"Shall I fry up some blinchiki?", my babushka used to ask.
She'd ask this when I visited her without much warning, or if it was raining and there was little point going home, or if I was sad or anxious, or even after we had already eaten a full meal for lunch but were still in the mood for a snack.
Babushka made blinchiki in her tiny kitchen, measuring 4 square metres and fitting all the equipment you could possibly ever need (and then some). She made them using two or three cast-iron frying pans while I sat in the warm corner of the kitchen, leaning against a very hot wall (heating in this Soviet-era building runs through the walls). I watched her cooking as we talked about life, current events and every kind of nonsense. Babushka liked to fill me in on news and cultural events that she was always on top of.
'Shall I fry up some blinchiki?', my babushka used to ask.
When my son was born, I made sure to bring him over to babushka's to partake in the blinchiki ritual. Much to everyone's delight, he was right into them, creating serious competition for my mum, brother and myself. Babushka read to him, built houses and whole cities out of blocks, and took much joy in how much he loved her food.
When babushka got sick, she wasn't able to make blinchiki or anything else for us for a while. For the first time ever, aged 34, I cooked for her and brought food over to her place. When we discovered she had to be on a strict diet due to kidney problems, we started making blinchiki with rice flour and oat milk. They were different, but delicious nevertheless.
When babushka died, her friend's granddaughter brought a big stack of beautiful blinchiki to her wake. She said babushka had taught her how to make them. Her own mother died when she was little, and her babushka wasn't much into cooking, so my babushka would come over and teach her. I learned this only at babushka's wake.
My babushka made the best blinchikis. Source: Anna Kharzeeva
When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and started turning Russia into the Soviet Union, which babushka had always despised, my husband and I grabbed our son, and three suitcases and left within a day. For the first time in a year since babushka died, I was glad she wasn't with us. It would have been heartbreaking to see her pain and helplessness in the face of this atrocious war.
They may not have the ability to heal wounds right away, but they're certainly a good place to start.
When I got to Sydney in late March, I was heartbroken, shocked, broke and completely uncertain of what the future might hold. I spent the days reading the news every 5 minutes, applying for jobs, and staying in touch with friends and family both at home and away. I would inevitably find myself in the kitchen, cooking food that babushka used to make for me (for the first three months, friends and family put us up). I made blinchiki, and the flavour took me straight back to babushka's kitchen, the warm wall and the comfort of speaking to her.
Blinchiki with an egg-and-scallion (spring onion) filling is still a family favourite. Served on the table for everyone to roll their own, they leave room for creativity (which filling to use and how to roll them), conversation and comfort. They may not have the ability to heal wounds right away, but they're certainly a good place to start.
Thin pancakes with egg-and-scallion filling (blinchiki s yaitsom i lukom)
This Eastern European meal makes a perfect breakfast, lunch or snack. My babushka would use two or three frying pans at once to speed up the process. I only have one, so it takes longer. A good, non-stick frying pan is crucial here if you, like me, aren't great with cast-iron pans. You can fill and roll up the blinchiki, and serve them on a platter, or let your guests roll their own. You can also reduce the amount of filling and serve ham, cheese and sour cream as an alternative.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 200 g flour
- 500 ml milk (regular, or any non-dairy option), or 250ml milk and 250 ml water
- 1 tbsp neutral oil + more for frying
Filling
- 8 hard boiled eggs
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
Method
- Break eggs into a bowl, then add salt and sugar.
- Add flour and whisk until dough forms.
- Add milk and water gently, whisking continually to avoid lumps forming.
- Set aside for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, crush the hardboiled eggs with a fork and add chopped scallions, salt and mayonnaise. Mix well.
- Heat a medium-size pan (24cm) to medium-high heat. Add a drop of oil and spread it over the pan with a paper towel. Pour half a medium ladle's worth of batter into the middle of the pan, then move the pan so it spreads out across the base.
- Fry for about 1 minute or until you can lift the blinchiki off slightly and see that the bottom side is becoming slightly brown. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds, or until light brown.
- Transfer cooked blinchiki to a plate, add a little butter and cover this with a lid. Repeat until there's no more batter.
- Place blinchiki on a plate and add the filling close to one edge. Then roll it up like a cigar.
Note
- If you're out of milk, dilute sour cream or yoghurt with water until it achieves a milk consistency.
More grandma feasts
Ode to grandma: 10 heirloom recipes to preserve
