration” MRE), Kosher for Passover.

What the Ration Includes (Cooking-relevant)

Packaging claims

  • “Battle rations… kosher for Passover… contains items for legume eaters…”
  • “Servings for four soldiers,” supplemented with two loaves of bread / matzah bread during Passover.

Food items shown/used in the video

  • Halva: 180 g tin
  • Hummus canned spread: 130 g, shown as two cans
  • Chocolate spread (exact weight not stated)
  • Tuna: multiple cans; shown as at least four (small tuna chunks in vegetable oil)
    • One can had minor rust; cans were not bulging
  • Peanuts: 200 g can
  • Corn / sweet corn kernels: canned, shown as two cans
    • One can is heavily dented but described as no bulge
  • Green olives (pitted): one can
  • Pineapple pieces in light syrup: one can
  • White beans in tomato sauce: canned (exact weight not stated)
  • Cutlery and utensils: forks and knives set (12 total) plus trash bags (prep/serving relevance mainly for serving)

Bread used for Passover appropriateness

  • Matza / unleavened bread (provided by the reviewer) is used as the base throughout the day:
    • as a spread base
    • and/or a crunch base
  • Reviewer also mentions an IDF-style approach of 2 loaves / matzah bread during Passover.

Equipment / Preparation Steps Mentioned

  • Uses a tray for laying out items.
  • Preheats a pan before cooking fish cakes.
  • Uses a rolling pin to crush matza bread and peanuts into crumb/flour.
  • Cuts olives by hand.
  • Uses available utensils: spoon, forks, knife
    • Fork is less effective than spoon for spreads.

Method & Timings/Temperatures (As Described)

Breakfast (matzah + spreads + improvised “smoked” tuna idea)

  1. Set up matzah base

    • Breaks out matzah bread and uses it throughout the day.

  2. Chocolate spread + halva on matzah

    • Spreads chocolate spread (rich cocoa; “frosting-like”).
    • Notes halva is dry/flaky; it pairs well with chocolate spread and matzah.

  3. Tuna handling

    • Tuna is eaten straight from the ration, but the reviewer finds it too oily/tangy until modified.

  4. Improvised “smoked tuna” technique (no exact time/temperature given)

    • Cites another reviewer’s method:
      • twist tissue paper into a “fuse”
      • dip in tuna oil
      • try to light it
    • Goal: absorb/burn off oil and add a smoke-like flavor.
    • Result (qualitative):
      • Tuna becomes warmer
      • oil is burned off
      • smoked effect is limited but helpful, offsetting tanginess

  5. Serve

    • Breakfast is described as a combination of halva + chocolate spread + tuna on warmed/used matzah.

Key technique cue:

  • “Heat/warm the tuna” → it becomes more spreadable and less oily.

Lunch (green olive + corn + peanut “fish cakes”)

  1. Setup and improvisation

    • Lays out and breaks/crushes components:
      • Matza bread crushed into coarse crumbs/breadcrumbs
      • Peanuts crushed into a peanut-flour-like texture

  2. Build the mixture

    • Mixes corn with:
      • crushed matza crumbs
      • peanut flour
      • green olive pieces
      • adds olive juice (“not too much” initially)
    • Uses fingers to work it together.

  3. Preheat pan

    • “We’re going to preheat this pan a little bit.”

  4. Cook fish cakes (temperature not specified)

    • Forms mixture into patties; hears a hiss.
    • Flips: reviewer says they’re “terrible” at flipping, but it works.
    • Uses auditory cues:
      • “It popped”
      • “Hear that popping…”
      • “Probably done now…”

  5. Serve

    • Served as homemade fish-cake-like patties (explicitly described as “fish cakes” from ration components, not real fish).

Key technique cues:

  • Binding comes from corn + peanut flour + olive juice + matza crumbs.
  • Cooking triggers “hiss” and popping, implying browning/setting.

Flavor/combination takeaway:

  • Peanuts add nuttiness and crunch.
  • Olives + corn add tartness and texture that complement the rest.

Dinner (heated beans + hummus + pineapple + “peanut-chocolate no-bake cookie”)

  1. Heat white beans

    • “Gotta heat up those beans.”
    • Heats on stove until aroma develops:
      • tomato/onion/black pepper smells noted
    • A “hiss” indicates active heating; then they’re ready.

  2. “No-bake cookie” style mixture (no exact time given)

    • Combine leftover:
      • peanut + matza crumbs/breadcrumbs
      • chocolate spread
      • some halva (reviewer says it could have used more)
    • Mix becomes cohesive and handleable:
      • described as chocolate-and-peanut butter flavored with “weird bread crumbs”
    • Reviewer says it was “pretty brilliant.”
    • Suggests improvement by adding more halva and/or grinding peanuts more finely.

  3. Serve hummus + pineapple

    • Hummus described as pate-like, mostly tahini + chickpeas, with barely any salt.
    • Paired with pineapple for sweet/tart contrast.

  4. Serve dinner components together

    • Eats:
      • hummus + pineapple (spoon)
      • hot beans
      • the improvised peanut-chocolate crumb mixture

Ingredients-focused Improvisations the Reviewer Explicitly Does

  • Tuna oil “smoking” attempt

    • Burns/drys tuna oil using a lit tissue-paper “fuse” dipped in oil.

  • “Fish cakes” without fresh fish

    • Mixes corn + green olives + crushed peanuts + crushed matzah, then pan-fries into patties.

  • Peanut-chocolate-halwa “no-bake cookie”

    • Mixes chocolate spread + peanuts + halva + matzah crumbs into a biteable mixture.

  • Acid/tang notes (qualitative)

    • Tuna tanginess is offset using smoke.
    • Green olives and corn are noted as tartness contributors.

Chef Tips / Lessons / Common Mistakes (Only What Subtitles Show)

  • Tuna straight from the ration can be tangy and oily; warming/spreading and/or burning off oil helps texture.
  • Halva texture matters:
    • It’s dry and flakes; works best combined with chocolate spread rather than as a standalone spread.
  • Flipping “fish cakes” is hard (for the reviewer), but patties can still hold together.
  • Peanut grinding consistency:
    • The “cookie”/mixture works better if peanuts are ground finely (reviewer mentions large peanut chunks).
  • Need water:
    • The reviewer repeatedly implies this ration is “rationed” and you’ll likely need a lot of water while eating.
  • No drink included:
    • Reviewer notes the ration lacks beverages (contrasts with older versions that had instant sweet tea-like powder).

Plating / Serving Suggestions Shown

  • Meals are built on matzah bread as the base (cracker/crouton style).
  • Spoon is preferred for paste-like items (hummus/spreads).
  • Breakfast layers/spreads are placed on matzah.
  • Lunch/dinner are arranged on a tray, then eaten component-by-component (beans served hot).

Variations Mentioned (Concise)

  • Breakfast variation: tuna eaten straight vs improvised “smoked”/oil-burned tuna.
  • Lunch variation: the reviewer avoids eating tuna salad/tinned contents as-is and instead cooks olive-corn-peanut “fish cakes.”
  • Dinner variation: combines hummus + pineapple and separately makes a peanut-chocolate cookie-like mix with leftovers; suggests extra halva improves balance.

References (End of Video / Summary)

  • Referenced source (implied): another IDF/“monokrav” reviewer whose tissue-paper oil “fuse” method is tried for “smoked tuna.”
  • Presenter: Steve (1989) — video review of the Israeli IDF Modern Monokrav battle ration, Kosher for Passover.

Original video