Matzo Ball Soup for Passover

Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo Ball Soup for Passover

Traditional matzo balls קניידלך (kneidlach) are comforting dumplings made from matzo meal, eggs, and fat.

Matzo מַצָּה (also spelled matzoh, matzah or matza) is unleavened bread that holds deep significance in Jewish culture during Passover פֶּסַח (Pesach). It is made simply from flour and water and is baked quickly to prevent any rising, resulting in a flat, crisp texture.

We eat matzo during Passover to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt, when our ancestors left in such haste that their bread didn’t have time to rise.

Manischewitz matzo ball mix is Kosher for Passover and my choice for the best tasting. It contains matzo meal, salt, monocalcium phosphate, baking soda, onion, black pepper, garlic, and celery seed.

Matzo meal is a ground form of matzo, used as a breadcrumb substitute or a flour alternative, especially during Passover.

Monocalcium phosphate is a leavening agent and food additive typically used in baked goods. It is a fast-acting acid that reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide, which helps baked goods rise and become light and fluffy.

If you are looking for a recipe for the fluffiest, most delicious matzo balls in a beautiful clear tasty broth for Passover or anytime – you’ve come to the right place!

Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

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Quick Wonton Noodle Soup

Quick Wonton Noodle Soup

Quick Wonton Noodle Soup

This Quick (delicious) Wonton Noodle Soup is made with frozen/defrosted broth, frozen wontons (2 minutes) and noodles (4 minutes). Quick cooking baby bok choy adds the green vegetable component, along with plenty fresh scallion and cilantro. Garlic, ginger, soy sauce and fish sauce add depth of flavor. Sesame oil adds a toasty richness while jalapeño and chili garlic sauce definitely give it a kick!

When I make broth from scratch, I always make a big pot, and freeze some of the broth for later use. This flavorful broth was from a Vietnamese chicken soup recipe similar to pho ga. But any tasty broth would work. Here, the chicken soup with cilantro garnish is well-paired with bright herby chicken/cilantro wontons from Costco.

Vietnamese Chicken Soup Recipe

Quick Wonton Noodle Soup Recipe

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Chicken Noodle Soup with Calabrian Chili Matzoh Balls

Chicken Noodle Soup with Calabrian Chili Matzoh Balls

Chicken Noodle Soup
with
Calabrian Chili Matzoh Balls

Over the years I’ve made hundreds of matzoh balls, usually in the Traditional style, but often with a twist with different flavors or techniques such as: Saffron, Mexican, Horseradish, Fried, Vietnamese, Turkey, Edible Flowers, and more!

This time, I added Calabrian chili to the mix to make fabulously flavorful and somewhat spicy matzoh balls with a distinct Italian flair.

Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce is made with Calabrian chili peppers sourced from a trusted pepper cultivator in Calabria, Italy (the “toe” of Italy’s “boot”). Their Italian Bomba Hot Sauce is a tribute to a centuries-old culinary tradition.

Since the 1500s, Calabrian hot chili peppers have been a staple of Southern Italian cuisine, especially when crushed, fermented, and mixed into a fiery hot condiment, just like this Bomba Sauce. The natural fruity notes of the peppers are amplified by the slightly pickled flavor and texture they take on during fermentation, making it particularly suited for pasta dishes and pizzas, and who knew, matzoh balls too?

Chicken Noodle Soup with Calabrian Chili Matzoh Balls Recipe

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Chicken Soup with Hungarian Farina Dumplings

Chicken Soup with Hungarian Farina Dumplings
Chicken Soup with Hungarian Farina Dumplings

L’Shana Tova Tikatevu

May Your Name be Inscribed in The Book of Life
For a Good Year

Although my Jewish grandparents hailed from Russia and Romania, this Rosh Hashanah, I’m serving a dish that hails from a neighboring country – Hungary. It is one very similar to our beloved matzoh ball soup.

The dumplings, called gríz galuska, are shaped into three-sided ovals instead of round balls. They are made of farina instead of matzo meal. The batter contains a simple mix of egg, olive oil, and salt, just like matzoh balls. Similar, but different…something NEW for a NEW year.

Chicken Soup with Hungarian Farina Dumplings is definitely a delicious way to ring in the Jewish New Year! As the Rosh Hashanah celebration has no shortage of symbolic foods, my chicken soup has plenty of carrots to symbolize prosperity. They are sliced into wheels to look like gold coins. And the soup bowl is FULL of chicken, vegetables, herbs, and dumplings to symbolize abundance. I think my Nana and Papa would approve. (Read more about them and a great recipe for Kasha Varnishkes here).

Hungarian Farina Dumplings Recipe

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Mexican Matzo Ball Soup

Mexican Matzo Ball Soup

Mexican Matzo Ball Soup

Cilantro Matzo Balls with Toasted Coriander and Cumin
Chicken Soup with Avocado, Jalapeño, Lime, Onion, Cilantro

The holiest of Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur ends at sunset tonight. This evening we break the fast with something simultaneously traditional and nontraditional: matzo ball soup with an unexpected twist!

Mexican flavors including cilantro, coriander, and cumin bring a bright zippy freshness to our beloved soup. No soup could be better than Nana’s, but this year things are mighty different, so why not the soup? 5781, the year we served our matzo ball soup with avocado, jalapeño, and lime!

Mexican Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

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