At the heart of making matzo ball soup is the science behind it. I don’t use club soda or seltzer, instead, I use a lot of baking powder. It’s important that the balls are rolled lightly, but also firm enough that they’ll stay together. Add about 2-3 Tbsp of salt to the large pot of water in which you’ll cook the matzo balls. Hard, dense matzo balls can result from tightly rolling the balls & overmixing. If it’s too dense, the matzo balls won’t take on enough water to fluff up on the inside. Bean curd sheets are completely optional! They’re a nice Asian flare of protein to an otherwise traditional Jewish dish with chicken.
Matzo Ball Soup
- Total Time: 100
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 tsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups carrot, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 12 cups water
- 1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon paste
- 2 cups bean curd sheets, cut into 1” strips
- 2.5 cups fine egg noodles
- 3 sprigs dill
Matzo Balls
- 1.5 cup matzo meal
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 tsp butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine matzo meal, baking powder, salt, pepper, & parsley. In a smaller mixing bowl, beat eggs & combine butter & oil. Slowly & gently mix in the wet ingredients into the matzo meal. You shouldn’t have to fold/mix/churn/turn the meal more than 15-20 times. Place in the refrigerator.
- In a large soup pot on medium heat, heat olive oil. Sweat onions until translucent. Add in the carrots & celery, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Partially cover & reduce heat to medium low.
- Add water to the soup pot & bring to a boil. Add in the vegetable bouillon & ensure it dissolves completely. Taste test the broth & add sugar, salt, or pepper to your liking.
- In another large soup pot, fill it with well-salted water (~1.5 Tbsp salt) & bring it to a boil. Remove the matzo ball mixture from the refrigerator. Wet your hands with EVOO & roll matzo ball mixture into balls the size of walnuts. They may look tiny, but I assure you they will expand like crazy in the water.
- When the salted water comes to a boil, gently drop the matzo balls into the water. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes & reduce the heat to low. Partially cover the matzo balls, keeping the water at a simmer for about 30 minutes. If the balls float, you’re on the right track.
- Ladle out the balls into your soup broth, trying not to scoop too much of the salted water into the vegetable broth. Let the matzo balls absorb the broth for about 10 minutes & add the bean curd sheets, egg noodles, & dill. Turn up the heat to medium & simmer until the noodles are fully cooked. Turn down the heat & serve.
Notes
- If you have vegetable stock, use it & dilute it with water. If you don’t, invest in vegetable stock bouillon, which will save you loads of money whenever you make soup. You can always make your own vegetable stock, which is healthier & contains less sodium. If you happen to have Vegemite or Marmite in your cabinet, you can also use about 2 tsp of it as a vegetable stock starter.
- Having trouble finding the noodles? Look to your grocery store’s Jewish or Latin food aisle.
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 60
- Category: Mains, Soups
- Method: Boiled
- Cuisine: Jewish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10
- Calories: 164
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 196
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 16
- Protein: 9
- Cholesterol: 84
Keywords: vegetarian, mains, soup, noodles, Jewish, matzo balls
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