Pancakes

Ukrainian Syrniki Pancakes

I can’t find the right words to express how I feel right now.

So I use the language I know, the language of food, the language of love, the language of peace.

Making Ukrainian Syrniki Pancakes today, delicate cottage cheese pancakes.

They are traditionally made with an Eastern European cheese that translates to ‘farmer’s cottage cheese’ in English. You can find it in any Polish or Eastern European shop. I substitute it with the more common cottage cheese in the UK so you can easily make your pancakes at home. My version of the pancakes is much more liquid than the original one because of the difference in the consistency of the two cheeses.

I also added poppy seeds for blue and lemon zest and juice for yellow 💙💛

I am cooking for Ukraine today, I am cooking for love, I am cooking for peace.

Interestingly, these pancakes are very common in any Eastern European country. I had them for the first time when my dear friend Inga from Lithuania made them for me. The origins seem to lie in the Roman Empire, the first ones to enjoy this cheese delicacy.

A reminder that there are always more things that unite us than divide us.

This is my recipe, this is my ode to peace.

Ukrainian Syrniki Pancakes

Course: Breakfast and Brunch
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes

Delicate cottage cheese pancakes that melt in your mouth. I added poppy seeds for blue and lemon for yellow. I am cooking for Ukraine today, I am cooking for peace.
This recipe makes for 8 jumbo pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 600 g cottage cheese

  • 120 g plain flour

  • 2 free-range eggs

  • 40 g poppy seeds

  • 1 big lemon (juice and zest)

  • A big spoonful of honey

  • To fry
  • 2 spoons of rapeseed or sunflower oil

  • To serve
  • Raspberry or strawberry jam

  • Yoghurt or sour cream

Method

  • Mix all the pancakes’ ingredients in a big bowl for 3 minutes till they are all combined.
  • Heat two spoons of oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, scoop the batter (I do two spoons per pancake) and fry the pancakes for 4 minutes with the lid on. Take the lid off and fry on the other side for 3 minutes. Repeat till you have a golden stack of pancakes.
  • Serve warm with a generous amount of jam.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • They are traditionally made with an Eastern European cheese that translates to ‘farmer’s cottage cheese’ in English. You can find it in any Polish or Eastern European shop. I substitute it with the more common cottage cheese in the UK so you can easily make your pancakes at home. My version of the pancakes is much more liquid than the original one because of the difference in the consistency of the two cheeses.

4 Comments

  1. Sorry, this randomly came up on my feed and.. they are not supposed to be pancakes. What you got here is oladyi. Consistency-wise, you should be able to shape each one by hand – that’s why you’d use farmer cheese (dense, dry) and not cottage cheese (wet curdles swimming in buttermilk-like liquid).
    To get a decent syrnik, they getting about 400g farmers cheese or tworog (2 packs as sold in Eastern Europe, or a pound tub in us), 1 egg, * 1 teaspoon of sour cream (if the cheese is on the dry side), 2-3 tablespoons of flour (20 to 30 grams, the mass should be wet but not sticky), salt/sugar and pinch of baking powder to taste. Combine it all, leave for 15 mins (up to overnight), shape in 30-50g balls, dust in flour, squish flat-ish, and fry. Medium-high heated pan, lightly spayed with oil, 4 mins on each side and then close the lid for another 4 minutes (so they can finish cooking inside and fluff up if you are using baking powder or self-rising flour). There, there you have the syrniki to eat with sour cream and jam.

    • Dear Lizzie, thanks so much for writing me, clarifying, and sharing your recipe! I’ve used cottage cheese as it’s easier to find than farmer’s cottage cheese where I live and I came up with this recipe inspired by the original one. I am on the lookout for farmer’s cheese and I look forward to trying your delicious recipe! Thanks again, Anna

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