Poppy Seed Syrnyky
Dry poppy seeds behave like a sponge in syrnyky: they take up the curd's moisture and leave the mixture dry and crumbly. Steeped in boiling water they are already saturated, so the syrnyky stay soft and the seeds give only the nutty aroma they are there for.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 h 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 340 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 12 syrnyky, 4 portions
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Steep the poppy seeds
Cover them with boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain in a fine sieve and press out the water. Dry seeds would pull moisture from the curd.
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Step 2: Sieve the curd
Push it through a sieve until smooth. With grainy curd the syrnyky come out lumpy, and nothing later fixes that.
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Step 3: Mix
Combine curd, poppy seeds, egg, sugar, zest, salt and flour. The mixture should be soft but not stick to your palms.
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Step 4: Let it rest
Ten minutes for the flour to take up moisture. After that it shapes far more easily and holds in the pan.
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Step 5: Shape them
Form 12 patties 2 cm thick and dust with flour, shaking off the excess. A thick coating burns before the syrnyk cooks through.
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Step 6: Fry covered
Three to four minutes a side over medium heat, covered, to a golden crust. Serve with sour cream and honey.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Poppy seeds go rancid quickly as their oil oxidises. Smell them first: fresh seeds smell nutty, old ones smell of linseed oil and belong in the bin.
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Tip
The zest is not incidental: lemon opens up poppy seeds the way vanilla opens up curd. Without it the syrnyky taste flat.
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Variation
Poppy seeds with 50 g of soaked raisins is the classic pairing. Baked at 190 °C for 20 minutes they need no oil at all.
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Storage
Two days in the fridge. The raw mixture keeps a day, but the poppy seeds darken it — better to fry them straight away.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 340 kcal | 1,360 kcal |
| Protein | 17 g | 68 g |
| Fat | 15 g | 60 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34 g | 136 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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