Syrniki
This version of syrniki differs from typical Polish curd cheese pancakes in two ways. First, the curd is pushed through a sieve, which makes the mixture as smooth as a cream instead of grainy. Second, it is bound mainly with semolina rather than flour: semolina swells and takes up the excess moisture instead of turning the pancake rubbery. The rest is a matter of patience at the pan.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Curd mixture 10 min
- Semolina swelling 10 min
- Shaping and frying 20 min
Step by step
0 / 7 donePush the curd through a sieve
Work all the curd through a fine sieve with a spoon or spatula. This is the step that separates smooth syrniki from lumpy ones — and a fork cannot replace it. Nor can a blender: it easily turns the curd into a loose, gluey paste.
Ingredients: 500 g curd cheese · 1 pcs egg · 40 g sugar · 3 tbsp semolina · 2 tbsp plain flour · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 1 pinch salt · 50 g raisins
Through a sieve, not a fork — that is where smoothness comes from.Mix with the egg and semolina
Add the egg, both sugars, salt, semolina and flour, and mix briefly, just until combined. The longer you work it, the more gluten you develop in those two spoonfuls of flour — and that is what makes the texture rubbery. Fold in the drained raisins.
Ingredients: 500 g curd cheese · 1 pcs egg · 40 g sugar · 3 tbsp semolina · 2 tbsp plain flour · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 1 pinch salt · 50 g raisins
Leave it for 10 minutes
Rest the mixture for 10 minutes. The semolina has to absorb moisture from the curd — only then does it stop sticking to your hands and become shapeable. Skipping the rest usually ends in adding more flour, which is the short road to dry pancakes.
Ingredients: 500 g curd cheese · 1 pcs egg · 40 g sugar · 3 tbsp semolina · 2 tbsp plain flour · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 1 pinch salt · 50 g raisins
Shape thick patties
With floured hands shape rounds (you will get about 12) 6 cm across and 2 cm thick — thicker than instinct suggests. A thin syrnik dries right through before it can brown; a thick one stays moist and cheesy inside.
Ingredients: 500 g curd cheese · 1 pcs egg · 40 g sugar · 3 tbsp semolina · 2 tbsp plain flour · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 1 pinch salt · 50 g raisins
Two centimetres thick — thin ones dry out.Dust with flour and tap off the excess
Roll each patty in flour and tap off the surplus. A thin coating gives a crust; a thick one flakes off in the pan, burns in the fat and leaves the pancake pale.
Ingredients: 40 g plain flour · 30 g butter · 2 tbsp oil
Fry slowly in butter and oil
Heat half the butter with half the oil over medium-low and fry in batches, 3–4 minutes a side, about 16 minutes in all; fry the second batch in the rest of the fat. Butter brings flavour and colour, the oil gives enough fat for an even crust, and the low heat is essential: on a high flame the surface burns before the heat reaches the middle. Cover the pan for the last minute of each batch.
Ingredients: 40 g plain flour · 30 g butter · 2 tbsp oil
Deep gold after 3–4 minutes on one side.Serve immediately
Syrniki are eaten straight from the pan, with sour cream and honey or jam. Reheated they lose the crust, and the crust is what contrasts with the soft, still-warm centre.
Ingredients: 150 g sour cream · 3 tbsp honey
Before you start
Wet curd cheese
If the curd is damp, wrap it in muslin and squeeze it, or leave it in a sieve for an hour. Excess whey forces you to add flour, and every extra spoonful moves syrniki away from cheese and towards pancake.
Baked instead of fried
Set on paper and baked for 20 minutes at 190°C they come out lighter, but without the crust. Brushing them with melted butter halfway through helps.
A savoury version
Leave out the sugars and raisins and add dill, chives and pepper. Serve with thick sour cream and smoked salmon — the same mixture works both ways.
