Syrnyky
Curd cheese pancakes
Golden curd-cheese pancakes with sour cream and jam
Syrnyky are the Sunday breakfast of Ukrainian childhoods: small, thick pancakes made almost entirely of tvorih, the dry farmer's cheese sold at every market in Odesa and Lviv, held together with an egg and a little flour and fried until golden. Inside they should be soft and creamy, like a baked cheesecake, outside lightly crisp. They are served with sour cream and cherry jam, or honey. Tvorih is made with lactic culture rather than rennet, so it suits vegetarians; dry cottage cheese pressed through a sieve or quark also works. Chef's tip: if your cheese is wet, wrap it in a cloth and press it under a weight for an hour; common mistake is adding extra flour to rescue a wet mixture, which makes syrnyky dense and rubbery.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the syrnyky
- 1 ⅛ lb tvorih (farmer's cheese) or dry quarkwell drained
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 tbsp plain flourplus 3 tbsp for dusting
- 4 tbsp sunflower oilfor frying
To serve
- 4 tbsp sour cream (smetana) (optional)
- 4 tbsp cherry jam (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Press 1 ⅛ lb tvorih (farmer's cheese) or dry quark through a sieve or mash it thoroughly with a fork until there are no large curds; this gives the creamy inside.
Step 2: Beat in 1 egg, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 pinch salt, then stir in 4 tbsp plain flour. The mixture should be soft but hold its shape when you scoop it; if it is very sticky, add one more tablespoon of flour only.
Step 3: Dust your hands and a board with flour. Shape the mixture into 12 balls, flatten each into a patty 1.5–2 cm thick and roll the edges in flour so they are neat and round.
Step 4: Heat 4 tbsp sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat until a pinch of flour sizzles. Fry the syrnyky for 3–4 minutes, until the underside is deep golden.
4 minStep 5: Turn them, lower the heat to medium-low and fry 4–5 minutes more. They are done when both sides are golden and the sides spring back when pressed. Too high a heat browns the outside while the centre stays raw.
5 minStep 6: Drain briefly on kitchen paper and serve warm with 4 tbsp sour cream (smetana) and 4 tbsp cherry jam.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does syrnyky take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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