Blinis

Blinis are eaten everywhere in Russia, and by everyone, particularly for breakfast. You'd struggle to find a family that didn't have them a few times a week. They were a staple dish during the Soviet years, because the ingredients are so cheap. People perhaps wouldn't have had the caviar, although it's very cheap in Russia. The traditional way would be to make a large amount for everyone, and lay out a variety of toppings: starting with something savoury and salty – sour cream with caviar – and then moving on to sweet toppings like jam. My favourite is condensed milk – I loved it as a child, and still do.

Makes 15 blinis
plain flour 190g
semi skimmed milk 500ml
free-range eggs 2
white sugar 30g
salt 5g
vegetable oil 60g, plus a splash for oiling the pan

For the toppings:
soft butter, sour cream with caviar or smoked salmon or jams and preserves

Milk should be at room temperature, so make sure you leave it out of the fridge for half an hour before you start.

Sift the flour through a fine sieve and add to the milk. Whisk these until smooth. Add the eggs, sugar and salt to the mixture and keep whisking until smooth – to make sure there are no more lumps, run the mixture through a normal sieve. Add the vegetable oil and stir. Cover with cling film for 30 minutes at room temperature.

The best way to cook blinis is to use a cast iron blini pan – but any heavy-bottomed pan should do. The traditional way to oil a pan in Russia is to cut a potato in half, put one half on a fork and dip in oil to oil the pan. Get the pan very hot, and using a ladle put 2 tbsp of the mixture into the corner of the pan and tip from side to side until it has covered the surface and is as thin as possible – you can make smaller blinis, as in the picture. If the pan is hot enough, it should only take a minute to brown. Flip the blini and cook for another 15 seconds. Tip gently on to a plate and make your next blini. Each time you finish one, spread a little soft butter on the top side to keep them soft and prevent them sticking together.

Sasha Belkovich is executive chef of Mari Vanna in London