Recipe: Mung Bean Pancakes

This is a typical Sunday afternoon recipe, in my opinion. The taste and structure of these relatively healthy pancakes reminds me of an omelet. The recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, an excellent cookbook with many great recipes. It is not a vegan cookbook. Most recipes are vegan or easily adapted but there are some recipes that rely on dairy or eggs. The many vegan recipes are easy, delicious and very worth it, in my opinion.

I know, this recipe is not the greatest example of a healthy recipe. You can only eat so much salad, though and sometimes you just do not feel like bean soups and chili's. This recipe is sure to please children (don't call them pancakes though, they taste nothing like flour pancakes) and an excellent different way to eat your beans. People who do not like beans usually do like these pancakes. The ingredients are all natural whole foods and pancakes like these are traditional foods of many countries around the world.

Ingredients

• 1 cup split mungbeans (original recipe calls for hulled, I use whatever I have on hand)
• 1/4 to 3/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp salt (original recipe calls for 1 tsp. omit and increase other spices according to your own salt comfort level).
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 2 scallions, cut into very fine rounds
• 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped (I just chop it)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup water, plus soaking water

Instructions

1. Soak the mung beans for seven hours in lots of water. Drain, rinse the mung beans and discard the soaking liquid.
2. Put all the ingredients except the scallions, tomato and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until you have a smooth and light batter. Transfer the batter into a bowl.
3. Stir in scallions, tomato and cilantro.
4. Spray a good non stick pan with a little oil and wait until it is warm (the original recipe calls for lots of oil, but I find that not necessary). Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter in the center of the pan. Spread the batter with the bottom of a large spoon and form a pancake.
5. Wait until the bottom part seems done. Turn around and bake the other side.
6. Enjoy!

July 23, 2006