Thai Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Chickpeas
Serves 2
Adapted from Minimalist Baker’s
4 medium sweet potatoes (1½ pounds), halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
For Ginger Tahini Sauce:
1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger, ground
¼ cup (56 grams) tahini
1 lime, juiced (2 tablespoons)
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon jalapeno garlic sauce (here is a great recipe!)
For Chickpeas:
1x 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon jalapeno garlic sauce
½ tablespoon coconut oil
For Garnish:
2 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
½ lime, sliced into wedges
Jalapeno garlic sauce
Sesame seeds
Preheat the oven to 400° F degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil. Poke holes, using a fork, or cut slits into the flesh/cut-side of the sweet potatoes down (this helps them release steam while baking) and rub them down with olive oil on all sides. Place the sweet potatoes skin-side down/cut-side up on the baking sheet and bake for at least 30 minutes. They should be very tender to the touch, so if they’re not yet there at this point, continue baking them in 5 minutes intervals, checking on them in between. Set aside.
For Ginger Tahini Sauce:
In a medium bowl, add the ginger, tahini, lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, and jalapeno garlic sauce. Whisk to combine and fully blend everything. Set aside.
For Chickpeas:
In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with the garlic powder, cumin, ginger, coriander, maple syrup, soy sauce, and jalapeno garlic sauce. Mix until the chickpeas are well coated in the seasoning.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. As the skillet heats up, add the coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chickpeas and sauté them until they’ve visibly browned, slightly dried out and crunchy, about 5-6 minutes. To help them achieve this texture, let them sit, untouched, for 1-2 minutes before mixing them up again.
While the chickpeas are sautéing, take the bowl that the chickpeas were in and scrape out any leftover seasoning/sauce into the bowl with the Ginger Tahini Sauce. Mix the sauce to incorporate the additional seasoning.
When the chickpeas are done, return them to their original bowl. Set aside.
To prepare the sweet potatoes, gently press into the middle of the sweet potatoes to make a small well. Be aware that the skin on the baked cut-side might be tough to puncture, so if you’re having trouble cut a slit to help start the well.
Fill the wells with chickpeas and top with the Ginger Tahini Sauce. Garnish with green onions, cilantro, lime wedges, sesame seeds, and additional jalapeno garlic sauce.
Enjoy!
