Wasabi Chickpeas

I started working on this recipe last year when I realized I wasn’t going to find any wasabi peas on the market shelf that weren’t going to have some kind of sugar in them.

Strangely, there are not alot of recipes for wasabi peas out there. I remember seeing only one, but no one seemed to like it, so I didn’t try it out myself.

This one was created by instinct and lots of trial and error. My first few batches were too sandy, greasy or goopy. It would seem that such a simple concept would have a straightforward way of making it. Not true for me.

Make sure your wasabi powder is good. If it’s too old, it won’t have any kind of heat to it, which just makes your chickpeas coated instead of spicy. Recently, I found something at Trader Joe’s called “Wasabi Sesame Drizzle Sauce” and I just adore it. It already has wasabi powder, mustard powder, sesame oil, and a good amount of salt, so when I use it, I just leave those things out of the recipe posted below and add 3 tablespoons to the dry mix. It has wheat from soy sauce, so don’t use it if your sensitive to wheat.

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup glutinous or sweet rice flour
1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
25 micrograms of stevia (one scoop from your stevia jar)
Pinch salt
3 tablespoons neutral tasting oil (Use sesame oil if you want a stronger taste)

Makes about 2 cups. Reicpe can be easily doubled.