Kung Pao Chickpeas made in the Instant Pot! Chickpeas cooked in a sweet and salty sauce and topped with crunchy peanuts! This vegan dish pairs well with rice.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 50 minutes
  • Total time: 70 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried chickpeas (soaked overnight, 200 grams, or use 2.5 cups cooked chickpeas from can)
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce (60 ml, I used 3 tablespoons regular soy sauce and 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (15 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine (mirin) (15 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha (5 ml, or any hot sauce of choice, add more to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (5 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml, I used avocado oil)
  • 1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
  • 4 large garlic cloves (finely chopped)
  • 2 whole dried red chilies
  • 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
  • 1 cup water (8 oz)
  • 1 small red bell pepper (cut in square)
  • 1 small green bell pepper (cut in square)
  • 2 stalks green onion (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts (unsalted)

Method

  1. Soak chickpeas overnight in 3 to 4 cups water before you start. In the morning drain the water in which the chickpeas were soaked and rinse them. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl or glass jar, whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sriracha, toasted sesame oil and brown sugar. Set aside.
  3. Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add the oil and then add the chopped ginger, garlic, dried red chilies and chopped onion. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Then add the soaked and drained chickpeas to the pot and toss to combine. Stir in the prepared sauce.
  5. Then add 1 cup of water. Scrape the bottom to make sure there's nothing stuck at the bottom of the pan.
  6. Close the pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally. Do 10 minutes high pressure if using canned chickpeas.
  7. Open the lid and then press the saute button. Add the peppers, green onion and half of the roasted peanuts. Let is simmer on "saute mode" for 3 to 4 minutes until peppers soften a little.
  8. Then make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1.5 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and add it to the pot. The sauce will thicken, simmer one more minute. You may also add salt at this point if you want, I did not add any since the salt in the sauces was enough for me.
  9. Stir in the remaining roasted peanuts, garnish with more green onions and serve kung pao chickpeas with rice.
  10. Stir in the remaining roasted peanuts, garnish with more green onions and serve kung pao chickpeas with rice.

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.