Don’t ask me why I’m making Matzoh Ball Soup during a Southern California heatwave and nowhere near a Jewish holiday! Actually, I’ll answer that imaginary question anyway… Matzoh Ball Soup is one of my favorite foods ever. It’s comforting and filling. Perfectly-made matzoh balls are heavenly little puffy balls of salty, smooshy love. How’s that for descriptive food writing?

Before my mother-in-law Letty gave me her official recipe for the best Matzoh Ball Soup you’ve ever had, I struggled through a handful of sub-par recipes that always left me feeling disappointed. It started when I was dating Daniel and I wanted to impress him by making one of his family’s favorite dishes. We were living in an apartment in Mission Valley and I bought a box of matzoh meal (quite similar to the one seen below) and followed the directions printed on the back. The results were mediocre. One problem was that I didn’t make my own broth from scratch. I might have even tried using vegetable broth at first because right after college I was a vegetarian! How embarrassing!

Of course, my husband (then my boyfriend) being the sweetheart that he is (and was) gushed on and on about how delicious it was and how much he loved me for trying to make him such a home-style favorite. This was incredibly kind of him, considering that he must have been silently comparing my ridiculous first attempt to the decades of expertise that his mother brings to the table. Just one of the many reasons I married him. people!

If you’ve never made Matzoh Ball Soup before, after you refrigerate the eggs, oil, and matzoh meal mixture, you’ll separate it into fourths and roll them into spheres with wet hands. Here’s what it looks like mid-process:

It kind of looks like a Pac-Man in this photo, huh?

If you’ve ever had bad Matzoh Ball Soup, then you know that the key to the whole thing is the consistency of the balls. Mainly you come across matzoh balls that are too hard which is the worst! If you follow the instructions below, I think you’ll be successful with this somewhat tricky technique during your first try.

Anyway, I hope that Letty’s Matzoh Ball Soup recipe will keep you warm and satisfied throughout the winter months. I’m jealous of you all for securing this top-notch M.B. Soup recipe without the dozens of failures that I had to endure over the years!

Letty’s Matzoh Ball Soup

• Boil a whole, fresh chicken covered in water for 1 and a half hours. You don’t need to worry too much about how much broth you make because you can supplement it with water or canned broth later on in the process.
• Take chicken out of the pot and cool the broth in the fridge overnight and skim the fat off the top in the morning.
• Make one packet of matzoh ball mix at a time in separate small bowls (with eggs and corn or safflower oil) according to the directions on the box. Do not add salt! I would recommend making 2 packets (8 matzoh balls) for one big batch of broth.
• Cool each bowl in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile boil the broth, adding additional water and canned chicken broth if needed.
• Make 4 matzoh balls out of each packet with wet hands (so that the meal doesn’t stick to you) and add to the pot of boiling water.
• The TRICK is not to let the matzoh balls get crowded as they pop up! Otherwise, the matzoh balls won’t be able to expand to the proper consistency. Cover the pot while it’s boiling and put it on medium or medium low.
• KEY: Cook for at least a half hour (usually longer). Test if they’re ready by taking one out and cutting it in half. It should fall apart when you barely touch it with a butter knife.
• Add sliced carrots and sliced green onions a few minutes before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like my Matzoh Ball Soup extremely salty. Try it that way and think of me!
• Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy!