Crispy Chickpea Rice Bowls with Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

The secret to a bowl that costs $14 at a fast-casual place is that it's four cheap components arranged with confidence: something crispy, something creamy, something pickled, something starchy. Here the chickpeas get shatteringly crisp in a hot pan, the onions pickle themselves while the rice cooks, and the sauce is three ingredients whisked in a mug. Assembly is the recipe.

What it costs

How to make it

1. Rice on, onions in. Start the rice. Slice the red onion thin and drown it in a bowl with 3 tbsp vinegar, a pinch each of sugar and salt, and a splash of hot water. Done — they'll be hot pink and delicious by serving time.
2. Dry the chickpeas. Drain, rinse, and roll them in a clean towel until properly dry — this is the whole difference between crispy and mushy. A few skins falling off is good news.
3. Crisp them. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium-high. Chickpeas in a single layer, then leave them alone for 3–4 minutes before the first stir. 10–12 minutes total until golden and crackly. Off the heat, toss with 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, chili flakes, and salt.
4. Mug sauce. Whisk yogurt, lemon zest, half the lemon's juice, a pinch of salt, and a spoonful of water until drizzly.
5. Assemble with confidence. Rice, chickpeas, pickled onions, raw crunchy veg, sauce zigzagged over the top like you're being filmed. The remaining lemon juice over everything.

Meal-prep note: components keep separately for 4 days — but re-crisp the chickpeas in a dry pan for two minutes. Microwaved chickpeas are a lesson you only need once.