Throughout Eastern Europe, Germany, and Israel, Matzo Balls sitting in a bowl of chicken soup is THE perfect meal (in MHT’s opinion at least). Rather than traditional dumplings or noodles, Matzo Balls are the result of Jewish ingenuity, replacing flour that was prohibited during holidays with the acceptable unleavened matzah meal. Cooking these fairly mild matzoh balls separately in clear water and then adding to homemade chicken soup produces an unmatched comfort food loved by many.

Jewish Matzo Balls

These pillowy "floaters" are perfect in chicken soup for the iconic Matzo Ball Soup and make a wonderful replacement for potatoes or flour dumplings to sit next to a saucy braised dish.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: Eastern European, German, Hungary, Jewish

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Cool batter: 2

Total Time: 2 25

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Medium bowl
Slotted spoon
Large pot

Ingredients

1 cup Matzo meal, or 1 cup matzo finely ground in a food processor
2 tsp Kosher salt
5 large Eggs
¼ cup Avocado oil , unsalted butter, or smaltz
¼ cup Chives, finely chopped (parsley OK)
¼ cup Club soda or plain water

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make Batter – combine matzo meal, salt, and chives in a medium bowl. Using a fork, incorporate eggs into matzo meal one at a time. Mix in fat then water until no more lumps. Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate from 2 to 24 hours.
Make Matzo Balls – ring a large pot of heavily-salted water to a boil. While it heats, Roll matzo ball mixture with your hands into 1¼-inch round balls, about the size of a ping-pong ball. Place completed balls on a plate or pan and continue until batter is used up. Makes about 24 balls.
Cook Matzo Balls – Add matzoh balls to the boiling water and cook until they float, about 10 to 12 minutes. They should be cooked through and puffy. To make matzo ball soup, transfer 2 to 3 balls to soup bowls and top with 1½ cups of homemade chicken soup. Otherwise, remove from the water with a slotted spoon and reserve for another use.