What is Matzo Ball Soup?
Matzo or Matzah Ball Soup is a traditional Jewish cuisine served during dinner or meals. This delicious Matzo Ball Soup is a perfect recipe for fall and chilled winter seasons. This soup is originally served with chicken, celery, carrots, and dill.
Interestingly, Matzo Balls taste delicious like dumplings. They are lip-smacking and a bit more flavourful due to garlic, chicken fat, eggs, ginger and onions.
Origin of matzo ball soup
Let’s step back to the 19th Century, where Jewish people would prepare Matzo Balls from leftover Matzo bread crumbs. During those days, Matzo Balls were called Knoedela and then, in the United States, these Knoedela were named as “Matzo Balls.”
Matzah balls or Matzo ball soup emerged in 1838. Isaac Singer invented the matzah mixture. By 1888, Manischewitz had enhanced the machine by establishing Matzah production in an automated way. By the year 1920, Manischewitz had emerged as the globe’s largest matzah producer and also remains the most eminent matzah brand.
Fortunately, the Matzah mass production had made the ingredient more accessible, it permeated Jewish recipes such as “Kneidlach”.
A Germanic origin dumpling, Jewish cooking absorbed Kneidlach as a flour dumpling, usually, meat stuffed. This is generally served during Passover and Jews had begun using Matzo meal to replace ordinary flour. And, hence Matzah Balls were born.
What is matzo meal made of?
Matzo meal is made up of flour, water and baked crispy eggs. You can use either barley, wheat, oat, spelt or rye flour.
How to make matzo ball soup?
- Grill and garnish chicken breasts with pepper and salt.
- Put chicken breasts on medium heat with some olive oil or cooking oil.
- Now, add chicken stock, and cover the pot with a lid for 1 hour until the chicken becomes soft to eat.
- Shred the chicken and add carrot and celery. Cook the soup.
- Add baking powder, garlic, eggs, yellow minced onions, sea salt, pepper and schmaltz.
Newbie to cook
Not many people have prepared Matzo Ball Soup. But fortunately, you do not need to worry. As we will mention everything in this blog. As we mentioned, Matzo Ball Soup or Matzah Ball Soup is a chicken soup filled with yummy dumplings that are made up of matzah meat, eggs, chicken fat, broth and light spices. If you follow this recipe, you would definitely love to eat and your family will too.
Try this authentic chicken matzo ball soup recipe
This is an easy and short-cut recipe version of Matzo Ball Soup. It is a warm, tasty and comforting Jewish cuisine served at the time of Passover. In fact, you can consume it in your meals too.
- Preparation Time: 10-20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Total Time required: 1 hour and 50 mins
Matzo ball soup ingredients:
Soup:
- 1 TBSP of canola, vegetable, or olive oil
- 2-3 cloves of Garlic
- 1 yellow onion
- 3-4 carrots
- 3-4 stalks of celery
- 1 chicken breast (about 3/4th lb)
- 6-7 cups of chicken broth
- 2-3 cups of water
- Freshly cracked pepper powder
- Fresh dill leaves
- Few pieces of fresh ginger
Way to prepare matzo ball:
- 3 large eggs
- 3-4 TBSP of canola, vegetable, or olive oil
- 3/4th cup of Matzo Meal
- 1-1.5 TBSP salt
- ½ TBSP baking powder
- Fresh pepper powder
- 3-4 TBSP water
Matzo ball soup recipe instructions
- The first step you need to do is mince the garlic and also dice the onion, carrots and celery. Now you need to take a large pot, add vegetables, or olive oil and saute the celery, carrots, ginger (if you wish to add more spice) and garlic. Saute until onions are soft, and transparent for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, chicken breast, 2-3 cups water, fresh pepper powder and one or two sprigs of dill. You need to cover the pot with a lid and let it boil. Turn the heat down gradually and let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes.
- Now add the matzo ball dough while the soup is simmering. Take a medium size bowl and you need to whisk the eggs with vegetable or olive oil. Then, add matzo meal, baking powder, salt, and fresh pepper powder to the whisking mixture. Again, stir it well. Further, add water and again stir it well to make it smooth. Note: Refrigerate Matzo Ball and allow the matzo mixture to absorb moisture for at least 30-40 minutes.
- Now that your chicken soup is simmered, carefully remove the chicken breast and shred using a fork. Again, add the shredded chicken to the soup. Now taste the broth and add salt as per your taste.
- After 40 minutes, remove the matzo ball mixture from the refrigerator. Make sure the meal mixture has been stiffened up enough to make unbreakable ping pong-sized balls. Now after making the matzo meal balls, add those into the simmering soup and again cover the pot with the lid. Let the matzo balls simmer for 20-25 minutes with a covered lid. You need to make sure that the soup is simmering gently the entire time.
- Your soup is finally ready and you can now add a couple of fresh sprigs while serving the meal.
Final words
The Matzah Ball Soup is a very popular cuisine today across the world. Many people have tried to make it delicious by making their versions of the meals. Additionally, you can also add flavors or additional vegetables to create your own versions. This is consumed during Passover, the spring festival for the Jews community. Chicken Matzo Ball Soup is tasty and comfortable food for all and it definitely requires time and effort to prepare.
It is a dish prepared with faith and love and it is indeed nearer to the Jewish people. It is an extremely patient process and involves lots of simmering while boiling. It needs fresh vegetables, fresh spices and fresh chicken pieces.
Simplicity at its best and made with love that is reflected in the taste. Do follow this recipe and let us know in the comment section how it actually tasted. Also, share your views and comments.
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