This vegan pannekoek (pancakes) recipe has a secret ingredient that gives it great flavour and a rich texture. The pancakes taste exactly like traditional South African pancakes but are dairy and egg-free. So what is the secret ingredient? Mung beans! At the moment I am borderline obsessed with how these magic lentils mimic eggs in certain recipes. I’ve tried other egg-free vegan pannekoek recipes, and they were just not the same. This recipe is not only a good vegan recipe, it is so good I would recommend it to anyone. The batter is much easier to work with. This version is an absolute joy and it is definitely worth getting your hands on the mung beans. I will be posting more recipes using these soon!
These pancakes are similar to English pancakes, crepes and Dutch pannenkoeken. However, I have formulated this recipe to give the thickness and consistency of South African pannekoek.
Pannekoek in South Africa
South African pannekoek are thin – much thinner than American pancakes. They are a little thicker than a crepe, and also contain baking powder, which traditional crepes don’t have.
Pannekoek on a rainy day is a common family tradition. It has to be actually raining, not just cold or overcast! Then it is time to make a big batch of batter, and start making pancakes. This often involved juggling multiple pans, and taking turns at the stove, while the family gathers in the kitchen, eating fresh pancakes as they are made. If you have more self-control, you can make a giant stack of these pancakes before sitting down for a treat.
They are also a traditional staple of church bazaars, school fairs, and other community events. You will often spot a little pannekoek stand outside a supermarket. A pannekoek, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and then rolled up, is very festival or street food friendly.
Key ingredients for vegan pannekoek
Ok, let’s first talk about the elephant in the room (bean in the batter?). The idea to use mung beans is from the US based egg replacer Just Egg, which is based on mung beans. This is not available in South Africa as far as I know, but why not go to the source? For this recipe, you want the yellow split mung beans. Look for these at an Asian grocer (I found them online). I have not tried these with the green bung beans. It may well work, but the colour will be a bit off. The yellow ones give a very egg like experience when blended.
The other ingredients are pretty standard. I replaced the milk with soy milk, but any plant milk will work. Most pancake recipes include a little vinegar. This is supposed to keep them from being rubbery. I think it probably also balances the flavour a bit.
Equipment
For this recipe, you will need a blender to blend the mung beans. You also need a good pan. My go to for this is a non-stick crepe pan (a crepe pan has a very shallow rim, making it easier to flip). This is not absolutely necessary, but it is nice. It is usually nice to have two pans on the go at a time, because it can take a while to bake a batch.
Tips
When making the batter, don’t add all the liquid at once. it is easier to get a lump free batter when the batter is thicker. Most recipes indicate that the batter should rest for about 30 minutes, although I have not found this to be necessary for this recipe. The final batter should be thin enough to easily coat the pan with a little tilting of the pan. Don’t be afraid to add a little water to the batter if it feels too thick. You want to very lightly oil the pan between pancakes. I use cooking spray, but you can keep an oiled paper towel handy, and give the pan a quick wipe. The lore says the first pancake will always flop, so don’t panic if it happens! The next one will work.
Serving pannekoek
The traditional way to serve pannekoek is to make a big stack on a plate, and then sprinkle the top one with cinnamon sugar, give it a little squeeze of lemon juice, and roll the pancake.
They can also be filled with savoury fillings, but I am definitely more of a sweet pannekoek person. Also, while other things like chocolate spreads, jam and sauces are great fillings, I feel that is more crepe territory.
Other South African recipes to try
Vegan buttermilk and oat rusks
Vegan pannekoek
Equipment
- crepe pan or other good shallow frying pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry mung beans
- 1 cup soy milk to blend with the mung beans
- 2 cup flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1¼ cup soy milk to thin the batter
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Soak the mung beans for at least an hour, or overnight
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and baking powder.
- Blend the mung beans with the soy milk until smooth (There are two quantities of soy milk in the recipe – the first one is to blend with the mung beans)
- Add the blended mung beans to the flour, and whisk until the batter is lump free.
- Slowly add the rest of the soy milk (listed separately in the ingredient list)
- Add the sugar, vinegar, and melted coconut oil.
- Slowly add the water, whisking to mix.
- You can let the batter rest for 30 minutes at this point, but I don't find that it is necessary with this recipe.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray, or wipe with some paper towel soaked in oil.
- Add a ladleful of batter to the pan, and tilt the pan to allow the batter to cover the entire pan with a thin layer. It should be a little thicker than a crepe. If the pancakes seem too thick, add a little more water to the batter.
- Put the finished pancakes on a plate and keep warm. Keep stacking pancakes until the batter is finished. You may find that the pancakes dissappear while you bake. If that happens, make the eater take a turn at the pan and have a few yourself
- Serve with cinnamon sugar and lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Vegan Tikka Masala
This vegan tikka masala features a silky, creamy tomato sauce, roast onions and peppers, and tofu. Blended cashew nuts are used to create a luxurious creamy sauce. It is one of my favourite Friday night treats – this is exactly what I crave after a long week. Nothing says it is the weekend like a curry, naan and a beer.
What is Tikka Masala?
The first important thing to note is that Tikka Masala is, most likely, not a traditional Indian dish. It likely originated in the UK (although not all sources agree). It is somewhat similar to butter chicken, in that the meat-based versions feature chicken pieces in a creamy sauce.
Recipes vary significantly. The common elements in traditional versions include marinated, roast meat and vegetables (done in the tandoor if it is a restaurant version), and a creamy tomato sauce. The version that I used to get from my local curry place had lovely sweet roast onions and peppers alongside roast chicken. I definitely wanted to retain the roast vegetables in my plant-based version. Use smoked tofu, because I feel like it gives in a little of that roast, smoky flavour that comes from the high temperatures of the tandoor oven. Vegan Tikka Masala can really be just as flavourful as the original.
Spices
Most versions feature Garam Masala, Cumin and Turmeric, as well as some form of chilli powder. In addition to these, I also include black pepper and paprika, for added depth of flavour and bolder colour. My chilli powder of choice is Kashmiri chilli. It has a beautiful, deep red colour and great flavour. It is well worth getting – I use it in many curries.
Creaminess
Traditional versions use quite a lot of heavy cream, yoghurt or both to create the creamy sauce. I opted to use cashews, as I believe they give more of a buttery flavour than coconut milk. Also, I always have cashews on hand and you are never stuck with half a container going bad in the fridge. I buy cashews in bulk and keep them in the freezer. You want to buy the raw, unsalted kind. I also use a smooth tomato puree, because I like the final sauce to be silky rather than chunky.
Substitutions and variations
Tofu is a great fit in this recipe. It is reminiscent of paneer, and it works really well in this flavourful sauce. However, you easily substitute this with some other options. Cauliflower works well. If you use cauliflower, roast it with the onions and peppers. Chickpeas are another good option. Simply add a can to the sauce.
What to serve with the Tikka Masala?
I love serving it with some freshly made garlic naan. It is also great with some plain basmati rice, but it really doesn’t need much more than that.
Vegan Tikka Masala
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
For the roast vegetables
- 4 Small sweet peppers
- 1 Large red onion
Make the sauce
- 1 Large onions
- 2 Clove garlic
- 1 Thumb sized piece of ginger
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp Fenugreek
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder Substitute half the amount cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp Coarse ground black pepper
- ½ cup Raw cashew nuts
- 1 jar Tomato puree
- 1 Block Tofu Use smoked if you have it
- ⅓ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sugar
- Coriander / cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Roast the vegetables
- Heat the oven to 200°C /392°F
- Halve the peppers length-wise, and deseed the peppers. Cut each half in quarters. Peel the onions, half them lengthwise as well and cut into quarters. Lay these out on a baking tray and pop them into the oven. Roast them until the edges of the onions are dark and the skins of the peppers start to blacken.
For the sauce
- Meanwhile, start the sauce. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger (keep separate, becasue you want add the onions first).
- Add a little oil to a pot, and add the cumin seeds and the fenugreek. When you hear them popping, add the onions. Saute until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute a minute or two longer.
- Add about a cup of water, and the cashews. Now add all the spices (turmeric, cumin powder, garam masala, black pepper, paprika, and chilli powder)
- Simmer the cashews for about 10 minutes to soften them. Let them cool slightly, and blend until smooth. If you don't want to wait, mix in some of the cold tomato puree.
- Return the blended mixture to the pot, and add the tomatoes if you have not done so in the previous step. Bring to a simmer.
