Six secrets for making delicious syrniki!

Syrniki (fried cottage cheese pancakes) are a national dish of Slavic cuisine and an invention of thrifty housewives.

Secret 1

                     Use only very fresh cottage cheese for the syrniki, otherwise the unpleasant sourness, which, as a rule, cannot be masked by a large amount of sugar, will ruin everything. The cottage cheese should be dry, since the excess whey will have to be compensated with flour, which will deprive the syrniki of the classic cottage cheese taste and make them look like rubber. Too wet cottage cheese can be thrown into a sieve and allowed to drain off excess moisture, and to obtain a more delicate velvety consistency, it is whipped with a blender or mixed with curd mass. Very dry cottage cheese is also not suitable for cooking, so it should be slightly diluted with kefir, milk or sour cream.

Secret 2

                     Do not put too many eggs, otherwise the curd mass will be too liquid, and you will have to add more flour, and you already know why this is undesirable. In classic recipes for syrniki, there are 1-2 eggs per 500 grams of cottage cheese, which firmly bind all the ingredients, but their presence in the curd dough is not at all necessary. For a dietary version of syrniki, you can use only whites, although with yolks you get more delicious and rich syrniki, especially if the yolks are pre-beaten.

Secret 3

                     Don't try to make the syrniki too sweet, because the sugar that turns into syrup will make them soggy and require a lot of flour. In the recipes for cooking syrniki There are different recommendations - 150 g of sugar per half a kilo of cottage cheese, and 2 tbsp. of sugar per 200-350 g of cottage cheese, so we recommend adding sugar to taste, calling on your sense of proportion. For piquancy, the dough can be flavored with a pinch of salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom or saffron. You can also serve syrniki with fresh fruits, berries, jam and condensed milk.

Secret 4

                      If you want to get very tender, soft and fluffy syrniki, try to use as little wheat flour or its substitutes as possible - cornstarch, rice flour, semolina and bran, which are used in diet recipes. Syrniki are very tasty, where a third of the flour is replaced with semolina, but it is not easy to calculate the exact amount of dry ingredients, since it depends on the moisture content of the cottage cheese - sometimes you have to use two-thirds of a glass of flour, and sometimes one tablespoon is enough. If you added semolina to the cottage cheese, let the curd mass stand for at least ten minutes - the semolina will swell, and the syrniki will be fluffy and high. The consistency of the dough for syrniki should resemble thick curd mass, so that you can easily roll balls that do not stick to your hands.

     Secret 5

                      To make delicious syrniki, you can add additional ingredients to the cottage cheese - coconut flakes, poppy seeds, dried fruits, dried cranberries or lingonberries, pieces of fruit, nuts or grated carrots. Unsweetened syrnikiare prepared with aromatic herbs, garlic, greens and vegetables. However, according to tradition, classic syrniki are prepared without additives!

Secret 6

                     The secrets of making syrniki do not end there, a crucial moment awaits you ahead – heat treatment. Small flat cakes are formed from the curd dough, breaded in flour, starch, semolina, coconut flakes or sesame seeds, and then fried in a large amount of vegetable (ghee, coconut) oil over low heat so that they have time to fry until a golden crust forms. Do not forget to cover the pan with a lid so that the syrniki are softer and juicier. You can also bake syrniki in a multicooker, setting the “Bake” mode and the time to 20 minutes, baking them for 10 minutes on each side. Syrniki can also be cooked in the oven, but in this case it is recommended to add a little baking powder to the dough (on the tip of a knife) so that the curd cakes turn out fluffy and airy, and you can bake them on a baking sheet or in small molds. Here, too, there is a little secret - after turning off the oven, the syrniki should stand in it for at least five minutes, otherwise they will suddenly fall and lose their appetizing fluffiness. Syrniki baked in a multicooker and oven are prepared without oil, so they are acceptable in dietary nutrition.

What else do you need to make syrniki? It all depends on your tastes and gastronomic preferences – usually curd delicacies are served with jam, condensed milk, sour cream, yogurt, chocolate sauce, maple syrup and… whatever you like. Our step-by-step tips on making syrniki from cottage cheese will help you better navigate culinary recipes and choose the right combinations of products to create your own version of this exquisite delicacy. Let the syrniki always melt in your mouth and delight you with their beautiful appearance and divine taste!