Finnish & Vegan: Hernekeitto & Pannukakku

Finnish Suvi (vegan) and her friend Annika (also Finnish, interested and experienced in vegan cuisine) were very funny to cook with. Those Finnish girls came into my kitchen and invited me to experience the very delicious Finnish cuisine. We had a lot of fun making those dishes!!

I met Suvi on couchsurfing – of course ;)! Both – Suvi and Annika study saxophone and I´m pretty sorry that I wasn´t able to listen to their playing skills. But the vegan world is very small. I can see that again and again.

The girls showed me how to make a very Finnish dish that you mostly eat on thursdays – Hernekeitto & Pannukakku – we cooked on a wednesday though! But it still was very delicious. Hernekeitto is a soup made of green peas and Pannukakku are very special Finnish pancakes. Instead of frying them in a pan you make them in the oven.

Hernekeitto & Pannukakku

for the soup:

500g dried green peas (peeled or soaked over night)
2 onion(s)
4 carrots
250 g soy bacon or ham
2,5l water
2 teaspoons majoram or to taste
salt & pepper to taste

Rinse and drain the peas. Add peas and water to a pot and bring them to a boil.

Chop the onions and carrots and add to the peas after they cooked about 30 minutes.

Cut the fake meat into small pieces and after another 10 minutes add it to the soup as well. I had some fake ham left which I bought in Costa Rica – so we actually made Finnish pea soup with Costa Rican influence! 😉

When the peas are soft – season with majoram, salt and pepper.

During the soup cooking time you can prepare the Pannukakku.

for the Pannukakku:

1/2 l soymilk
1/2 l sparkling water
1 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 cups flour
optional: 50g melted vegan butter
optional: 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar, cinnamon or cardamom

Put all the ingredients together except the sparkling water until you have a smooth dough. Then carefully add the water. You should have a thin dough now.

Put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Take some baking paper to cover a baking tray. Add the dough carefully to the baking tray. Put it into the oven at 225 degrees for around 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick if ready. Cut into rectangles.