Teriyaki Chickpea Rice Bowl

If you’re looking for an outstanding plant-based meal that’s packed with flavour and nutrition, this rice bowl is sure to do the trick! It’s perfect for a quick and healthy weeknight meal but it’s so tasty, it’s great for entertaining too.

Whether you enjoy this beautiful bowl for a healthy weeknight meal or pack it up for meal prep, you’ll love all the flavours in this Asian-inspired dish.

If you love making healthy homemade bowls with chickpeas, you’ll have to try these Vegan Farro Bowls, Harvest Bowls or Vegan Kale Quinoa Bowls next.

Ingredients

This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.

• Rice: You can use white rice, brown rice, quinoa or even noodles or cauliflower rice.
• Tamari: You can use tamari or low-sodium soy sauce. If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, be sure to use tamari.
• Maple Syrup: I like maple syrup best for the teriyaki and ginger peanut sauce but you could also use agave syrup.
• Rice Vinegar: You can use seasoned or unseasoned rice vinegar.
• Mirin: Mirin is fairly easy to find in well-stocked grocery stores or in Asian specialty stores. You can also buy it online. I think it makes a big difference in recipes with Asian flavours. A bottle will last a long time and can be used in many different marinades and sauces so I’d suggest grabbing a bottle if you can!
• Cornstarch: Arrowroot starch would also work here.
• Peanut Butter: Use natural peanut butter or swap it for almond butter for a peanut-free recipe or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free recipe.
• Sesame Oil: Adds flavour to the sauce and works well for the stir fry. If you want the recipe to be oil-free, you can omit it from both and use water for cooking.
• Vegetables: The recipe calls for snap peas, carrot and bell pepper but other vegetables that work well are broccoli, onion and mushroom.

Step 1: Prepare the teriyaki sauce.

Start by preparing the teriyaki sauce and cornstarch slurry. Mix those well and set aside for now.

You can also chop up all your veggies: cut the carrots into matchsticks, chop the bell pepper and prepare the snap peas.

Step 3: Make the peanut sauce.

Add all of the ingredients to a mini food processor or blender and mix until smooth. Start with 2 tbsp of water then add more 1 tbsp at a time until you reach your desired consistency – you should be able to pour/drizzle it but it should still be somewhat thick and creamy.

Note: If you don’t have a blender, you can mix it in a bowl with a whisk, though there will be little pieces of garlic and ginger, unless you substitute ground garlic and ginger.

Consider doubling the sauce recipe and using the extra for rice, stir fry, tofu, veggies, etc.

Step 2: Stir fry the veggies.

Heat the sesame oil and water in a wok or skillet over medium heat and then add the chopped veggies and cover.

Cook for 4 minutes, then remove the lid and cook another 2-3 minutes until the veggies are tender but still bright and crisp.

Remove the veggies from the pan, sprinkle with sesame seeds and set aside.

Note: You can make the veggies first then use the same pan for the teriyaki chickpeas or, you can make both at the same time in different pans. It’s up to you!

I made the veggies first then cooked the chickpeas after in the same pan, in order to save cleaning an extra dish.

Step 4: Make the teriyaki chickpeas.

There should be enough oil left in the pan after cooking the veggies that you don’t need more cooking liquid but if you do, add 1-2 tsp sesame oil or a splash of water.

Add the chickpeas and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the teriyaki sauce and stir to combine. Give the cornstarch slurry a good stir then pour it into the pan.

Cook, stirring often, until the teriyaki sauce thickens, this should just take a few minutes. Stir in the green onions.