These General Tso Chickpeas make an amazing meatless meal with carrots, broccoli, snow peas, a sweet bell pepper, and an array of aromatics. The spicy, tangy sauce that coats these chickpeas and veggies is so quick to whip together and loaded with flavor. Serve these General Tso Chickpeas over rice or cauliflower rice for a low-carb (high-protein) meal.
SAUCE: Whisk the cornstarch and a few tablespoons of chicken stock in a Mason Jar. Combine until smooth; then add in the rest of the chicken stock and whisk again. Add in the remaining sauce ingredients, adding just 1 teaspoon sesame oil (reserve the other teaspoon for later). Whisk until smooth and set aside.
VEGGIE/CHICKPEA PREP: Very thinly slice the red onion, peel, and thinly slice the carrot into diagonal slices (important the slices are thin so they cook in time). Chop the broccoli into small pieces; thinly slice the pepper and cut the slices in half if they're long. (The veggies need to be in thin, small pieces so they can cook through in prescribed time.) Mince ginger and garlic. Drain and rinse chickpeas.
COOK: Add the olive oil to a very large skillet or wok and heat to medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes or until onion begins to soften. Add in the carrots, snow peas, broccoli, and red pepper. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Add in chickpeas, sauteéing constantly for 1 minute. Finally, add ginger and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Give the sauce a quick whisk with the fork and then pour it in and bring to simmer, stirring for another 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened on the veggies, and veggies are crisp-tender. (They shouldn't get soggy or soft -- you want some bite to them!) (See Note 3.)
ENJOY: Remove the pan from the heat and garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle on reserved 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Give it a quick taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Enjoy hot on rice, cauliflower rice, or as is!
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Notes
Note 1: This is the exact sauce I use in this recipe which I've found is pretty readily available at regular grocery stores (shouldn't need a stop at a specialty shop!). It is spicy -- a little goes a long way. Add slowly if you're worried about heat, but note that the dish does rely on this for flavor.
Note 2: How we like cooking basmati rice for this dish:
Measure the rice and rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.
Place the rice in a bowl and cover it with water to soak for about 5-10 minutes.
While the rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and set it to boil.
Once the water is at a rolling boil, drain the rice and add it to the pot.
Cook without reducing the heat, for 5 minutes and then drain and fluff with a fork. Note that these cooking directions do not work for other rice varieties (long grain, short grain, jasmine, etc.).
Note 3:The sauce should be thick enough that when you run a wooden spoon down the pan, it leaves a clear track. Nonstick skillets take slightly longer than a cast iron skillet since they don't hold heat in the same way.