breakfast food is bad.

+ a non-breakfasty meal that’s more socially acceptable than leftovers

I’m a big fan of the “eat what you want, when you want” lifestyle. Food rules are silly. In the best case scenarios, they make life boring; and, in the worse case scenarios, they lead to dodgy eating habits that can be with us for life.

Everyone’s bodies are different, and so we should all eat accordingly! And if you’re in the camp of breakfast haters like me (we’re a rare bunch) but you have a pancake/cereal/toast fan in your household, breakfast time can be a struggle. 

If you read my last newsletter, you’ll know I grew up in Asia, eating noodles, dim sum, rice and congee (savoury porridge) for breakfast, as well as the beloved hero: leftovers.

I need to eat at breakfast time, because the first thing my body says when I wake up is “feed me”. But it’s pretty rare that I genuinely want breakfast food - it’s mostly just to fit in or appease others.

But behold!!! I have a compromise. I give you chickpea pancakes. They are as savoury as you get and you can fill them with just about whatever. In the photos below you’ll see the plain and spinach versions, which I served with homemade baked beans, mushrooms and avo, but I’ve definitely been pondering doing a vegan cheesy one too. A bit too much for the morning? Not for me.

So just hear us out, breaky lovers - we aren’t trying to make you nauseous with our leftovers. Our bodies are simply built differently. My boyfriend will no longer give me strange looks for cracking out the leftover pasta at 7am. Instead he simply says with a smile and a shake of the head, “Oh, Ari”. And sometimes, he even joins in. 💚

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ingredients.

serves 4

1 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cups water

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/3 cup spinach, if using

Salt/pepper/ herbs, to taste

Olive oil, for frying

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how to.

1. This one’s easy. Chuck all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The batter should be slightly thinner than regular pancake batter.

2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat, add about 1/3 cup batter at a time and roll around the pan until in a flat layer. Flip when bubbles form.

3. Serve with virtually anything- herby mushrooms, avocado, beans, potatoes, leftover curry. These bad boys are so versatile.