Brekkie today

Just a teaser for my upcoming '50 dishes of ISB vela life' post: The pancake special I made today morning!! I'm not a big fan of pancakes but today I quite surprised myself. Finally! I am a radical freethinking scientist-warrior in the kitchen, having overthrown the tyranny of the recipebook and created my own concoctions and accompaniment combinations!




Clockwise from top: vanilla and chocolate chip pancake, orange marmalade pancake, chocolate pancake. Accompaniments: hot mango chutney, orange marmalade, mango and banana.


And since I know you're already grovelling for the recipe:

1. Put one teaspoon oil in a flat frying pan/ tawa. Heat on low, spread oil over the entire surface of the pan.
2. Meanwhile, take a cup of maida in a bowl. Add half teaspoon of baking powder.
3. Crack one egg into this.
4. Add two tablespoons of sugar, preferably powdere (but if you're feeling lazy, skip it).
5. Add one-inch knob of butter, preferably melted.
6. Add 1/2 to one cup of cold milk (I don't remember exactly how much i put), whisking everything with a fork to avoid lumps. You should get a thick pouring consistency, the kinds that very pulpy mango shake has.
7. Add vanilla essence, if you have some.
8. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of this mixture in the centre of the pan (it'll spread because of the butter in it). When bubbles appear on the edges, flip. After a minute, take off fire and put on plate. Top with honey/ fresh fruit chunks/ melted chocolate and dig in!


Now for the variations:
1. Chocolate chip pancake: Take a chocolate bar (I had only dairy milk), freeze it for about 10 minutes so that it is hard. With the wrapper on, pound it with something heavy (very cathartic), then open wrapper and take out chocolate chips. After pouring your basic pancake batter on the pan, just drop some of the chips into it. Flip and cook for a minute, take off the fire and gobble. (Tastes great with fresh mango topping, and according to husband, also with banana).


2. Orange marmalade pancake: In the basic batter, add a splash of orange juice, some extra maida to maintain consistency, and a small teaspoon of orange marmalade. Whisk madly. Make pancakes as normal. (Tastes fantastic with hot mango chutney or fresh mango topping).


3. Chocolate pancake: Simple! Just add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the basic batter and make pancakes. I also added chocolate chips to one and it was quite nice. (Tastes awesome with orange marmalade topping).