What is Matzo Ball Mix and What Else Can You Do With It?
Just because matzo is a Jewish food traditionally eaten during Passover, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it year-round. Not to be confused with matzo meal, which is simply matzo crackers that are ground up into a fine meal, matzo ball mix is a pre-packaged mixture of matzo meal, spices (garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, etc.), and preservatives. Manischewitz is a popular brand that you will more than likely be able to find on the international aisle of your favorite supermarket.
Because matzo crackers, on their own, are unleavened bread made with flour and water, they have an extremely bland flavor. Therefore, this pre-mixed box saves you the hassle of laboriously spicing and flavoring your ground matzo—it’s already done for you! Intended for being made into light, fluffy matzo balls, this mix comes with a recipe on the package which instructs you to combine the contents of the packets with eggs and oil, and then boiling the little doughy fritters. It’s mind-numbingly simple and a great option for someone who doesn’t want to start from scratch for their next homemade matzo ball soup. The best part? Your guests will never know it’s from a mix—in fact, they’ll probably believe that you spent hours sweating over these cloud-like labors of love. Jokes on them, amiright?!
For those of us who aren’t afraid to stray from the provided directions, rest assured that there’s still some matzo mix fun to be had. If you’re still thinking along the lines of matzo balls, go ahead and add a few bonus ingredients to those balls like spinach, carrots, feta, and/or peppers. There’s plenty of wiggle room for the add-ins that you’d like to incorporate—mix in what feels right, A.K.A. whatever you want. The world of matzo balls is yours to explore! You could even go ahead and deep-fry them instead of boiling them, and you definitely will not regret that decision.
You can (and should) also use the mix to bread chicken, fish, or pork* if you’re looking to switch things up from the Italian-style breadcrumbs that you’re used to. Make a batch of savory muffins or scones and toss in a packet of matzo ball mix for an extra dose of savory-salty goodness. Basically, don’t feel limited by a product that comes with a strict recipe on the back as far as how it is intended to be prepared. Sure, go ahead and do your matzo ball thang whenever you damn please, but experimenting with this concoction of ground matzo and spices is also a very valid thing to do. In either case, you’re still BALLIN’.
*Which is of course, not kosher, but you do you.