Some would argue that NO chicken noodle soup is really complete without Matzo Balls.
There’s just something about a Matzo Ball – the jewish soup dumplings. They start out the size of ping pong balls and then grow into the size of tennis balls once cooked. They can be firm or fluffy or a mix of the two. And they are EVERYTHING once they are immersed in a delicious bowl of homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (click here for the recipe) The perfect companion, really.
While there are SO many ways to make them, this specific matzo ball recipe comes from my mom’s friend Nancy’s mother Judy (ya got all that?). They are floaters and are fluffy with a VERY slight firmness to them (just how I like ‘em!). It’s a fabulous recipe, makes plenty and will really put the perfect touch on that chicken soup. And they’re SO EASY to make! So go on and give them a try!
(Oh – and this one makes no use of the Instant Pot at all as I have tried making these in there and it just doesn’t work out properly for the perfect matzo ball!)
Here’s How I Made Them!:
Start off by cracking a few eggs into a mixing bowl…
…and whisk them up nicely together.
Add a little kosher salt…
…and a little white pepper.
Then, let’s add a little vegetable oil (or schmaltz/chicken fat you can get from a kosher butcher)…
…and a little bit of a cold water/seltzer combo…
…added to the bowl and mix it up.
Now, in batches, you’ll add in some matzo meal (NOT matzo ball mix! That is totally different!)…
…and stir it up well. It will begin to thicken the egg mixture.
Add some more matzo meal…
…and continue to stir up. Do this until it becomes very thick – almost like a thick oatmeal consistency. Put a lid on the mixing bowl and pop it in the fridge to cool and firm up when done.
Once the matzo ball mixture is cooled and firmed up, boil some water (or chicken broth) in a pot on the stove and add in a pinch of kosher salt.
Then, roll up your sleeves because it’s time to dig in and get those hands dirty! Scoop out a little of the maztoh ball mixture…
…and with with hands, roll into ping-pong ball size….
…and one-by-one plop them into the boiling water/chicken broth.
They will float and expand VERY quick so as soon as the last ball is in the pot…
…secure tightly with a lid and let them cook.
When done, you’ll see they will have about tripled in size! Place in a bowl and ladle in some of my famous Chicken Noodle Soup OR freeze for later! L’chayim! You did it!
Marvelous Matzo Balls
A matzo ball is a Jewish dumpling and they can be light ("floaters") or heavy ("sinkers"). The choice is yours and is dependent on how much seltzer or ginger ale you use. This recipe gives you a ball in between the two.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 tbsp of kosher salt
- 1 tsp of white pepper
- 1 tsp of ground ginger (optional but I like this)
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil (or schmaltz if you create it or find at a kosher butcher. What’s schmaltz, you ask? It’s a rendered chicken, goose or duck fat)
- Take a measuring cup that is 1/2 cup in volume. Fill 3/4 of it with cold water and 1/4 of it with cold seltzer (the more seltzer, the more fluffy the ball – the more water, the firmer. SO do the ratio to your liking BUT DO NOT exceed 1/2 cup total based on these measurements!) You can also sub out ginger ale for the seltzer to make it a bit more sweet and exciting!
- 1 cup of Matzo Meal, to start (NOT Matzo Ball Mix – these are different). You will be adding more to thicken up (close to another cup)
Instructions
- Beat the four eggs and add all the ingredients above in a mixing bowl
- Make sure when you are adding the Matzo Meal that you start with 1 cup and stir in and then keep adding more until it thickens to the point where it looks like a thick oatmeal. Your fork should be able to comb through it, but thickly and with a little friction
- Place in the matzo ball mix in the refrigerator, uncovered for 1 hour
- Bring a pot of salted water OR chicken broth to a boil (I like using chicken broth because it infuses some of the flavor into the balls when cooking, but using water is just fine).
- Take the mix out of the fridge and, with wet or oiled hands, roll into ping-pong sized balls. Do NOT go any bigger than that because once boiled, they will expand into the size of tennis balls as it is!
- Once rolled, plop into the boiling water, cover the pot securely with a lid, set a timer for 20 minutes and walk away. DO NOT open the lid during this time. Not even once
- Once done, transfer to the soup
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
he more seltzer added, the fluffier the matzoh ball! These babies are all subjective to one’s taste ?
Sometimes, I also like to add in 1 tsp of ginger powder as well for a little extra flavor (as mentioned as an option in the recipe).
Want to make it even more interesting? Use ginger ale in place of the seltzer!
Want to make your balls ahead of time? THEY CAN BE FROZEN! Simply place the freshly cooked matzoh balls on a baking sheet, with none of them touching each other and place in the freezer. Once frozen, place in a large Ziploc bag. They will NOT stick together! TO warm up, simply drop them in some boiling soup and let simmer for a few minutes until thawed.
Toni
My go to favorite soup ever. My step mother always added an extra egg for fluffy matzo balls. No seltzer, so I have never tried that. But I will give it a try now.
Michelle Woods
Toni,
What size of eggs do you use?
TIA ~ Michelle
Andrea Reilly
I have never used seltzer but can’t wait to try. I also make my own noodles using pierogi dough.they cook amazingly quick and add great flavor! Meal in a bowl!!!
Andrea Culberson
my great grandmother added chopped walnuts. Delicious and looked beautiful
Melisa
I followed all directions but came out with round hockey pucks. I keep checking the directions for something I missed. I skimmed all of the fat off of the top of the broth that I made and used it as schmaltz. Was that my mistake
Jeffrey
Watch the video in the recipe – it should help!