Combine the dish
- Dice the tofu and add to the sauce. When the peppers and onion are roasted, skin the peppers if you prefer (I tend to leave the skin on) and add to the sauce.
- Let the sauce simmer for about five minutes, and taste. Add salt and the sugar to taste.
- Garnish with coriander/cilantro/dhania
Nutrition
Argentinian lentil empanadas
I’m always looking for interesting flavour combinations that add a bit of variety. These empanadas combine paprika, cumin, green olives and raisins. The lentils used in this vegan version works perfectly and adds a great earthy flavour. The crust is light and crispy, without going overboard on fat. I just love little hand pies – everything tastes better in a crust.
Making the vegan empanada dough
The dough is fairly most, so make sure you have plenty of flour on your surface as you work to prevent sticking. Most traditional recipes use egg, hence I opted to include some mung bean egg. I will do a more detailed recipe for making mung bean egg in the future, but in short, you soak a cup of yellow split mung beans overnight in water, and blend this up with half a cup of plant milk until smooth. This will make a lot, but I’ve been using this in many recipes. You can also make a scramble with this mix.
I’ve use a 50/50 mix of wholewheat and white flour. You can go all white or all whole wheat, but you will have to adjust the liquid appropriately – whole wheat flour is thirstier.
The dough is reasonably forgiving of re-working, so roll out the offcuts to make more circles. Or, sometimes I just cut squares and avoid waste altogether.
Argentinian lentil empanadas
Equipment
- Large cookie press
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white bread flour
- 180 g coconut milk
- 1/4 cup mung bean egg see notes, or use extra coconut milk
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the filling
- 150 g dry brown lentils about 3/4 cup
- 1 onion
- 1 stick celery
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 large red or yellow bell pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tbs miso paste
- 1 tbs wine or sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup stoned sliced olives
- 50 g raisins (about 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180°C/356°F.
- Get the lentils cooking in salted water or stock. This should take about 20 minutes
- First, make the dough. Combine all the ingredients and stir until just combined. Give the dough a very quick knead. Don’t overwork the dough. The dough will be somewhat soft, but should not be sticky. Cover the dough with plastic (or put in in a sealed container, and let it rest in the fridge while you work on the filling
- Dice the onion, slice the celery, grate the carrot, and dice the sweet pepper. Mix all these veg and saute until soft. When the onions are sweet and translucent, add the garlic. Garlic gets too bitter if it browns too much IMO. Your lentils should be nearly done by now. If not, pause at this stage until they are done.
- When the garlic has been in for a minute or two, add the cumin, paprika, and oregano. Let the spices cook for 30 seconds or so, then add the drained lentils. Now add the miso, raisins, and olives, vinegar, and a splash water (about a quarter cup, depending on how moist your lentils were. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cook for 5-10 minutes. You want the mixture to be fairly dry.
- Take your filling of the heat. Ideally, let it cool for a while.
- Roll out the dough, until it is about 5mm thick. Punch out circles of about 10cm. This is bigger than most cookie cutters – I use my nutribullter cup. Put a heaped tablespoon filling in the center of the circle, fold over, and seal with a fork
- Brush the pies with a little soy milk. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown
Notes
Nutrition
Cornbread (Mieliebrood)
This South African mieliebrood (cornbread in Afrikaans) – has plenty of flavour, and has just the right hint of sweetness. It is an easy recipe that is absolutely foolproof. The original recipe was a family recipe handed down from my mother, and I have many fond childhood memories of this being served as a side dish at family braais (grilling). The version I give on the recipe card is a vegan mieliebrood, but I’ve added notes describing the original.
South African mieliebrood
It is surprisingly hard to unambiguously explain what corn product to use to a global audience. Cornstarch is a very fine powder, made out of the starch part of the corn kernel, and is used for thickening. Corn flour is a fine powder, similar to other flours. Cornmeal (also known as maize meal) is coarser than most flours and is often used in cooking as well as baking – think Polenta. Should be simple, right? Except sometimes cornstarch is called cornflour, and I’m sure there are other regional variations as well. This recipe calls for a maize meal/corn meal.
In South Africa, we eat yellow corn on the cob, but cornmeal is always white. If you don’t have white cornmeal, it will work just as well with polenta. Cornflour is not commonly available, so I have not tested it with cornflour.
