Sweet and sour flavours are among my favourites; in fact, sweet and sour chicken or pork is the first thing I order on any Chinese take-out menu. My beloved vegetarians miss out on this, so Sweet and Sour Chickpeas with Peppers is as close as I can get to giving them a taste of my favourite Chinese take-out dinner.
Another fast and easy dinner option presents itself right here. This dish comes together in about 30 minutes or so, is loaded with flavour, and is loved by even the world’s most anti-vegetable carnivore.
Chickpeas are a great meat substitute and one of my favourite things about chickpeas is that they are pretty much flavourless until you add whatever flavours you are craving at that moment. They also are loaded with protein and hold their texture quite well. Even after re-heating the leftovers, the chickpeas still kept their shape and texture. Another freezer-friendly option for sure!
Sweet and Sour sauce, in my opinion, begs to be served alongside plain white rice. I can’t even imagine eating anything with a sweet and sour sauce (pork, chicken, chickpeas, etc.) without steamed rice as a side. Nearly every grocery store has pre-cooked rice that can be microwaved in a matter of seconds; another great option for those of you who have extremely busy weeknights, yet have to get a hearty meal on the table.
I’ve been thinking about other options for this dish as well. You see, Dear Reader, I love peppers, but they tend to result in major heartburn for me. It’s the skin on the peppers that does it. I experience none of this discomfort whenever I eat roasted peppers. A simple substitution could be broccoli – I gotta try that next!
While I’m experimenting with other vegetables, you go ahead and save this recipe to your Pinterest account for future use. I’ll be back with another version in the weeks ahead. #chickpeasrule
Sweet and Sour Chickpeas with Peppers
Servings 4
Ingredients
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- ½ cup sugar
- 8 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons corn starch whisked with 3 tablespoons water
Chickpeas and Peppers:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic. minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 large green bell pepper, sliced
- 2 cans chickpeas, 19 ounce cans, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Over medium high heat, add the olive oil, peppers, salt, and peppers; sauté for 3-4 minutes; until peppers are heated through and slightly tender.
- Add the garlic and stir into the peppers. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the chickpeas and stir into the peppers. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the sauce mixture and stir all together. Lower the temperature to a low simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- At the last minute, toss in the sesame seeds and give one last stir.
- Serve immediately with steamed rice.
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