If a competition for the most Belarusian dish is announced among the culinary specialists, the vast majority will cook potato pancakes. But the most surprising is not this, but the fact that they will all be different! Someone will add raw onions, someone fried, and many will do without it. Some will make a filling of mushrooms, greaves, minced meat. Perhaps someone will season the grated potatoes with garlic ...
There are a lot of variations on the theme of potato pancakes. The simplicity of preparation, the availability of products and the relatively small labor costs open up the space for imagination. But in order to start experimenting, you first need to learn how to cook classic Belarusian potato pancakes, the recipe of which we will examine in detail in this article.
Rich story
It is noteworthy, but they did not come up with this appetizer in Belarus or even in Eastern Europe. The original recipe is of Germanic origin. From there it spread to many other countries. Today, this dish is considered native to many peoples. Ukrainians are cooking potato pancakes, and Czechs are boramboraki. Latkes is widespread in Israel, and in Sweden this dish has the magnificent capacious name "raggman", which means "bristly monk". They know similar recipes in Poland, Switzerland, Scandinavian countries. Many peoples of Eastern Europe consider potato pancakes a national food.
The recipe step by step with a photo of Belarusian potato pancakes will help you learn how to cook. This is a simple appetizer that will appeal to both children and adults.
Classic component kit
In Belarus, this hot appetizer is prepared from potatoes, eggs and flour. For one batch, we need the following:
- potatoes - 4 pieces (large);
- egg - 1 pc.;
- flour - 3-4 tbsp. l .;
- roasting oil and salt to taste.
A small amount of cheese will make the dish more tender, and adding raw onions will help to get more piquant Belarusian pancakes. A recipe with a photo will help you make sure of this.
Preparatory stage
Peel and wash the potatoes. Grate. If you use shallow, the mass will be dense and uniform. And having grated potatoes on a coarse grater, you will get more shaggy pancakes with crispy crispy edges.
The recipe for Belarusian potato pancakes involves a small amount of liquid in the mass. Forming products in this case will be easier. Salt the grated potatoes, leave for a few minutes, then wrap in gauze and squeeze. The fluid will easily go away.
Beat the egg into the mass, mix and gradually add the flour. How much it is needed depends on the degree of starchiness of the potato and how much you squeezed the moisture out. Maybe two spoons are enough, and maybe 5 will be needed.
Roasting process
Belarusian potato pancakes, the recipe of which dates back more than a century, have traditionally been cooked on lard and sunflower oil. If you are not using these ingredients, fry in olive.
Add a mass of salt in a preheated fat with a salt spoon, as if frying pancakes. An important point: do not try to stir potato pancakes in a pan until the surface is completely fried. Otherwise, they will fall apart and crawl through the oil. It will be very difficult to assemble the product back.
As soon as you see that the edges have turned golden, turn over the potato pancake. This is more convenient to do with a flat, wide spatula rather than a fork.
Little tricks from experienced housewives
There are many ways to cook Belarusian potato pancakes. The recipe with a photo given in this article describes only one of them - the basic one.
Those who "got their hands on" the preparation of this dish sometimes make their own adjustments. For example, some housewives cook the whole potato until half-cooked, then the potato pancakes are fried faster and are softer. Many soak grated potatoes in cold water for 5-10 minutes - it gives off excess starch and becomes brighter.
The following advice is important: prepare as many potato pancakes as you plan to serve at a table. Freshly prepared, this appetizer is much tastier. If you have several fried potato pancakes left, store them in the refrigerator, in a closed container, and heat them before serving.
Additional ingredients
Fried onions are often added to Belarusian pancakes, the recipe of which is very popular. To do this, finely chop the onion, fry and add to the mass before baking.
There is a recommendation for oil - it is added directly to the potatoes, for an incomplete tablespoon. When frying, it boils away, creating a porous structure of the product. In addition, such potato pancakes are more easily removed from the pan.
Belarusian pancakes, the recipe for which contain fresh herbs - a great option for the summer. They look very impressive, and taste good.
You can add a little chopped garlic to the mass. But this option is not to everyone’s taste, because when roasted, garlic emits a peculiar aroma. But if you like to put this component in a pan with fried potatoes, most likely you will like it in potato pancakes.
Potato pancakes
There are many variations of this recipe on zraz. If you want to make potato pancakes with a filling, cook it in advance and let cool. It can be mushrooms fried with onions, minced meat from boiled meat, liver and offal paste, boiled eggs with green onions. Hard cheeses that melt well are good for filling.
In this case, the frying process looks a little different. Pour a very small portion of potato mass into the pan, less than a tablespoon. Stack the filling, evenly distributing and crushing it with a fork. Then water the next portion. Turn over, cover for a few minutes - potato pancakes are steamed, but still come out quite crispy.
Serving to the table
Belarusian potato pancakes, the recipe of which refers us to long-standing culinary traditions, perfect for a feast in ethnic style. By the way, this dish is often served in restaurants of Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian cuisine in many countries of the world.
Clay and wooden utensils are ideal for serving : flat plates, stews. But the potato pancakes look no less impressive on a laconic white dish.
Be sure to serve sour cream, fresh herbs, young garlic and onions for this appetizer. You can make an excellent sauce by mixing in equal proportions sour cream and fatty mayonnaise, adding chopped dill and grated garlic.
Draniki is often served not only as an independent snack, but also as a side dish for smoked meat, baked roll of bacon, fried capelin, salted herring and other dishes of folk cuisine.