Sweet and spicy gochujang chickpea lettuce wraps combine super flavorful gochujang chickpeas and veggies in crisp, refreshing lettuce wraps. A perfect quick lunch! (nut-free with gluten-free and soy-free options)

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: fusion

Ingredients

For the Gochujang Chickpeas

  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 tbsp gochujang paste (Or use other hot sauces as asian chile sauce or sriracha)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (omit for oil-free)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar (or other sweetener)
  • 1/4 cup water (mixed with [adjustable]1 teaspoon [/adjustable] cornstarch)
  • 15 ounce can chickpeas (drained. Or [adjustable]1.5 cups[/adjustable] cooked chickpeas)
  • paprika (or cayenne for more color/heat)

For the Lettuce Wraps

  • large-leaf lettuce (such as romaine, Bibb, or butter lettuce)
  • green onion (optional)
  • sesame seeds (or hemp seeds, optional)

Method

Make the gochujang chickpeas.

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery, and a good pinch of salt and cook for a minute. (Sauté in broth for oil-free.) Add the gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Mix well, then stir in the water-cornstarch mixture and the chickpes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens a bit.
  2. Taste and adjust salt, spice and sweet. Add salt to taste, if the chickpeas were not salted. At this point, you can add in chopped veggies like broccoli, celery, carrots or other crunchy veggies, if you like. Add paprika or cayenne to preference and mix in (optional and not needed if using hot gochujang paste).

Make the chickpea lettuce wraps.

  1. Spoon the gochujang chickpeas into the lettuce leaves, and top with your toppings of choice, like green onion, sesame seeds, and any crunchy veggies you like. If the chickpeas are too spicy, serve with creamy dressing such as vegan ranch or creamy garlic sauce.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.