Let’s talk matzoh balls… Some families sneak in cloves, others go with dill. Some grind special blends of pepper and I’ve even seen matzoh balls with “surprise!” fillings. But I think this is all disguising the real issue. There are only two kinds of matzoh balls out there. It all boils down (or up) to a single question.
“Sinkers or Floaters?”
My family recipe is for a sinker-style matzoh ball. My relatives would argue that the floaters are not the real thing. They are made from (whisper, whisper, knowing nod and judgey glance) a MIX. Fine, if you like that sort of thing. But that’s not a real matzoh ball. It’s practically processed food.
I know plenty of people who swear by their fluffy matzoh balls that do not come from a mix so I will break from tradition. I will not continue this discrimination against the fluffy ball camp. I’ll just say that I personally prefer these sinkers. Slightly chewy, a little more dumpling-esque but light enough to leave room for the dinner to follow.
They really are not the same made without the schmaltz. It’s so worth the effort that I shared that process in Matzoh Balls Part 1: Schmaltz!
Note to the Gluten Free: I’ve had great success making my matzoh balls with gluten free matzoh from GlutenFreeMatzo.com . I crushed a few sheets to make my own matzoh meal. The tapioca based matzoh is a little chewier and I had to mash the soaked sheets with a fork. I suggest soaking them only briefly to soften, and then draining as they can get a bit too sticky/gooey if you wait too long.
From my grandmother’s recipe:
3 Matzohs soaked in hot water till soft but not mush. Drain and press out excess water.- 3 Eggs Beaten w/Salt and Pepper
- 1/2 c water or Seltzer (I prefer seltzer)
- 3/4 c matzoh meal
- 2 TBSP Chicken Fat (aka Schmaltz) or 2TBSP Oil & Onion Powder
Add water or seltzer to eggs, thicken with matzoh meal. Add fat or oil and crumbled matzoh. Mix well! Chill thoroughly for at least an hour.
Have a bowl of ice water beside you when you make the balls. I use a rounded tbsp measure as a scoop. Keep dipping your hands in ice water to keep the mixture from sticking as you make the balls. Cook immediately in boiling salted water (balls will float to the top when they are cooked!) or freeze and cook them later.
YUM!
This is a great recipe to do with your kids.
I had help from my 8 year old son making these matzoh balls. He really did the whole recipe. I could feel my grandmother smiling down as he broke the eggs and mushed the matzoh and stirred in the meal.
Rather than cook these right up I placed them on waxed paper on a tray and froze them. Freezing them on a tray ensures they don’t stick together. As soon as they were hard I moved to a freezer bag. They are ready to go for our Passover Seder. When it’s time to cook, I will pop them into boiling salted water.
Yes you can cook them right in the soup. But your soup will be cloudy.
And we can’t have cloudy soup, can we!?
Next up: My Grandma’s recipe for Chicken Soup aka Jewish Penicillin.
LOVE Matzoh Ball soup. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This is how my German/Hungarian/British step grandmother used to make them. They were heavier than bowling balls and DEELicious. I however, made homemade floaters for a long time, but got tired of their unreliability. Sometimes they floated, sometimes they sunk, and sometimes, they just fell apart. I use the mix now GASP. Throw me a bone… I even make my own passover mandelbroit.
I already made my first batch, too (with home rendered schmaltz!). But I cooked and then froze per my MIL’s advice. You don’t refrigerate your mix before boiling the balls? I was taught that was key.
I am so going to try to make the schmaltz. I loved seeing your grandma’s handwritten recipes!
These look amazing!! I love that you are cooking with your children!!
I love matzoh ball soup…. I have never made my own. I would love to try my hand at it. Thanks for the wonderful post!!!!
These look so yummy! I can’t wait to try to make them with my kids.
I love this post! The beginning paragraphs cracked me up! Happy Passover!
Happy Passover. I love your family stories & enjoy reading all of your recipes. You should write a book with all your family recipes & photos. What a wonderful legacy you have.
Matzoh ball soup is my favorite soup – I think it’s high time I learned how to make it. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Happy Passover!
YUM! And you are so funny with your stories! I love the recipe….I’ll have to bookmark it for later : )
I have actually heard this debate- my friends mom said the same thing about the floaters. I used to drink this a lot in High School! Would love to try to see if I can make it- thanks for the recipe!
I love the illustrations on the recipe!
My pleasure. My kids and I love it too and it’s fun and easy to make with kids 🙂
My grandmother was British/Hungarian as well. Interesting! As long as I use seltzer and make the balls small (slightly larger than a superball uncooked but doubles in size cooked) these are not bowling ball like. Sort of chewy at the center but not too heavy.
Yes! You must chill! I must correct it u left that out!
Awesome! That first photo is making me miss your kids!