Whole-Wheat Microwave Pancakes

Last year my university housed me in one of the on-campus apartments, which meant that I had a kitchen. I went through a phase where I craved pancakes and would eat them every day for breakfast, experimenting with various recipes until I found the perfect one. I was pretty devastated when I was housed in a regular dormitory, partly because lacking a kitchen would make vegan life difficult in general but also partly because I knew that my love of pancakes would have to wait for the few times when someone would be willing to make the three-hour drive to take me back home.

That is, until this morning.

I've been craving pancakes for a while, but this morning the craving was especially intense. The past few weeks have taught me how to ghetto-rig and cook just about everything with only a toaster, a microwave, and a crock pot, even burfi (a type of Indian fudge) and a chocolate-mocha pie. Pancakes, I reasoned, rose and cooked because of the heat of a skillet, not necessarily because of the skillet itself. Why should a microwave not be able to create that heat?

The following recipe is the product of many years of experimentation. These pancakes are so light and fluffy that they practically melt in your mouth, but they're still firm and they give a gentle spring when you touch their surface. I encourage you to experiment with various flavors of ingredients, as this is just a simple base recipe. I've been known to add cinnamon, cardamom, dry pudding mix, oatmeal packets, and even flavored coffee syrups into my pancake mixes. If you increase the amount of flour and create an especially thick batter, these pancakes actually come out quite like cookies. You can also substitute cake mix or Bisquick for the whole-wheat flour (I'll get in touch with you soon about making a cake in the microwave); I just happen to prefer the taste of whole-wheat. Don't be afraid to add savory ingredients and turn this into a dinner dish.

May all of my fellow college vegans enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat or white whole-wheat flour
• 1 TBSP raw sugar
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/2 TBSP olive oil
• coconut oil for greasing

Method

1. Combine the dry ingredients.
2. Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry until the batter is smooth. It should have a thick, whipped consistency.
3. Grease a plate with coconut oil (you know how much I love coconuts).
4. I put about four forkfuls of batter onto a dessert plate, but whatever plate you choose, cover it with an even layer about half a centimeter in thickness. These pancakes will rise, but they will not spread like a traditional pancake on a skillet. For this reason, I recommend a ceramic plate that has an indentation in the center; you will form perfectly circular pancakes.
5. Cook in the microwave until the pancakes have fully risen and become firm. In my microwave, this took about two minutes per pancake. You will see the batter rise first on the edges until it finally pops up in the middle. A few seconds later, your pancakes will be done. These pancakes will not brown like they would on a skillet; they are done when you can touch them in the center and the batter does not stick to your fingers. The pancakes are firm enough that you can peel them right out of the plate.
6. Serve hot drizzled with maple syrup, Silk coffee creamer, Torani coffee syrups, or chocolate sauce. Serves one.

Zindagi
The Albino Desi strikes again!