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Fluffy cheesecakes with semolina in a frying pan

Fluffy Semolina Syrniki (Farmer's Cheese Pancakes)

Wonderful semolina syrniki for a family breakfast. Tender, pan-fried farmer's cheese cakes with a crisp golden crust — they'll be the star of any tea time and make a perfect snack for the whole family. (Syrniki are little Eastern European cheese pancakes made from tvorog, similar to cottage cheese.)

Natalia Tsybulskaya

Recipe author

Fluffy cheesecakes with semolina in a frying pan

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Farmer's cheese (tvorog)

200

Egg

Sugar

Salt

Semolina

Flour

Vegetable oil

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 28 % 13 g

Fats 34 % 16 g

Carbohydrates 38 % 18 g

264 kcal

GI: 0 / 44 / 56

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you fry fluffy semolina syrniki? Gather your ingredients. One thing to note about baking: it helps when everything is at the same temperature, so take the cheese and egg out of the fridge ahead of time. Use a richer farmer's cheese — around 9–19% fat — for more satisfying syrniki. Go with plain all-purpose flour rather than bleached; a mid-grade unbleached flour is ideal.
Step 2:

Check the texture of your cheese. If it's grainy, press it through a sieve for a smoother syrnik. Crack the egg into the cheese and mix well with a fork. A small egg is perfect for a 7 oz (200 g) tub of cheese; if you only have large eggs, add just the yolk.
Step 3:

Add the salt and sugar. If you like, use vanilla sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon is lovely for cinnamon fans. Mix everything well.
Step 4:

Add 2 tablespoons of the semolina. Stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes to swell — the batter will firm up as the semolina absorbs the moisture.
Step 5:

On a plate, mix the remaining semolina with the flour.
Step 6:

Shape the cheese mixture into syrniki and dredge them in the flour-and-semolina mix.
Step 7:

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy, preferably nonstick skillet. Any oil works — olive or corn — as long as it's refined, since only refined oil is right for frying and won't burn or smoke.
Step 8:

Place the syrniki in the pan and lower the heat to just below medium. Fry them for about 10 minutes on the first side.
Step 9:

Then gently flip the syrniki, lower the heat all the way down, and cook until done. You may need to cover the pan.
Step 10:

Serve the syrniki with sour cream, jam, sweetened condensed milk, or just alongside a cup of tea. Enjoy!

Important! For the cheese mixture to turn out well, choose your farmer's cheese carefully — a poor-quality one directly affects the texture, flavor, and final result, and can ruin the whole batch.
Be ready to use a little more or less flour than the recipe states. Go by the consistency of the mixture, not the exact amount. Knowing how flour behaves helps you avoid mistakes.
Every oil is only good up to its smoke point, after which it starts to burn and form harmful compounds. Pick an oil with a high smoke point for frying and don't let it get too hot.