Easy Matzo Ball Soup Recipe Anyone Can Make (2024)

FAQs

What is matzo ball soup broth made of? ›

To me, this soup is really about the soft, fluffy matzo balls and the deep, lightly sweet chicken-yness of the broth, made from wings, necks, backs, legs, or, a whole chicken if you like (pick the meat and add to the soup if you must, or save for something else), lots of onion (skin-on), so much celery, and just a ...

Add to that the benefits of vitamins A, C, and D in the broth, the anti-inflammatory properties of the soup vegetables, and a boost of energy from the carbohydrates in the matzo balls, and you've got a recipe for feeling better!

While each family has its own recipe, all matzo balls are made of three key components: matzo meal, fat, and eggs. Matzo meal simply refers to matzo crackers that are ground up into a fine meal. You can also find matzo ball mix in most supermarkets; it consists of matzo meal, spices, and preservatives.

MATZAH BALL HINTS:

* Unless otherwise stated, cover the matzah balls as they simmer. DON'T PEEK! Somehow, peeking causes the matzah balls to fall. * Add some of your favorite herbs or spices to any of these recipes.

Matzo meal is ground matzo. It's slightly coarse, like the texture of breadcrumbs, and is essential to making matzo balls. Matzo ball mix is basically seasoned matzo meal. Matzo cake meal is finely ground matzo and has a similar consistency to flour.

Matzo Meal Substitutes

One acceptable substitute is almond flour. During any other time of year, crushed crackers such as saltines or oyster crackers and any breadcrumbs, including panko, can be used.

Traditionally, matzo ball soup was a Passover meal, consumed in remembrance of the unleavened bread that Jews ate when they were fleeing Egypt. During Passover, Jewish people would buy Matzo bread from their local bakery and use day-old leftover crumbs to make the balls.

Place them both in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freezing - If you are going to save the soup for longer than 5 days I recommend freezing the soup and matzo balls separately.

If you're constipated, or are prone to it, best to steer clear of matzo, which is dehydrated unleavened bread. In fact, doctors often recommend it for people who have diarrhea, Chey says.

The extra level of scrutiny — and the labor-intensive process required to make handcrafted matzah — is largely what accounts for its high price: anywhere from $20 to $60 for a single pound.

How do you know matzo balls are done? ›

Carefully lower matzo balls into boiling water with a slotted spoon, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a low simmer. Cover pot and simmer over low heat, checking occasionally to make sure water isn't boiling too rapidly, until balls are very puffed and light in color, 30–40 minutes.

His answer was definitive: "When someone's matzo balls are super dense, it's typically because they have too many eggs, so it's too high in protein — so it binds a little too hard." So, if you're making matzo balls, pay attention to the ratios; a good recipe shouldn't lead you astray.

If you were to add the matzo balls directly to the broth, they would make the broth starchy and sludgy. It's important to poach them separately to avoid a cloudy broth. And if you were to simmer them for too short or too long of a time, you would lose that consistent texture.

If a recipe calls for schmaltz and you don't have any, you can substitute melted butter, ghee, or your choice of cooking oil. You may miss the full-flavored goodness of schmaltz, but you can easily substitute any cooking fat in its place.

We give you the choice: Using schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) produces the most flavorful matzo balls, while vegetable or canola oil offer convenience. Optional seltzer helps to aerate the matzo balls so that they're light and tender, while optional baking powder allows you to make insanely light and fluffy ones.

Matzo is itself typically made of wheat flour mixed with some water, and salt and sometimes olive oil for flavor. It's rolled very thinly and baked quickly at a high temperature. Talmudic tradition dictates that matzo should be completed in under 18 minutes, from mixing the dough to fully baked.

Matzo reflects common Ashkenazi pronunciation (which dominated in English speaking countries in past centuries) but is not entirely accurate since it drops the “h” from the end. Matzah, on the other hand, retains the “h” and can be read accurately and easily by both Ashkenazim and Sephardim.

In its simplicity, if eaten sparingly, matzah is probably one of the purest packaged foods available. Whole grain matzah, like whole grain bread, is of course preferable. But even that contains only minimal amounts of iron, protein, and dietary fiber. Diet-wise, that simplicity can also be its greatest danger.

And though eating matzo is a major element for a Seder dinner, it isn't possible for those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease. Matzo contains wheat, rye, and barley, which contain gluten. The solution for gluten-intolerant Jews, then, lies in gluten-free matzo.