Another Soviet childhood favourite! The name comes from the Russian word ‘syr’ – cheese, as these pancakes are made from curd, also known as cottage cheese. Traditional syrniki are chubby, soft inside and with a light golden outer crust. The sourness of the curd is offset with sweet toppings: sour cream with sugar (the best!!) or condensed milk.

The Flavour Affair:

Cottage Cheese + Sour Cream + Sugar

That is, in fact, the most traditional way to have cottage cheese, whether in its raw form or as syrniki. These days in Russian cafes you will be served syrniki with all sorts of toppings from honey to fresh berries, but nothing beats the good old Soviet way: thick sour cream mixed a couple of heaped teaspoons of sugar.

Cottage cheese: back in the day, my mum and grandma used to make their own curd. Sour milk was warmed up and cooked over very low heat for 15-20 minutes until chunks of curd formed. Then they’d collect them into a large piece of gauze, tie the edges and hang it over the sink to drain. I vividly remember small balls of stuffed gauze hanging in there waiting to turn into curd 😀 Today, despite the nostalgic memories, I buy ready made cottage cheese. Surprisingly, almost every local supermarket stores a selection of brands from either Russia or Belarus:

Likewise, I buy Russian sour cream – 25%-30% fat, thick and creamy! I haven’t been able to find crème fraîche alternatives that taste remotely like this one:

Sour cream with white sugar used to be one of the favourite sweet delights we’d enjoy as kids. It was only second to condensed milk mixed with cacao powder 😂

Preparation tips for Syrniki:

• Consistency is quite important: too soft batter will not hold shape, and too firm will take forever to cook. Ideally, it should resemble that of the thick sour cream: a spoon will stand if left alone but easily go though when pushed just a little.
• Syrniki take time to cook through, therefore, for them not to burn they should be fried over low to medium heat. This will allow to achieve that beautiful golden colour and warm, slightly gooey inside.
• To ease the process, you can choose to add more milk for a thinner batter that will cook faster. After just a few of minutes on the pan, such syrniki will be done. They won’t look like traditional syrniki – more so like American pancakes – but the taste will be there!

Serving suggestions:

As I mentioned, nothing beats good old Soviet way of enjoying syrniki with sour cream and sugar. However, for a more refined and less unhealthy experience, try sprinkling them with just a little powdered sugar and serve with sweet fruits or berries – bananas, strawberries or blueberries to name a few.

Have you tried making these? Let me know in comments what you think! For more Soviet childhood breakfast favourites, check out these Apple Pancakes or Creamy Rice Porridge!

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