It feels so good to be back. Writing on this platform. Gone are the heavy-duty library mornings, scrambling to memorise any and every little exam-related detail. Content- too much of it. Second year is over!!

Though I am back in a work routine once more, the sudden overwhelming heat and humidity equating to occasional brain fog and angry lethargy, there’s a prevailing zest for life and all there is to offer here at home. Tuesday demanded my favourite classic– a recipe that’s been tested and loved by so many friends and plenty of family members. It’s what my sisters scream for whenever I am back, what defines their Sunday mornings.

My classic pillow pancakes, stuffed with warmed berries, topped with thick coconut yoghurt, crushed frozen raspberries (like granita!) and homemade granola given to me by a kind friend. 

My favourite part about making these never gets old. You ladle tablespoonfuls of batter onto a hot pan, let it spread. Once you see a few bubbles around the edges and on the surface, you flip and watch the whole pancake rise a little, like a soft inhale. The ratio of dry ingredients means that even if the batter turns out slightly thinner than what you would like, which has happened a couple of times to me, the pancakes still turn out perfectly fluffy and well-risen every single time.

Tender, fluffy rounds of perfect. The berries in here lend a nice tang in each bite. Highly recommend eating with coconut yoghurt and maple syrup, for a symphony of stodge and creaminess (sans any guilt of course), and something with a bit of crunch for textural variety.

Berry-stuffed Pillow Pancakes (makes around 11-12 medium pancakes)

Ingredients

188g all-purpose flour

2 tbsp white sugar (I like to use coconut or maple sugar here)

generous pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 banana, mashed

50g frozen mixed berries

50g unsalted vegan butter (or 45g canola/vegetable oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract, or the insides of half a plump vanilla bean (or a skinny meek one)

240ml plant milk– almond/cashew/soy/rice

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt and leavening agents). Take out your berries from the freezer and leave to thaw while you prep the rest of the ingredients. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in a microwave and set it aside, letting it cool. In another medium bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, plant milk, vanilla (or insides of a vanilla bean) and melted butter. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and mix briefly with a wooden spoon or a normal dinner spoon. Continue to mix until everything is just combined, which means there will still be a few lumps, but no more streaks of flour. The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy.

Preheat your pan on medium heat and ready some butter. You know the pan is hot enough when you flick a little water onto its surface and there’s a clear sizzle. At that point, generously butter the pan and ladle tablespoonfuls of batter. I didn’t have to wait for bubbles to pop before flipping; the batter is thicker than usual and there’s no need to wait. Flip the pancakes when you notice the edges stiffening a little, or when you can slide your spatula whole underneath the bottom of the pancake. It will rise a little upon flipping, as if that action gives it life, and hence, breath. The surface should have a brown mosaic thanks to the hot butter. Once the second side is done (will take no more than 20 seconds), let cool on a paper towel. As mentioned above, these freeze wonderfully, so you can make a whole batch, have a small stack and stash the rest in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Easy!

Serve with more frozen berries, coconut yoghurt and maple syrup.