Russian Season

Tvorozhniki, aka Syrniki, is a very typical Russian/Ukrainian dish. It’s great for breakfast or evening meal, quick, healthy, warm and sweet. And I’m sure you will love the homely and cosy smell of cooking Tvorozhniki!!

The name of this dish derives from Tvorog, which means curd/quark/cottage cheese, or alternatively from Syr – which simply means cheese. Cottage cheese is the key ingredient here – and the most problematic one, as its texture and taste varies SO greatly from country to country! Whenever I go abroad, I always know that it’s going to be difficult to find the right sort of cottage cheese there. In this post we provide some pictures of what OUR cottage /quark cheese looks like, so please try to find something as close as possible to it. The basic rule is to opt for the largest grains and the minimum of salt added (or else this might turn to a savoury treat). The larger the grains, the more fluffy and thick your Tvorozhniki will be.

I think we can now go to the recipe itself, as it is just so simple and quick!

Ingredients
500 g cottage cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
3 eggs
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp vinegar
1 1/4 cup wheat flour
Vegetable oil

Makes 14-15 pieces

Stir together cottage cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla sugar. In a spoon, add vinegar to the baking soda and add it to the batter as it starts to fizz. Add flour and stir well.

We’re done with the batter! You will see that it’s pretty thick and grainy, yet not stiff.

In a skillet, heat some vegetable oil. With a tablespoon, form the batter into small round buns and put them into the skillet. Allow enough space between the Tvorozhniki, as they will rise and grow in size while cooking. You will probably have to cook the Tvorozhniki in two batches or in two skillets simultaneously.

Close the lid and cook the tvorozhniki on a very low heat for approximately 10 minutes. Once one side is done and golden-brown, flip them over and cook on the other side for 10 minutes more.

Serve warm, with Crème fraîche and jam or fresh berries.

You might as well try adding raisins or other dried fruit to the batter. I don’t like the raisins version much, but it is one of the standard variations of Tvorozhniki. Or, try them cold, dipping pieces of Tvorozhniki into chocolate sauce!