Asparagus and Chickpea Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce

What’s (one of) the worst thing to amalgamate when combining the homes of two people? (Or three, since stuff was also left behind from our landlords…)

Condiments!!

While I have upgraded from a condo-sized fridge, the new full-sized fridge seems so full already as it is nearly packed with condiments! Three tahinis… three bottles of toasted sesame oil… three bottles for soy sauce (which I promptly removed from the fridge)… and Rob, alone, had all things tamarind and mango: 2 containers of tamarind concentrate, tamarind chutney, mango ginger chutney, mango chili sauce, pickled mango in oil. I am no saint, either, bringing the isoteric umeboshi plum paste, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and some peach-mango salsa, amongst many, many others! Actually, I love isoteric ingredients… the duplicates bother me. 😛 For some reason the soy sauce bottles are NOT built to add liquid in the other way.

I have wanted to make my own hoisin sauce, ever since Rose posted her recipe and I spotted an even more compelling version in The 30 Minute Vegan’s Taste of the East. However, until I finish the bottle in the cupboard, I will be using the jarred variety.

I am a late bloomer for discovering the quick and easy nature of stir fries, where anything goes, but decided to try to use some of the condiments in the fridge in a stir fry. First one: hoisin sauce, the salty-sweet Chinese barbecue sauce.

Adapted from 101cookbooks, this is a quick stir fry filled with spring vegetables including asparagus, spinach and green onions. The hoisin flavour is augmented by garlic, ginger, chili flakes and a lightness is brought by fresh lime juice and basil. Instead of tofu, I opted to bring back roasted chickpeas to my kitchen, lovely with their nutty flavour. I substituted almonds for the cashews and omitted the mint altogether. But anything goes with stir fries, so throw together your favourite combination of ingredients. 🙂 Just make sure your mise-en-place is ready to go before you heat your skillet – this will be fast! 🙂

For other hoisin sauce love, try my Tofu Hoisin with Baby Bok Choy.

This is being submitted to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Astrid from Paulchen’s Foodblog.

Asparagus and Chickpea Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce

1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas, or a 19 oz can, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled)
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 bunch of spinach (300g), coarsely chopped (or your favourite green)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (1 lime)
zest from 1 lime
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced

1. Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat olive oil in a large pan, or well-seasoned wok over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chickpeas, shaking occasionally, and cook until golden, 5-7 minutes. Remove the chickpeas from the pan and set aside.

2. Once cleared, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt to taste. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, almonds, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Return the chickpeas to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Taste and add a bit more salt if needed.

Serves 4.