KNAIDLACH-Matzo Balls

Jewish Soup

This recipe is beautifully light and fluffy.

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup medium matzo meal
  • salt

Directions

Beat the egg whites stiff. Fold in the lightly beaten yolks, then the matzo meal and salt, and continue to mix gently until amalgamated. Chill, covered, for 30 minutes. Then roll into 3/4-inch (2-cm) balls, about 16, and drop into plenty of boiling salted water. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Just before serving, heat them up, then lift them out and drop them into the boiling soup broth. It is usual to cook knaidlach in boiling water rather than right in the broth, because they soak up so much liquid that unless you have made a very large quantity you will end up with very little broth.


Makes about 16 Variations: Add 2 Tablespoons very finely chopped parsley or a pinch of powdered ginger. There are very many versions, with chicken fat or oil, and including beef marrow, ground almonds, grated onion, etc. The old traditional one-beat 1 egg, add 1 heaping tablespoon of melted chicken fat, 2 tablespoons of warm water, salt,white pepper, and 1/2 cup matzo meal are heavy and stodgy.

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Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: Claudia Roden-The Book of Jewish Food
Submitted By: Eileen Werth
crzylegs@erols.com
KNAIDLACH-Matzo Balls