Chop the mushroom caps into quarters and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Close the lid and pulse the mushrooms until they are all finely minced. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion to the pot and saute until slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and celery. Saute the vegetables until all are slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the minced mushrooms to the pot and stir. Keep stirring and cooking the mushrooms until they glisten and soften up slightly, about 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, miso, and smoked paprika to the pot and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the Buffalo-style sauce, tomatoes, chickpeas, and vegetable stock to the pot. Stir to combine and then bring the chili to a boil.
Simmer the chili, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Everything in the Buffalo chickpea chili is already cooked, but you want to marry the flavours before serving. The carrots should be soft when you’re done. Season the chili to taste with salt, pepper, and more Buffalo sauce if desired. Serve the chili hot with cashew sour cream, toast etc.
I used cremini mushrooms, but (slightly more affordable) button mushrooms would be fine here. I think they might even make the chili look a bit more appetizing.
I used SWEET smoked Spanish paprika (rather than hot).
If you don’t have a food processor, you could certainly mince the mushrooms by hand, milling them back and forth on the board with a chef’s knife. If you’re wondering whether this recipe is worth dragging the food processor out for, it is. The finest chopping is done in 5 seconds.
My favourite all purpose miso is South River’s chickpea miso.
I like seasoning this chili at the very end because most hot sauces are quite salty and acidic. You may not need much salt at all.
Last but most important note: You need to get PROPER Buffalo-style hot sauce. It’s got that salty-tangy hit! Tessemae’s is great if you can find it.
Buffalo chickpea chili is an easy vegan recipe with tons of spicy flavour. Finely chopped mushrooms are super meaty! A comforting meal.