spicy stirfry chickpeas
2 servings — 15 minutes
If someone was to ask us which food we could eat forever without stopping, we'd answer chickpeas. There's a TON of different ways to prepare them, and all of these ways are delicious. Chickpeas are delicious when baked, squished, pureed, ground and sprouted. Their versatility make our lives easier, we can eat them everyday and it doesn't ever get boring.
Nutrition: Legumes is an important part of the diet, and one of the best plant sources of lysine, one of 9 essential amino acids required for good health. Protein is necessary for muscles, bones, hormones, digestive enzymes, to absorb nutrients and to rebuild cells. If you eat 1/2 cup dry beans a day, your daily protein needs are covered.
Another plus is that dry chickpeas keep a long, long time. If you keep them in air-tight containers they will last even longer, because moisture and oxygen is the enemy of all beans. Oxygen makes the bean oils rancid overtime. You can store them for 5+ yrs if you add oxygen absorbers (packet consisting of powdered iron oxide) to the containers. We like to buy them in bulk and cook them as needed. An advantage of buying them dry is that it is cheap, and they taste better (honest). Read about storing dry beans.
Recommendations:
Adding a bay leaf, a bit of onion or a clove or two of garlic to the cooking water add a subtle seasoning to the chickpeas and boost flavor.
chickpeas250 g, cooked
tofu150g cubed, firm
soy sauce10 ml
balsamic vinegar5 ml
arrowroot starch15 ml
saltpinch
black pepperpinch
marinade
- Cook 125 g (3/4 cup) of dried chickpeas (see instructions), or use 1 can (15oz).
- Mix the marinade ingredients together in a wide bowl, and add the 250 g of cooked chickpeas (or 15-19 oz can) and 150 g (1/3 pack firm tofu) of cubed tofu. Leave to marinate at least a few hours. Overnight is even better.
maple syrup15 ml- soy sauce15 ml
- balsamic vinegar30 ml
- arrowroot starch15 g
roasted sesame oil5 ml
sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce: mix 15 ml (1 tbsp) of maple syrup, 15 ml (1 tbsp) of soy sauce, 30 ml (2 tbsp) of balsamic vinegar, 15 g (1 tbsp) arrowroot starch and 5 ml (1 tsp) of roasted sesame oil.
carrots1
red cabbage40 g
scallions2 stalks
garlic3 cloves
ginger rootequal to garlic
chili pepper flakes6 g
sichuan peppercorns3 g, whole- saltpinch
- black pepperpinch
stir fry
- Peel and slice 3 cloves of garlic and equal amounts of ginger thinly, and chop 2 stalks of scallions in a size matching their diameter. Cut 1 carrot (peel carrot) and ~40 g of red cabbage into bite-sized bits.
- Add 15 ml (1 tbsp) of vegetable oil, then warm pan to high heat. When oil is hot, add ~6 g (~2 tsp) of chili pepper flakes and 3 g (1 tsp) of sichuan peppercorns. Stir-fry until they're crisp and the mixture is spicy and fragrant. Careful not to burn the spices, remove from heat for a bit if overheating.
- Add the chickpeas, tofu, carrot and red cabbage and fry over high heat, stirring constantly. After a minute, add the ginger root, garlic and scallions and stir-fry for a few more minutes.
- Stir the sauce, and add it to the pan while stirring and tossing. When the sauce starts to thicken, remove from heat and serve.