Vegan Breakfast Ideas -- The Pancakes I Made the Morning Before Everything Changed

Departure day is Saturday, May 28. I am writing this post ahead, before the flight. We fly at 11:40 AM Pacific on Korean Air. The flight is twelve hours direct to Incheon. We transfer to a domestic flight to Busan, arriving at 6 PM Busan time Sunday. Jisoo will be waiting at the arrivals gate. James and I will walk out. She will see me in person for the first time since the adoption hospital in 1993.

I do not know how to prepare for the moment of walking out of the customs gate. Dr. Yoon and I talked about it. She said, "Walk. Let her walk. You will both know what to do." I am trying to trust that.

Friday night James and I had dinner with Karen and David at their house. Karen insisted we come. She made a simple dinner — roasted chicken, potatoes, a salad. I brought pajeon as a side. Karen and David gave us a small parcel — a handwritten letter from Karen for Jisoo, a handwritten letter from David for Jisoo, and a small gift from both of them for Jisoo. I did not open the letters. They are in my checked bag. I will deliver them when I arrive.

Karen held my hand at the door. She said, "Go. Have the trip of your life. Come back and tell me all of it." David hugged me for a long time. He said, "We love you, Steph. Come back safely." I said, "I will." James hugged both of them. Karen said to James, "You take care of her." James said, "Always."

I drove home with my hands a little unsteady. I packed the checked bag. I made sure the gifts were all in. I tried to sleep. I slept badly.

I want to capture here, before the trip erases my present self with a new self, what it feels like to be the Stephanie of Friday, May 27, 2022, sitting at her Capitol Hill kitchen table, twelve hours out from Korea, twenty-nine years old, engaged to a good man, with a mother in Bellevue she loves and a mother in Busan she loves, with a brother in Portland and a brother in Seoul, with a sister in Busan she has not yet met, with a career she is going to leave and a business she has not yet started, with a year of writing about it behind her and a trip ahead of her that is going to change her.

I will write from Busan. I will try. I may not post every Sunday while I am there. If I miss a week, forgive me. I am busy being found.

The recipe this week is, of all things, kimchi pajeon — the pajeon I made last night with James in the Capitol Hill kitchen. Chopped kimchi, a little kimchi juice in the batter, scallions, oil. Fried crisp. I packed two pieces in a reusable container for the plane. I have been told you cannot take fermented food through Korean customs, but pajeon is cooked and sealed and I am taking it. I want Jisoo's first meal from me, in her home, to be a pajeon I cooked in Seattle. A small gesture. A small continuity. I am delivering it like a letter. I will tell you if it survives the flight.

I made these the morning of Saturday, May 28, before James and I loaded the car and drove to SeaTac—simple, fast, no eggs, no dairy, nothing that required me to think too hard while my hands were still unsteady from the night before. Vegan pancakes have been my low-stakes Saturday ritual for two years now, and I needed something familiar to hold onto for exactly twenty minutes before the world changed. I stacked them, ate half, wrapped the rest, and left my Capitol Hill kitchen cleaner than I found it, which felt like the right way to leave a place you love.

Vegan Breakfast Pancakes

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4 (about 8 pancakes)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened oat milk (or any plant-based milk)
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water (flax egg, rested 5 minutes)
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or avocado), plus more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for serving

Instructions

1. Make the flax egg. Stir ground flaxseed into 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and set aside for at least 5 minutes until it thickens into a gel.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar until evenly combined.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the oat milk, flax egg, oil, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
4. Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined—a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix or the pancakes will turn out tough.
5. Heat the pan. Place a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat and brush lightly with oil. When a drop of water flicked onto the surface skitters and evaporates, the pan is ready.
6. Cook the pancakes. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto the pan. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side for 1 to 2 minutes until golden. Repeat with remaining batter, adding oil between batches as needed.
7. Serve. Stack and serve warm with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Leftover pancakes keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat well in a dry skillet or toaster.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg