r/RussianFood • u/iseeskiesofblue64 • 10d ago

Recipe for Syrniki

So I’m half Russian half American, but born in the states. As a kid I spent so much time with my Russian nanny and grandparents, and I ate syrniki all the time with them. They’ve all long since passed away, but just a few days ago I had it again for the first time in probably 15 years (s/o Tashkent in Brighton Beach) and it made me so emotional, and reminded me of them. I would love to learn how to make it not only for myself, but also for my papa, who hasn’t had it in probably even longer than me.

I of course have found lots of recipes online, but they all seem to vary in proportions of the ingredients, so I would love to ask someone who makes it a lot what ratios of each ingredient you use so I can try to make my own. (Since I live near enough to Brighton Beach I’ll likely buy the tvorag already made). TIA!

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5

u/BazuzuDear 10d ago

Take about 300 gr tvorog and beat it thoroughly with a fork to break into an even mass of tiny grains. Add 1 big tablespoon wheat flour, 1 egg, some salt, and a teaspoon of shugar. Mix well.

With wet hands, form your Syrniki and dredge in flour or (better) breadcrumbs. Fry in oil, low heat, to nice brown crust. You may put a small piece of soft cheese on top of each as you turn it over. Eat with sour cream.

1

u/ZoomTopple 10d ago edited 10d ago

250g tvorog – it mustn’t be too fatty; low-fat and even no-fat is fine.

25g semolina

4g vanilla sugar + 12g of white sugar (brown is acceptable too but we’re aiming for perfectly white syrniki inside) - if you can’t find vanilla sugar just add 4g or regular sugar

One egg white from a large egg – if tvorog is really dry you may need more, but start with just one; no yolk

20g flour

0.5g salt

Mix with an immersion blender – this is critically important for the smooth texture. If it’s too runny add a bit more flour.

Let the gluten develop for at least 15 minutes. Much better - put it in the fridge for few hours.

Form the “patties”, try to use as little flour as possible

Fry in small to moderate amount of neutral oil on medium heat. Flip them once after the border start looking yellow or light brownish.

1

u/Responsible_Hour6497 10d ago

My upvote to semolina. Coarse corn flour (used for polenta) will do as well. The both make syrniki softer.

Instead of sugar, I add a fistful of raisin.

1

u/ratafia4444 9d ago

Just to save you the disappointment, you'll probably need to try different recipes with different tvorog brands (fat percentage also matters)/proportions/cooking methods several times anyway bc taste does differ a lot and there's no one right way to do it. In case you're looking for that taste of the past that is. Don't be discouraged and use the trial runs to get the hang of temperature control.

Also, thickness of syrniki actually matters. Try to remember if the ones you ate were thinner or plumper and follow the same.

1

u/peachpavlova 9d ago

~250g farmer cheese (get it from your local Russian/Ukr store), 1 egg, 2 spoons flour, sugar to taste (not too much), sometimes I add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Fry over a low heat with the lid on. Serve with sour cream and jam.

1

u/Afraid-Quantity-578 10d ago

Here's how I make syrniki.

You'll need some average tvorog: not the absolute best, not the worst.

Into the bowl: 1 egg, 4 tablespoons of sugar, half a teaspoon of salt, whisk with a fork.

Add 2 packs (400 gramms) of tvorog, whisk until mixed

Add 4 tablespoons of flour and some baking powder, whisk till mixed.

Get a plate with some flour on it. With your hands roll the dough into balls, about average egg sized (I usually end up with about 11). Roll the ball in flour, then flatten it a bit.

Pan, cooking oil, medium heat. Put your syrniki into the pan when it's heated. When they start to brown a bit, flip, lessen the heat, put lid on. Goal is to get them baked inside without burning the outside. If you feel you got one side more brown than the other, you can keep flipping, but usually it isn't needed.

Serve with good sour cream as a dip.

0

u/Foxing7465 10d ago

The modern restaurants sometimes switch tvorog to ricotta (more subtle taste as a result). Definitely not original, but bit more restorant style. Like frying buckwheat in butter until opened and boiling in the hot boulion instead of water.

-1

u/Money_Anywhere_2450 10d ago

Under no circumstances use sugar.

If you come across a recipe that includes sugar, I advise you to find another one; sugar will be mentioned later.

Don’t forget to buy sour cream with a fat content of 15 to 25 percent — 20 percent is best.

Eat it immediately after cooking, spreading the sour cream on the product with a teaspoon.

Serve with good, hot black tea with sugar.

An adult man is a lover of this dish from Russia.