Kung Pao Chickpeas Recipe
This kung pao chickpeas dish is both versatile and totally satisfying!
A while back, I made a Kung Pao Chicken recipe that was pretty popular, both here on the Gracious Pantry, and in my own home. But I haven’t had it since I went plant-based, so I decided to give it a try using chickpeas. I do love a good bean dish, so I was a little excited about this one, and it turned out delish!
Ways To Serve This
- Serve as is, either as a plant-based main meal or a delicious side dish to any Asian meal.
- Mix with cooked bean threads for an Asian pasta dish.
- Serve over cooked brown rice with a little extra tamarind for a complete protein dish.
Ways To Cook This Faster (Prep Steps)
This is a fast meal anyway, but if you’re really short on time, there are a couple things you can do to make sure that all you have to do is throw the ingredients into a skillet and heat everything up. With preparation ahead of time, this is a simple, ten-minute meal!
- Prep the veggies ahead of time.
- Make the sauce ahead of time.
What To Do With Leftovers
This makes a full 5 cups, so if you have some left over, here’s what to do with it.
- Store in the fridge for up to three days.
- Unless you’ve mixed this with bean threads, you can easily store this for up to four months in the freezer. The texture will change in the beans ever so slightly, but nothing that’s off putting or gross. Beans freeze pretty well.
- Take for lunch the next day!
- Mash them up and cook like pancakes in a skillet for easy fritters!
- Mix them with some whole grain bread crumbs and turn them into Asian style burger patties! Serve with some grilled, shiitake mushrooms and mung bean sprouts on a whole grain bun.
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More Healthy Chickpea Recipes
KUNG PAO CHICKPEAS RECIPE:
Kung Pao Chickpeas
Ingredients
SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
- 6 tbsp. tamari
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 tsp. arrowroot powder (cornstarch works too)
STIR FRY INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup vegetable broth (or as needed for cooking)
- 1 ½ cups chopped, red bell pepper
- 1 cups diced celery (or sliced)
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 6 medium garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger (minced or grated for measuring)
- 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (1 tsp. = mild spice, 3 tsp. = extra spicy)
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ cup salted peanuts
Instructions
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk or fork, making sure to dissolve any clumps in the arrowroot powder. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, combine the broth, bell pepper, celery and onions. Sauté over high heat until the liquid is mostly cooked off.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and chickpeas.
- Pour the sauce over the entire mixture and stir until the sauce cooks off enough to give a nice glaze over the veggies and beans.
- Stir in the peanuts and remove from heat.
- Serve over brown rice, mixed with bean threads or just as is.