General Tso's Chickpeas | Vegan General Tso's Recipe (2024)
By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan45 Comments
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Long time no post but I’m finally back with these amazing General Tso’s chickpeas! I’m quite afraid that’s starting to be a theme. I probably mentioned in the past that I work for a startup company right now. With most startups there comes a point where either A) the company goes down in flames or B) the company starts to grow rapidly and things get really really crazy. I’m happy and grateful that we are thankfully experiencing item B right now.
Of course, that means that I’m busy busy busy (in a good way!). The past week or so hit especially hard and I didn’t find much time to cook and photograph food for the blog. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: all of my respect goes out to the parents of the world because I could not imagine how much of a balancing act it is when children are in the mix. Anyway, I’m back now and hopefully can get back to my regular posting rate.
This recipe for General Tso’s chickpeas is pretty appropriate for the whole ‘time crunch’ thing, especially if you choose to use canned chickpeas. The prep work comes together in a snap and the cook time is under 10 minutes too. I was searching for ‘authentic General Tso’s recipes’ when I learned what I probably should have already realized: General Tso’s is really an American/Canadian dish that emerged in Chinese restaurants here. It’s generally some kind of protein that’s battered and deep-fried, and served with a sweet sauce that has a bit of a kick.
I skipped the deep frying and instead lightly stir-fried the chickpeas along with the vegetables that I added. And I also took some liberty with the sauce recipe to make it more salty, spicy and savory, and less sweet (restaurant versions can be very over-the-top in that regard). I’m happy to eat the General Tso’s chickpeas and veggies on their own as a complete meal, but this can also be served over rice. Enjoy!
A simple and filling stir-fry of General Tso's chickpeas, a vegetarian and vegan version of the classic Chinese-American restaurant dish. Gluten-free optional.
1tspprepared mustard(grainier and nuttier mustards are better; if using the bright yellow mustard, reduce to 1/2 tsp)
1tspcornstarch
1/8tspfreshly ground black pepper or white pepper
For the General Tso's chickpeas stir-fry:
1tbspneutral oil(I used sunflower seed oil)
1/4of a large onion(or 1 shallot), thinly sliced
1large broccoli crown, cut into florets
1red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1tspminced ginger
2clovesgarlicminced
General Tso's sauce(above)
marinated chickpeas(above)
(optional) green onions, sesame seeds, and fresh red onion, for serving
(optional) cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
For marinating the chickpeas:
Stir together the soy sauce and mirin in a bowl and add the chickpeas. Let sit for 10 minutes (I do this first and let them marinate while I prepare the sauce and veggies).
For the sauce:
Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
For the stir-fry:
If you plan to garnish your dish with extra diced red onion, put the amount you want for garnish in a small bowl with cold water now. This will help to mellow out its flavor.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, stirring continuously.
Continuing to stir, add the broccoli, bell pepper strips, ginger, and garlic.
Stir in the General Tso's sauce. Drain the chickpeas and stir them in too. Cook for 1-2 more minutes, continuing to stir frequently, or until the mixture is hot throughout and the sauce has coated the chickpeas and vegetables. Add more soy sauce or chili sauce to taste.
Serve over rice if desired; garnish as desired with green onions, sesame seeds, and drained soaked red onion from above.
Notes
If your pan is large enough, you can keep the vegetables and chickpeas separate by pushing the vegetables to one side of the pan before you add the chickpeas. But I mostly just did that for presentation 🙂
For this recipe, it's important to do all of the prep work before you start cooking anything because you need to be stirring the whole time.
In a pinch, you can use rice vinegar instead of mirin or sherry.
If you forget, you can simply start the cooking process, but expect them to take longer to cook than if you had soaked them first. It can take up to twice the time if you don't soak them first. The reason most people prefer to soak beans is: Soaking makes the beans cook faster.
Put the chickpeas, 6 cups of water, and seasoning in the instant pot. Close tightly. Cook using High Pressure for about 50 minutes, then let the steam release naturally for 10 minutes before you vent the remaining pressure (please be sure to read.
Chickpeas can be cooked from dry or pre-soaked in a pressure cooker. If you soak them for 12 hours, then they will cook in minutes, but you can also skip the soaking altogether. Chickpeas can be pressure-cooked from dry in 40 minutes, plus the time it takes for the pressure to rise and fall.
Unsoaked chickpeas (my preferred method): Add 1 pound of dried chickpeas and 6 cups of water to your pressure cooker. Then cook on High Pressure for 50 minutes. Naturally release for 10 minutes, then vent the remaining pressure before opening the lid.
Allow to soak overnight, or about 12 hours. A teaspoon of baking soda can be added to aid with the soaking process, but plain water for 12 hours tends to work just fine.
Soak: Rinse dried chickpeas thoroughly under cold water and remove any debris or stones. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with plenty of water. Allow them to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. You can also add a pinch of baking soda to the soak.
Place the chickpeas in a large bowl. Add enough water to cover them by about 2 inches, which equates to 4 to 6 cups water for 1 cup dried. Let the chickpeas soak for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours. See notes for a quick soak option.
Canned chickpeas are pre-cooked chickpeas. You can eat canned chickpeas straight out of the can! (Just be sure to rinse them off before chowing down to wash out excess sodium) Otherwise, you can roast them or turn them into any number of delicious dishes, like these here.
Always soak the legumes and cook them thoroughly to avoid digestive issues. You have to first soak the chickpeas and then cook them on medium heat or pressure cook them. Force cooking chickpeas is not a good idea. Consumes lot of time and gas and also might leave them slightly uncooked.
Generally speaking, yes. It takes a while, but eventually the beans will sprout or ferment. If you are going to soak them longer than overnight (8 or so hours), you should put them in the refrigerator. Also, if the temperatures are high, use the refrigerator for all soaking time.
Yes. You should stir the garbanzo beans a few times throughout the cooking process to ensure that they get cooked evenly. You'll know the cooking process is done when you take a garbanzo bean and bite or squeeze it. You should be able to squeeze it with your fingers, and it should have a very soft consistency.
If using salt and/or baking soda, add it to the water and give it a stir. Let the beans soak for at least 8 hours, but ideally 12 hours or up to 24 hours. If it is a particularly warm day, place the bowl in the fridge if soaking for more than 8 hours.
The chickpeas are sautéed with baking soda for a few minutes, before dumping in the water to simmer the chickpeas. The baking soda makes the water more alkaline, which softens the chickpeas more quickly by weakening their pectic bonds.
Yes, they are cooked. Most people know this, but a certain someone in my life (okay, fine…it was my sister…she never cooks) once asked me if she had to cook canned chickpeas. You don't. Which means you can eat them straight out of the can, but there are so many ways to jazz them up (keep reading!).
The most toxic of all lectins are found in pulses like lentils or chickpeas. Symptoms usually start just a few hours after ingestion and can last four hours or more in extreme cases. Eating just four raw beans is enough to bring on these symptoms.
If you forgot to soak your beans the night before you plan to cook them, the hot soak method can come to the rescue. Cover the beans with water, bring to a boil and boil for three minutes. Remove them from the heat and let them soak in the hot water for an hour. Then drain, rinse, add fresh water and cook.
Modern cooking websites often say it doesn't matter. In a way, they're both right. Soaking beans can help improve the texture of the final product once the beans are cooked and reduce the gas produced when the food is being digested. But it isn't necessary to soak them.
Transfer the water to a pot with a lid or an air tight container and quickly add washed chole to it. Cover the lid with a heavy object and seal in the chole and water as quickly as possible. Let it be for 10-15 minutes depending on the quantity of your legumes and take the lid off once the water has cooled down.
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