If you have never heard of Kung Pao, it's originally a stir-fry made with marinated chicken, peanuts and chili peppers. This is a healthier and meatless version of this popular Chinese dish. The chicken is replaced with white beans and bell peppers.
There is a lot going on here with the textures, white beans are soft and melt-in-your-mouth while the peanuts add a crunch to every bite and the syrupy sauce adds sweetness.
Pre-vegan I was not consuming a lot of beans, lentils or chickpeas, I was actually eating none to be honest. They are now my favorite ingredients to cook with, beans and pulses are high in protein, very tasty and versatile. My favorite way to use them is in dahls, casseroles or combined with other protein sources and healthy fats like in these enchilada power bowls.
This recipe requires only 30 minutes and everything is done in ONE skillet. Simple preparation for a very flavorful meal.
Peanuts are first fried in a little bit of oil with the onion, garlic and green chilies. Roasting the peanuts increases the crunch factor and adds more flavor. Bell peppers are then added to the skillet and cooked until soft. In the meantime you can prepare the Kung Pao sauce.
The sauce is a magical blend of soy sauce, coconut sugar, white wine, vinegar, sesame oil and cornstarch that helps make it thicker and syrupy. Toasted sesame oil is not usually used as a cooking oil, but more as a flavoring since it has a very strong aroma. There are different types of sesame oil, make sure you use the toasted kind.
Once the vegetables are soft, you can add the kung pao sauce and the white beans and stir to make sure everything is well coated. It's that simple.
You can serve these as is, or with a side of brown rice. In addition to being incredibly tasty, each serving is packed with 16g of protein!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Kung Pao White Beans Skillet
Ingredients
Kung Pao
- ⅓ cup raw peanuts
- 3 tablespoon sliced jalapeño pepper or 3 dried red chilies
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1- inch ginger finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ red bell pepper
- ½ green bell pepper
- 2 15- ounces can white beans drained and washed
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the white wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, water, balsamic vinegar, coconut sugar and cornstarch. Stir until well combined and set aside.
Kung Pao
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the peanuts and stir-fry them for about one minute, until golden brown.
- Add the jalapeño pepper slices, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the onions are soft and start to caramelize. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper.
- Add the red and green bell peppers and cook for another 10 minutes, until the peppers are soft. If it sticks to the skillet, add ¼ cup water.
- Stir in the sauce, cook for 20-30 seconds until the sauce becomes thick and syrupy. Add the drained white beans and stir to make sure everything is coated with the sauce.
- Serve hot on top of brown rice or as is.
I looking forVegan recipes for my son who is on Chemo and nutrition is so important. I can't wait to try this and see how he likes it.
I'm sorry to hear about your son being on chemo, yes I also believe healthy eating can play a big role in the healing process. I hope he will get well soon!
Thank you for the kind words Thomas.
No one needs to die of cancer. The Chinese have used homeopathic cures for it for millenia. Try cooking with curry leaves, turmeric, star anise, goji berries, ginger, galangal, deer horn, cinnamon [casia],chinese pyracantha, bird chili. Most of these can be found in 5 spice powder or chinese curry powder.
Do you start out with raw peanuts, or roasted?
I start with raw peanuts. If you have roasted ones, then add them at the end.
It would be helpful in the recipe list of ingredients to state raw peanuts.
Updated, thanks!
I made this as directed and it was delicious! Flavorful, just the right amount of spicy, filling, and healthy. I used low or no salt options everywhere I could and with the peppers it was far from bland. Thank you for this tasty recipe!
Glad you liked it Amy! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
This was really good! I used one can of beans and some asparagus that I needed to use up. Nice and spicy and the peanuts add a good texture
Glad you liked this recipe Lenore!
I made this recipe yesterday after learning about it from Nisha at Rainbow plant life. It was DELICIOUS and I look forward to trying more.
Thanks Tonya! 🙂
Excellent recipe, Thomas! I added some broccoli to the dish, and it was splended! Thanks so much!
Thanks for your rating Maneesha!
Good inspiration for ways to bring beans to Chinese food, thanks
Thanks!
This was just as delicious as the other fullofplants recipes I have tried. I have lots of trust in Thomas' recipes now and it's become my first stop for the answer to "what's for dinner."
This recipe saved me from having to go out in the rain today. I had everything in the pantry or fridge, with the exception of an onion (are you kidding me? No onion???) So I used pickled cocktail onions and grilled onions in oil from the usual half jars of stuff cluttering up my fridge. And hot peppers in oil, same opened-jar stash. And oh yeah, those roasted garlic cloves aging out...peppers and carrots I chopped for a salad yesterday...the last of a box of basmati rice...maple sugar instead of coconut sugar...
This pantry-and-fridge dish tasted fantastic, with the right amount of heat, the right amount of sauce, and a good balance between the veg and the beans. It was just as pretty as the pictures, easy to prepare and to clean up. What's not to love? Try it!
Thanks so much for your feedback Nancy!
I'm happy to hear you are liking the recipes 🙂