Vegan Scotch Pancakes

By Timothy Teng (Timothy can be contacted at timerty@gmail.com)

I ate my first pancakes when I was 9 or 10 yrs old, when McDonald's first began to introduce them in Singapore. I can still remember visiting the nearest outlet with my mother on the weekends and eating the warm pancakes out of the styrofoam boxes. For the other rare moments, my mother would buy them home and I would eat them while watching my favourite Saturday morning cartoons.

Pancakes are undeniably the comfort food for many kids and adults alike. They are especially comforting to eat right after one has gotten out of bed and craving for something warm, sweet and spongy to prepare oneself for the rest of the day.

Good fluffy pancakes used to be only available in a dairy version, while the non-dairy homemade ones tend to be dense and gluey. But using my special vegan recipe, everyone can surely once again enjoy fluffy pancakes without any harmful dairy and shortening.

My version of pancakes is of the thick English style often referred to by the name of drop scones or Scotch pancakes. They are quite different from the larger and flatter American-style version.

Ingredients: 
1 cup plain flour(use a finer type of flour for more cake-like texture)
2 tablespoons chickpea/garbanzo/besan/gram flour(you can use the type sold in Indian grocery shops)
1 tablespoon brown sugar(optional)

1 teaspoon baking powder(less than 6 mths old)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda(less than 6 mths old)
2/3 cup soy milk or any other non-dairy milk
1/3 cup water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract(optional)

1 tablespoon oil
 2 tablespoons of a home-made egg substitute
(grind about 1 1/2 cups of flaxseeds in a food processor for 1 min(it's not possible to grind them too fine) or use ready-milled flaxseeds. Add about 3/4 cup water and process to form a slimy paste, then add about 1/3 cup chickpea flour and process again to form a yellowish 'eggy' paste)

Directions:
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

2. In a measuring cup, mix the water and the soy milk then add it to the dry mixture. 

3. Use a rubber spatula and stir to form a smooth batter.

4. Add 2 tablespoons of the egg substitute and a tablespoon of oil and mix until the batter turns 'eggy'.

5. Scoop or pour the batter onto a heated greased pan to form small round-sized pancakes. You can add fruits such as fresh blueberries to the top of the cooking pancakes at this time. Flip the pancakes over when bubbles have appeared and cook until the bottom is browned.

For oatmeal pancakes, replace 1/4 cup of plain flour with oatmeal.

Serve with maple syrup or jam. Top with a scoop of vegan margarine(Olive Gold) for a salty flavor. Add fruits on the side such as caramelized bananas and peaches. You can also make a delicious caramel-like sauce with peanut butter, dark brown sugar and some water. Eat slowly and enjoy.