Susan Gubar’s Matzo Ball Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How healthy is matzo ball soup? ›

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!

A quiet murmur: You don't have to worry too much about over-handling your matzo balls, but you should consider the vigorousness of your boil. Molly says it's incredibly important that your matzo balls cook at a simmer, because a roiling boil will be too harsh and could cause them to disintegrate.

How long can matzo balls sit in the soup? While matzo balls can cook in the soup, they tend to cloud the chicken broth. Try not to let the matzo balls sit in the soup longer than an hour or they may begin to absorb too much of the soup and fall apart. If separated from the soup, cooked matzo balls last about 5 days.

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).

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.

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.

Matzo Ball (1 matzo ball) contains 6.2g total carbs, 6g net carbs, 1.7g fat, 1.8g protein, and 48 calories.

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.

Can matzo ball mix go bad? ›

A: Is your mix still in the box. Expiration date on bottom of box. If less than 9 months on your shelf, should be ok.

If you are not planning to use the matzo balls immediately you can easily freeze them for later use.

REDUCED FAT

The amount of oil in this version was dramatically reduced. This change resulted in a very dense and chewy matzo ball. If this is your jam, just cut the oil in your recipe in half and you'll be happy with the result.

You can't overcook a matzo ball. It's not possible. So if you need to leave it in longer, that's OK.

The manner of rolling the matzo ball mixture influences the consistency. I've found the matzo balls are denser when, after being rolled into balls, they are chilled again for a few minutes. Lastly, the matzo meal itself can make a difference. Be sure to use unsalted meal in the recipe below, not ``matzo ball mix.

But while its history is both ancient and fascinating, its ingredients are deceptively simple: Matzo balls consist of ground matzo meal mixed with eggs, water and fat or oil.

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.

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.