Miso Chickpeas with Mie Noodles

We made the easiest, most simple fusion recipe ever. These Miso Chickpeas with Mie Noodles have a little sprinkle of elements from different cuisines, all in one simple and delicious dish. We are semi-obsessed since it's so easy to make and it makes the best lunch option ever. 

If you are all about being practical as much as I am, you are going to love this recipe. We made this dish in 20 minutes! But with a bit of prep work ahead of time you can have lunch ready in, let us say 5 minutes!

We call this dish fusion because we have some mie noodles, typical of Chinese cuisine. But we also have miso, which even though it originated in China, is now a staple of Japanese cuisine.

I love the flavour that miso adds to my food. Way back when I used to think it was exclusively used as a broth. Little did I know that miso paste can be used for all sorts of different recipes. 

Miso paste is made with fermented soybeans, so it has a salty, tangy, and savoury taste. For this reason, it is great for adding intense flavour in the easiest possible way. You can use it to make salad dressings, glazes, stir-fries, marinades, in sauces, and how we are going to use it here, as a seasoning. 

The miso chickpeas have the spotlight in this recipe, here is where most of the flavour comes from. We need to mix the miso paste with garlic powder, maple syrup, rice wine, and a bit of sriracha sauce for a kick of spice. All these ingredients make magic together! 

We are making a glaze with all these ingredients. You just need to mix everything in a bowl and let it sit while we work on the chickpeas. I've found that the glaze sticks much better to the chickpeas when they are roasted until they are golden brown. This should take between 3 and 5 minutes. Just keep stirring them while they are on the frying pan, so they are evenly roasted. 

You have your chickpeas ready, now is time for the glaze! Pour the miso glaze on your roasted chickpeas and let it thicken. Here you want to keep stirring so every single chickpea is thoroughly covered. And just like that you now have a batch of crispy and delicious miso chickpeas. 

The rest of the elements for this dish are a walk in the park. First, we have a side of steamed broccoli florets which you can steam while you're making the miso chickpeas. And last, but certainly not least, mie noodles! These cook in 4 minutes, but I always recommend following the instructions on the package to stay in the safe zone. 

Sometimes I cook the miso chickpeas and the broccoli ahead of time. This way, I only have to cook the mie noodles on the spot and since they are ready so quickly I can have it all set up ready to devour in as fast as 5 minutes!