Russian Potato Pancakes Recipes

BLINI (RUSSIAN PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Beat together the milk and the eggs. Stir in the salt and the sugar and mix well. Add the baking soda and citric acid.
• Blend in the flour. Add the vegetable oil and pour in the boiling water, stirring constantly. The batter should be very thin, almost watery. Set the bowl aside and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Pick the pan up off the heat. Pour in a ladleful of batter while you rotate your wrist, tilting the pan so the batter makes a circle and coats the bottom. The blini should be very thin.
• Return the pan to the heat. Cook the blini for 90 seconds. Carefully lift up an edge of the blini to see if it's fully cooked: the edges will be golden and it should have brown spots on the surface. Flip the blini over and cook the other side for 1 minute.
• Transfer the blini to a plate lined with a clean kitchen towel. Continue cooking the blini, adding an additional tablespoon of butter to the pan after each 4 blini. Stack them on top of each other and cover with the kitchen towel to keep warm.
• Spread your favorite filling in the center of the blini, and fold three times to make a triangle shape. You can also fold up all 4 sides, like a small burrito.

DERUNY - UKRAINIAN POTATO PANCAKES

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and onion:
• Take big bowl, grate potatoes and onion (on the star shaped grater), taking turns and mixing grated mixture. Onion juice will keep potatoes from browning.
• Add flour, egg, sour cream and mix it well, than add 1 tsp of salt and some black pepper, batter should be still liquid enough so you can easily ladle it.
• Warm up a skillet with 2-3 Tbsp of cooking oil over medium/high heat. Add 1 heaping Tbsp of mixture at a time to the skillet fry on one side until golden brown in color, then flip to other side and fry for the same amount of time. Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the batter.

TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN PANCAKES (BLINI)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Add eggs, milk and cream. Use a paddle attachment of your mixer or food processor to mix the batter until smooth. The consistency of the batter should be a bit thicker than cream with no lumps.
• Heat two pans over high heat. Melt butter and add it to the batter. Blend until smooth.
• Pour a tiny bit of sunflower oil in both pans (you can use a silicon brush to spread it). Use a scoop or a ladle to pour the batter in the middle of the pan. Acting quickly, tilt the pan from side to side while pouring, forming a circle with the batter.
• Flip the pancake over with a thin spatula, after the surface looks porous and sides are golden. Fry for half of the time you fried the first side. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
• You might want to put them in the warm oven (not warmer then 70 °C/160 °F) to keep them hot before serving. Enjoy!

RUSSIAN POTATO PANCAKES

Steps:

• In large bowl toss potatoes with lemon juice.
• Grate onion; squeeze out liquid and discard. Add grated onion to bowl with potatoes.
• Mix in remaining ingredients except oil.
• Heat 1/2 inch oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Portion 1/4-cup measures of potato mixture into hot oil, spacing apart. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side, turning once. Drain on paper towels.
• Keep hot on baking sheet in 325 degree oven. Repeat with remaining potato mixture, adding oil to skillet, as needed. Serve with applesauce, if desired.