Mastering Draniki: A Guide to Belarus’ Beloved Potato Pancakes

Draniki, Belarus’s traditional favorite, is a simple dish with potatoes, onion, salt, and oil to prepare like pancakes. All you need to do is finely grate the potatoes and onions, salt them, then fry them in medium-hot oil.

But there’s more to the recipe. Before then, let’s look at the background of draniki.

Background and Origin

It is believed that Draniki originated in Belarus during the 19th century when potatoes were a major source of food. They’re mostly served for breakfast because of their quick and crunchy taste.

However, they can be traced to Russia in the 18th century, with international variants such as Ukrainian kakorki, Polish tartyuhy and Israeli latkes.

The difference between draniki and other similar dishes is that you don’t have to add eggs or flour to the grated potatoes and onion before frying. 

For example, you add a little flour to help bind latkes. For other similar recipes that don’t include wheat flour, you’ll have to wait an hour, swapping bowls, draining the water off the starch from the first bowl, and adding the starch back in instead to bind the grated potatoes.

Draniki is usually served hot and with cold homemade sour cream.

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How to Prepare Draniki like a Pro!

Ingredients

• 4 Potatoes: During the early days of agriculture, potatoes were a life-saving food source because the presence of vitamin C prevented scurvy. Potatoes also contain potassium, an electrolyte that aids the function of our heart, muscles, and nervous system. 

Fiber is an important component of potato skin, which contributes to digestive health. 

• 1 onion: These plants are rich in antioxidants and compounds containing sulfur. Onions lower blood sugar levels, reduce cancer risk and improve bone health
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil: They’re low in cholesterol and high in omega-6 fatty acids.
• ¼ tsp salt: provides iodine and taste to the food.
• Sour cream: A healthy fat that helps to lower cholesterol and weight loss.
• Dill: helps reduce cholesterol. Among their antioxidant properties are compounds capable of preventing heart diseases like stroke, atherosclerosis, and heart attacks.

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Step-by-step Instructions

1. Peel, wash and grate the potatoes using a fine grater. Next, finely grate the onions. 
2. Mix the grated potatoes with the onion and a sprinkle of salt to taste. Mix thoroughly for consistency.
3. In a saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat.
4. Take a small portion of the potato mixture and roll it into tennis-like balls. Drop a few balls into the hot oil and press them flat with a ladle. Fry them until brown and cooked. Repeat the process until you fry all the potato mixture. 
5. Once the draniki is ready, let it cool on kitchen towels for 2 minutes.
6. Chop and sprinkle dill on the sour cream. 
7. Serve draniki with sour cream. 

Tips for Making Belarus’ Draniki

• Sprinkle some black pepper on the draniki if you like spicy food.
• Don’t add eggs or flour to the potato mixture to thicken it. If there is excess liquid, drain it. 
• Always make the draniki balls smaller so you can press them flat like pancakes. It also helps to cook faster.
• You can add protein in the form of ground beef or pork in the middle of the draniki before frying them.
• Finely grate both the potatoes and onions to achieve a paste for a smooth consistency. 
• Use parsley if you don’t have dill. 
• Also, to prevent the potatoes from turning brown or changing color after grating, soak them in cold water for a few minutes after peeling them. Then, use a kitchen towel to dry them before grating them. Alternatively, grate the onions first before the potatoes, mixing both immediately, as the onion helps to reduce the probability of the potato changing color.

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Conclusion

When you don’t have many ingredients at home, draniki is an easy meal to make. This dish is simple, healthy, and quick to prepare for kids, family, and friends. You’ll enjoy its crunchiness and low-fat content.

Happy cooking!