The original had a lot of eggs, sugar and oil. I haven’t completely eliminated the oil and sugar from this version, but I’ve reduced it significantly. This is not quite healthy, but I still love this as an occasional treat. The combination of cornmeal and cream-style sweetcorn gives a great corn flavour.
Serving mieliebrood
While I love eating this fresh and warm from the oven, but it keeps well for a day or two and it make a great breakfast. It is a great side dish at a barbecue and it also goes really well with chilli.
I often make one big, round mieliebrood in a round casserole, but when I watch what I eat I make individual portions in a brownie tin to make portion control a little easier. I have to warn you – this bread is seriously delicious and it is hard to stop at one slice.
Substitutions
To make this cornbread vegan, I’ve substituted the eggs in the recipe with applesauce and ground flax seeds. If you would like to make the original version, omit the flaxmeal and applesauce; increase the sugar and oil to half a cup each, and add three eggs.
Vegan Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup cornmeal Use polenta or Mieliemeel
- 1 tbs baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 jar 225g/8 oz applesauce
- 1 can cream style sweetcorn
- 2 tbs flaxmeal
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F
- Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt and stir to ensure the baking powder is incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the apple sauce,cream style sweetcorn, flaxmeal, olive oil and sugar and mix. Add this to the dry ingredients. Stir until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Don't overmix
- You can either make one large bread of twelve individual ones. I use an individually portioned brownie tin, but a cupcake tin will work just as well. The individual portions helps to remind me to not finish the whole thing in one sitting. Remember to coat with non-stick spray.
- Bake at 180°C/360°F. For individual portions, this will take about 25 minutes (the time will depend on the shape of your baking tin) For a large bread, it will take about 45 minutes. Test with a skewer 5 minutes before the indicated time.
- Let the bread cool before slicing, as it will be pretty crumbly when in comes out of the oven.
Nutrition
Vegan buttermilk and oat rusks
These vegan buttermilk rusks are packed with oats, currants and raisins. This rusk recipe uses high bran flour to give them lots of fibre. They are the perfect breakfast or anytime snack.
Wait, what are rusks?
Today I learned that Wikipedia lists twenty-three regional variations of rusks. I think the South African rusk has evolved into something special. Wikipedia describes rusks as twice-baked bread dough. This sounds thoroughly unappetizing and isn’t remotely accurate. Rusk dough is a thing unto itself. It is somewhere between bread and cookie dough. A rusk should not be too sweet or rich, though, because you should still be able to convince yourself that you are not eating cookies for breakfast.
In South Africa, rusks (also known as beskuit in Afrikaans) are deeply embedded in our daily lives. If you check into a hotel or guesthouse, there will probably be some rusks at the coffee station. If you walk into an office in the morning, someone will be having a rusk with their morning coffee. On those days that I have to head out at dawn to some remote corner of the country for work, I throw a few rusks into my laptop bag.
How to make vegan rusks
When I started eliminating animal products from my diet, not having rusks was an immediate crisis, and I started experimenting with a rusk recipe. Vegan butter is not commonly available in South Africa, and I despise margarine, so I used coconut oil for some of the fat content in the rusks. I wanted to reduce the coconut oil as much as possible, so I incorporated blended cashew nuts to the recipe that adds lots of buttery flavour and healthier fats.
A combination of soy milk and apple cider vinegar works well for substituting for the buttermilk, but you can use any plant milk you prefer.
The first step is to bake your rusk loaves. At this stage it will look like a tea bread. You will then slice these into rusks. Treat yourself to a wet rusk or two. They are delicious. The cut rusks are dried for several hours in a very low oven.
Vegan buttermilk and oat rusks
Equipment
- Loaf tins
- cookie sheets or racks for drying
- Blender to blend cashews
Ingredients
- 500 g high bran wholewheat flour (Nutty wheat) About 4¼ cups
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 2 cups rolled oats prefer regular, quick cooking will also work
- 1 cup currants raisins or a combination of the two
- 3 tbs flaxmeal
- 1/2 cup soy milk to mix with flax
- 1 3/4 cup soy milk
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar
- 100 g cashews
- 150 g coconut oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F
- Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and oats and currants or raisins in a bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine the flax meal with the warm soy milk and let stand for a few minutes.
