Coconut Curry Stir Fry

Full disclosure, you guys: We don’t always make our meals from scratch. We are busy, working moms, which means that spending hours in the kitchen whipping up creative and healthy concoctions just isn’t realistic. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t opt for heat up meals or pre-made sauces a few times a week.

But we do still try to keep our convenience food choices on the healthy side. So when we discovered Saffron Roads’ unbelievable simmer sauces, we were hooked. They’re these delicious sauce packets that can be used to add flavor to stir fry dishes, veggies, proteins, rice… whatever. They come in a variety of flavors, from Tikka Masala and Thai Mango to Lemongrass Basil and Korean Stir Fry, and unlike other sauces of their kind, aren’t loaded with sodium or calories.

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Since we love to prep big batches of grains, veggies and proteins every Sunday so we have healthy options on hand through our busy weeks, we love using these sauces because they prevent us (and our picky families) from getting bored of eating the same things a few times a week.

In this curry stir fry recipe, we used the Coconut Curry sauce, and paired it with crispy chickpeas, Banza chickpea rice (but you can use any rice), and bell peppers, onions and snap peas.

If you’ve never tried rolling your chickpeas in cornstarch before cooking them, you haven’t been living. This is a method we use when we cook tofu since it helps transform tofu’s gummy texture into a perfectly crispy one, so we thought we’d give it a try with the chickpeas, too, to see if it makes a difference. And it did!

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There’s a trick, though, that makes a huge difference. Once you’ve coated your chickpeas in the cornstarch, you’re going to want to sauté them in a pan before you add the simmer sauce. This allows the cornstarch to really set. If you forget this step (we learned the hard way), the cornstarch coating will fall off, and the chickpeas will just revert back to their normal form–only they’ll be swimming in a lumpy, weird sea of cornstarch and marinade.

As long as you follow that very important step, you will have a delicious and super simple weeknight meal the family won’t get bored of. And the best part is you can use this recipe with any of the Saffron Road summer sauces.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 cup snow peas
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 packet Saffron Road Coconut Curry Simmer Sauce
• 2 cups cooked rice of choice
• 1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a Ziplock bag or small Tupperware container, add the cornstarch and black pepper.
2. Pat the chickpeas semi-dry with a paper towel, then add them to the cornstarch mixture. Seal the bag or container, then toss the mixture several times to ensure the chickpeas are well coated.
3. Spray a saucepan with nonstick cooking spray, then bring to medium heat.
4. Pour chickpeas into sauce pan and sauté until they are golden-brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.
5. In the same saucepan (spray with cooking oil again, if needed), add peppers, onions and snow peas.
6. Once vegetables are warmed through and onions become translucent, pour in simmer sauce.
7. Once simmer sauce begins to bubble, add chickpeas, and cook until warmed – for about three to five minutes.
8. When ready to serve, top with sesame seeds.