Matzo Balls
A companion post to my chicken soup recipe
I’m going to admit I’m cheating on this one. I never measure when I make matza balls. Too much trouble. I just mix 2-3 eggs, some matza meal, some oil, some seltzer, a touch of salt, a bit of pepper until I get a goopy but not too gluppy mixture. Then I refrigerate for a few hours, take it out when my soup is boiling hot, form the balls quickly and throw ’em in the pot.
Since you probably want measurements, I’m taking them off my box of Streit’s matzah meal:
- 1 cup matzah meal
- 4 large eggs (I don’t usually make this much)
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup seltzer
- 1 tsp. salt or to taste
- pinch of ground pepper
Beat eggs. Add oil, salt, pepper. Mix well. Add matzah meal and stir thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1/2 to 1 hour. Bring soup to a boil. Moisten palms with cold water (I’ve never done this: have you?). Form mixture into balls 1″ in diameter. Drop balls into boiling water. When all the balls are in the pot, reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for about 30 minutes.
Tricks: don’t handle the balls much. Do use the seltzer.
Anyone else got any good matza ball tricks? My paternal grandmother’s matza balls supposedly floated out the window. The opposite are some I have tasted from a can that would make great golf balls.
In honor of Ilana-Davita who is hosting the Kosher Cooking Carnival at the end of January
Ilana-Davita says
Thanks a lot Leora. I can't wait to try them!
Looking forward to reading what other people suggest.
Mrs. S. says
My maternal grandmother a"h used to put a bit of gribenes (the chicken "rendering") inside each matzah ball. In her later years, when gribenes was no longer considered to be healthy, she would use fried onions instead.
Yum!
Lorri says
I never moisten my hands with cold water. And, I measure the same way you do, not by a strict recipe, but do have a recipe from a box of matzo meal, in case anyone ever asks.
No extra tricks here, just a little extra dribble of seltzer.
Klara says
I never heard about the seltzer - tho did hear of it for pie crust. I usually put in some of the chicken soup (ok, sometimes it's not chicken soup, just a kind of mock chicken soup, with lots of root vegetables, parsley root, celery root, carrots, onions, kohlrabi, sweet potatoes, turnips) but it's all based on when I did do it with chicken soup (and I have made it often in the past).
I think our moms would be proud of us just using our senses - in every sense of the word.
a trick I sometimes do is make the balls and put them on a plate so I can put them all in the boiling liquid almost at the same time. Important to remember to turn down the flame and just simmer them. Also I cook the matzo balls in salted water rather than in the soup - so that I don't cook the soup away. And I definitely water my hands so they don't stick to the matzo mixture.
Leora says
I cook the matzo balls in salted water
It actually said to do this on the package, but that seemed like too much trouble. My soup cooks all afternoon on Fridays. I sometimes add some new dill or parsley in right before I wrap it or put it on the blech, so at least something is fresh.
Helene Rock says
I often add a little manually grated onion and freshly-snipped parsley into my matzo meal batter before I chill it. And I always add pepper in addition to salt. I like my matzo balls to have some flavor!
Leora says
Helene, thanks for commenting. I like the parsley (and I remember a joint effort of my husband and I making the balls before kids with parsley), but my kids would balk at it. Sigh.
Please leave a comment! I love to hear from you.