- Add the cashews to about two cups water and microwave for a three minutes, and let stand for about five minutes.
- Blend the cashews with the soy milk. I do this in my Nutribullet, but any blender will work. A smooth texture is not that important in this recipe. Add the apple cider vinegar to the milk mixture. You can let this stand for a bit to curdle like buttermilk, but I don’t feel this is necessary.
- Add the sugar and vanilla to the milk mixture. Melt the coconut oil and add this to the same bowl. Also add the flax and soymilk mix.
- Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and oats together. This is the dry mix
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir to combine. Don’t overmix. It will form a dough with a muffin-like consistency.
- Divide the dough between two loaf tins. Mine are 10cmm x 23cm (4'' x 10''). Bake at 180°C (360°F) for about 35-40 minutes.
- Let the loaves cool. Slice each loaf into seven slices, and divide each slice vertically into three fingers
- Lay these out on a sheet pan and put into an oven set to 100°C (210 °F). Allow the rusks to dry for several hours (usually 3- 4 in my oven).
Notes
Nutrition
Vegan Bobotie
This vegan bobotie recipe has all the flavor of the original South African bobotie. It is spicy, fragrant and delicious. It is a special dish, so if you are in the mood to try something unique, this is the dish for you.
What is Bobotie?
Bobotie is a traditional South African casserole. A few key elements define this dish: A sweet, savory, spicy filling that is bound with bread soaked in milk. Traditionally, this filling is made with ground beef or lamb. It is spiced with a generous amount of cinnamon, turmeric, and cloves. The spiciness is balanced with sweetness, The sweetness from jam or chutney, raisins, and even apples.
This filling is bound together with bread soaked in milk, giving it a slightly creamy texture and prevents the topping from soaking into the filling. Lastly, the dish traditionally topped with a savory custard and is decorated with bay leaves
How to make a healthy, plant based bobotie?
I found this dish pretty easy to adapt since there are so many components that add flavor to the dish that replacing the meat doesn’t affect the flavor that much. I’ve replaced the ground beef with a lentil and walnut combination. The topping was a bit trickier. I considered a blended tofu-based topping, but for this version I decided on a fluffy chickpea flour batter, flavored with turmeric. It is visually spot on, and it brings the dish together in terms of flavor and texture.
In my family, Bobotie is served with yellow rice, simple tomato and onion sambal, toasted desiccated coconut, fresh sliced banana, and chutney. I can really recommend going for the full spread. If you live outside South Africa, you may not be able to find the exact equivalent of the chutneys we enjoy here, but look for one that is sweet and fruity and you should be on the right track.
Yellow rice is simply rice cooked with turmeric, sticks of cinnamon, and raisins. While traditional recipes would add some butter and sugar. I add just a little brown sugar and rely on the raisins for sweetness.
Vegan Bobotie
Ingredients
- 1½ cup dry lentils
- 2 onions
- 3 carrots
- ¾ cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼-½ tsp ground cloves The upper range will give you a strong clove flavour, which I enjoy
- 1½ tsp allspice
- 2 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 apples grated
- 3 tablespoons apricot jam
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 slices wholewheat bread soaked in almond milk
- 1 lemon juice and zest
For the topping
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2-3 Bay leaves optional, for decoration
Instructions
- Boil the lentils for 20-25 minutes until cooked
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F
- Finely chop the onion in a food processor.
- Saute the chopped onion until soft and translucent
- While the onions are cooking, process the walnuts and carrots to a breadcrumb texture
- Add the carrot mix to the pan with the onions. Saute for a few minutes.
- Add the spices and garlic.
- Process the cooked lentils. Don’t let them get too fine.
- Add the lentils to the pot.
- Add the grated apple, apricot jam, raisins and soy sauce. Cook the mixture over low heat for a few minutes. Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning.
- Meanwhile, soak the bread in a little almond milk. Mash the bread with a fork and add to the mixture. Yes, this seems weird but it is important to the texture of the dish.
- Put your lentil mixture in a casserole dish. You want to create a fairly smooth surface and pack things fairly tightly, or the topping will sink into the gaps.
- Now, make the topping. Mix all the dry ingredients, and then slowly mix in the almond milk to form a smooth batter.
- Pour on top of the lentil mix in the casserole
- Decorate with bay leaves or cloves
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until the topping is puffed and golden.