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Syrniki are fried quark cheese pancakes that are usually garnished with jam, honey, sour cream or even apple sauce. The Syrniki recipe is native to Eastern Europe in countries like Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. At times even raisins, cinnamon pr lemon zest are added to the cheese to improve its flavor. These sweet cake-like fried pancakes are generally served at breakfast or as a dessert. Some people even make small round cheese balls out of the mixture and then fry. This makes the outer part crispy and inner part is soft and creamy. Cottage cheese and farm cheese are used for garnishing the Syrniki. Syrniki is best eaten hot in order to savor the nice taste of the soft cheese. Moreover, these cheese balls are considered healthy and filling, hence ideal for breakfast especially for kids.
History of Syrniki Recipe
Syrniki has its origin in Russia and other eastern countries of Europe. The name of this dish is derived from the three lettered word ‘syr’, which means cheese in both Russian as well as Ukrainian. Though, these days ‘syr’ means hard yellow cheese, in the early days it actually meant soft white cheese and the Syrniki recipe gets its name from the usage of this soft cheese. Though there are not many variations to this pancake, the original version of the recipe remains the same till date.
Preparation of Syrniki
Syrniki is made with soft farm cheese. Other ingredients that go into the Syrniki recipe are egg, flour, sour cream, butter, salt and sugar. All ingredients are mixed well into a smooth batter and half inch thick pancake like balls are rolled in crumbs or semolina and then they are fried in vegetable oil on medium flame, till they are golden brown. Once done, sour cream is poured on top of the cheese balls and served hot. Honey, apple sauce or any type of fruit jam can also be used as a topping. Some people even roll the batter around jam or berries to make some delicious Syrniki, which needs a lot of care to ensure the batter does not break.
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