Gochujang Basil Chickpeas

I love no-cooking recipes as much as I love heavy-cooking ones, and these gochujang chickpeas prove it. They are packed with flavor, but you don’t need to cook anything. No heat needed.

This recipe was inspired by my craving for a chickpea salad, but as I was formulating a recipe, nothing with mashed chickpeas felt right. I wanted something spicy, savory, bright and a little bit sweet. I wanted something that would make chickpeas interesting. And also filling, filling is very important.

So this chickpea recipe was born – and it’s as easy as chop-and-mix. It’s light enough for a quick lunch, and easy enough to make if you want to make a side dish but have no desire to dirty another pan. Plus they are just good. And I would never lie to you there.

What is gochujang?

I LOVE gochujang and I hope you feel the same way about it that I do. It is a Korean red pepper paste that is FERMENTED. A true gem. The fermentation gives it a unique flavor that you can’t replicate with other condiments.

It is simultaneously savory, sweet, and spicy. The most common preparation involves gochu-garu, glutinous rice, meju powder, yeotgireum, and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of rice, which is then cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process.

Ingredients for these gochujang basil chickpeas

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp gochujang paste

• A tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, lightly torn
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, lightly torn
• 1 small shallot, chopped very finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, optional, for topping

How to prepare the gochujang chickpeas

• Drain the chickpeas and rinse them very well. Pat dry and set aside.
• In a large bowl, add the gochujang, maple syrup and rice vinegar. Whisk to combine, then add a few cracks of black pepper to taste.
• Add the chickpeas to the gochujang mixture and toss to coat them fully.

How to prepare the herb mixture

• In another bowl, combine the finely chopped shallot, the garlic cloves, the torn basil and parsley and the coconut milk. Mix until combined and season with salt to taste.

And to bring it all together!

• Toss the herbs in with the chickpeas and give a quick stir to evenly distribute everything.
• Top with sesame seeds and serve with crusty bread.

Looking for other simple lunch recipes?

They are quite actually ~my speciality~ Here are few of my favorites!

And that’s it for these gochujang chickpeas!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3