Printable Recipe: Streit's Matzoh Balls (original recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is the origin of matzo balls? ›

German, Austrian, and Alsatian Jews were the first to prepare matzo balls for their soup; middle eastern Jews introduced additional variations. An early recipe for matzoh ball soup, made with beef stock, is found in The Jewish manual, or, Practical information in Jewish and modern cookery (1846).

If they still seem dense or tight, they haven't cooked long enough. The should look soft and airy. Test for doneness by slicing a test matzo ball in half.

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.

Serve in chicken soup or use as a dumpling for other soups. Cooked matzo balls may be stored in the refrigerator, covered in water, up to 3 days.

Knaidel is the Yiddish Word for Matzo Ball.

Matzo Balls are called קניידלעך‎ kneydlekh pl., singular קניידל kneydl, in Yiddish.

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.

Do matzo balls sink? There are two camps of people, those who like their matzo balls to float “floater” and those who prefer them to sink, “sinkers.” If you prefer dense matzo balls, they will sink in the soup and have a rich, toothsome quality, whereas floater will be airy, soft and fluffy.

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.

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!

Can you grind up matzo to make matzo meal? ›

Matzo meal is made by grinding matzo, a traditional Jewish unleavened bread that's also known as matzah or matzoh.

According to Professor Jesse Lachter, a top gastroenterologist at Haifa's Rambam Hospital, a sheet of plain matzah is twice as fattening as a slice of white bread.

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.

Note that they'll “look done” after about 10 minutes, however it really does take around 45 minutes to cook all the way to the center of the ball. If you cut one open and the center looks yellow and grainy, like the batter, it's not done yet. You can't overcook a matzo ball. It's not possible.

You can make the batter and shape your balls and let them sit overnight to cook off the next day. Or you can cook them fully, then cover them with cooking water and store in the fridge. You can either reheat them in the soup or separately in some simmering salted water.

Much of the food is deeply symbolic. Matzo represents the unleavened bread the Jews ate while fleeing Egypt, for example, and horseradish is a symbol for the bitterness of slavery.

Matzo ball soup is a traditional Jewish dish made from a savory chicken broth and light and fluffy dumplings made of matzo meal. It is often served during Passover but can be enjoyed all year round. Matzo ball soup is not only comforting and delicious, but it is also easy to prepare.

According to legend, the fleeing Israelites left their bondage in such a hurry that they didn't even wait for their bread dough to rise. Another theory holds that matzo-like flatbreads were simply easier to carry through the desert than regular bread.

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.