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Fried Curd Balls
Instructions
Take cottage cheese that is not too wet, rather dry. Pour it into a bowl, crush the curds. If there is time and desire, you can rub the cottage cheese through a sieve, but this is laborious work that will take some time. If you need to quickly prepare the doughnuts, just crush the cottage cheese with an ordinary spoon. Not all the curds can be crushed with a spoon, but this won't spoil the taste of the doughnuts.
So, we have crushed the cottage cheese. Now we move on. The next ingredient of our cheese delicacy is chicken eggs. Wash two chicken eggs, dry them with a napkin, and then break them into a separate bowl.
Pour sugar into the bowl with raw chicken eggs.
Beat this mixture with a mixer at low speed. No mixer or simply don't want to wash it later – no problem, beat the mixture with a whisk.
Combine our tender cottage cheese with the beaten egg mixture.
Now measure out a tablespoon of vinegar. Quench half a teaspoon of baking soda in the vinegar.
Quickly add the quenched soda to the bowl with the other ingredients, mix.
Add the sifted flour.
Knead a soft dough using a spatula or spoon. Leave the cheese dough to rest for a few minutes.
While the dough is resting, decide on the dish in which we will fry the cheese doughnut balls. Since our balls should float freely in oil while frying, it's better to take a small deep pot. A small cauldron is convenient for this purpose. It's easy to mix our cheese balls in it without risking splattering everything around with fat. Pour refined sunflower oil into it. Heat the oil well in the cauldron, as for frying pies.
While the oil is heating, shape balls from the cheese dough. The dough is sticky, so when forming the doughnut balls, dip your hands in flour. Roll balls the size of a walnut.
Carefully drop the doughnut preparations into the heated fat. As mentioned before, the doughnuts should float freely in the fat. Therefore, there should be free space between them. Regularly turn the cheese balls with a spatula to fry them evenly.
In hot fat, the cheese balls puff up and increase in size.
When the fried cheese balls in oil are nicely browned, remove them from the cauldron and place them on paper towels.
From the first batch, break one doughnut. Check if it is cooked through in the middle to determine how well we need to fry them. Although cheese balls of such a small size usually cook well.
Sprinkle the cooled balls with powdered sugar.Cook cheese balls according to our step-by-step recipe with pleasure. Enjoy your meal.
Tips
- 1
Use dry cottage cheese for best finished texture. Wet cottage cheese produces watery dough; properly dry crumbly cottage cheese produces the proper signature firm-but-tender character authentic to traditional Russian-Soviet curd-ball preparations. The cottage cheese-dryness matters more than home cooks typically realize for finished ball-quality and overall family-meal success consistently across batches reliably across various breakfast occasions throughout the year for proper traditional Russian-Soviet results consistently.
- 2
Quench baking soda with vinegar for proper finished puffiness. Plain soda produces flat balls; properly vinegar-quenched soda (half tsp in 1 tbsp vinegar) produces the proper signature puffed-up character authentic to traditional Russian-Soviet curd-ball preparations. The same quenched-soda principle elevates many cottage cheese-based preparations including the quenched soda-based traditional cooking across various traditional international culinary occasions throughout the year reliably.
- 3
Use deep pot with floating-room oil for proper finished cooking. Shallow oil produces uneven frying; properly deep pot with generous oil (balls floating freely) produces the proper signature evenly-puffed character authentic to traditional Russian-Soviet doughnut preparations. The patient deep-frying principle pays back significantly in finished ball-quality consistently across batches and various deep-fried preparations throughout the year for proper traditional results worth showcasing reliably across various family-meal occasions for proper home-cooking results.
- 4
Pair the finished curd balls with traditional accompaniments for proper presentation. Serve cooled with powdered sugar dusting, alongside jam, sour cream, condensed milk for substantial breakfast spreads, or with hot tea for elegant family-meal presentations worth showcasing across various entertaining occasions reliably. Pair with crusty homemade bread tea-time accompaniments for substantial brunch spreads throughout the year for proper traditional results worth showcasing reliably across various family-meal occasions throughout the year.
FAQ
Can I bake instead of frying? +
Yes, oven baking works beautifully producing healthier results. Each option produces distinct character: deep-frying provides classic Russian-Soviet crispy doughnut character, oven baking produces lighter healthier version. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with melted butter, bake at 180 degrees for 18-22 minutes until golden. The baked version has less calories but different texture. Choose based on dietary preferences for proper finished curd ball variations consistently throughout the year reliably across various meal occasions.
How long do curd balls keep? +
Stored covered at room temperature, the balls keep for 1-2 days at peak quality. Refrigeration extends to 3-4 days but firms texture. The fresh-fried character is best within hours of preparation. Reheat in oven at 180 degrees for 5 minutes to restore crispness, or microwave briefly (which produces softer character). The balls freeze adequately for up to 1 month — thaw and refresh in oven. Best consumed fresh for the brightest most appealing finished results across multiple breakfast applications throughout the year reliably.
Can I add other flavors? +
Yes, vanilla, lemon zest, raisins, chocolate chips, or cinnamon all work beautifully as additions producing equally delicious variations. Each option produces distinct character: plain curd balls provide classic Russian-Soviet character, vanilla adds elegant aroma, lemon zest adds bright citrus notes, raisins add sweet pops, chocolate chips add modern dessert character, cinnamon adds warming spice. Mix and match additions for endless variations across various Russian-Soviet curd ball traditions throughout the year for proper personalized finished results consistently.
Why are my balls greasy? +
Three usual causes: oil temperature too low (causes oil absorption), too much soda producing porous structure, or insufficient draining after frying. Address proper hot oil temperature (170-180 degrees), balanced soda quantity (0.5 tsp), and thorough paper-towel-draining after frying for consistently non-greasy results. The combination of proper temperature, balanced leavening, and adequate draining produces dramatic texture-quality reliably across various Russian-Soviet deep-fried preparation sessions throughout the year for proper traditional results consistently.
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