My father’s kneidlach
16 large kneidlach
Easy
5 - 10 minutes, plus 4 hours’ chilling time
20 minutes for 45g small kneidles and 25 minutes for 80g bigger kneidlesKneidlach can be tricky. Your kneidle is in the soup, you are so excited to eat it, pick up your spoon to cut the kneidle only to have it shoot out the dish and, at worst, hit the person across from you or land up on the tablecloth. Kneidles have a reputation for being the gastronomic equivalent of a cricket ball. My father’s recipe will guarantee this will not happen; they are light and fluffy and simply delicious.
Ingredients
Method
- 1 cup shmaltz
- 4 extra-large free-range eggs
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 t salt
- 350 g matzah meal
Method
Ingredients
1. Melt the schmaltz in a saucepan or microwave in a bowl
2. Beat the eggs very well using a stick mixer until light and frothy. Add the melted schmaltz, chicken stock and salt, then beat well again.
3. Pour into a bowl, then add the matzah meal. The mixture will be quite loose.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least four hours. The mixture will then be quite firm. Roll into 45 g balls for small kneidles or 80 g for large ones.
5. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over a high heat. Place 8 large kneidles or 10 small ones into the boiling water and cover. Reduce the heat to medium high and boil, covered, for 20 minutes for the small ones and 25 minutes for the large ones. Replenish the water and repeat using the remaining mixture.
Cook’s note: It’s best to boil the kneidlach in water, then transfer them to the soup to heat through before serving. They will shrink in size when standing but will plump up when you put them in the soup. Boiling them in the soup will make it cloudy and change the consistency of your chicken soup. You can mix, roll and freeze the kneidlach a while before using. They cook beautifully from frozen. Place the frozen kneidlach directly into the boiling water and cook as per instructions above. I recommend the smaller kneidlach, especially if you have many children. Rather serve two small ones. These kneidlach are made with Parev schmaltz and work beautifully in a vegetable soup.
Find more Jewish holiday recipes here
Production: Khanya Mzongwana
Photographer: Toby Murphy
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