Persian influenced matzo ball soup

Matzo Ball Soup—the classic start to an Ashkenazi Shabbat dinner.

The soup that begins Shabbat dinner for Iranian Jews may look similar, but it’s actually quite different. The broth is deeply flavored with dried limes and advieh, the classic Persian spice mix. The dumplings, known as Gondi, may look like matzo balls, but they’re a very different creature, made from ground chicken and chickpea flour and seasoned with cardamom and turmeric.

While matzo balls can be meat-based or vegetarian, depending upon whether they’re made with chicken schmaltz or oil, chicken dumplings are chicken dumplings.

So, how to make a Persian Influenced Matzo Ball that’s flexible enough to feed omnivores and vegetarians? By introducing the seasonings used in gondi to my basic matzo ball dough.

For the broth, we’ll start with either my recipe for Grandma’s Chicken Soup or Vegetarian Chicken Soup, adding Persian seasonings to make something that’s altogether both familiar and new, exciting while also comforting. It’s a great start to a meal that features other dishes, perhaps more authentic, that hail from the kitchens of Iranian Jews.

Advieh—Persian Spice Mix

Advieh can be purchased from a middle eastern grocery store or online. Many Iranian cooks make their own, each one a little different depending upon the inclination of the cook. Here’s my version. Note: For the best flavor, use whole spices and grind them yourself.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Ingredients:

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1 teaspoon dried rose petals, ground or chopped with a knife

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger

• ⅛ teaspoon ground fenugreek

• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Matzo Balls:

Start with my recipe for Grandma’s Matzo Balls. There, you’ll find many useful tips and tricks. Here’s the basic recipe, with the addition of my Persian-Inspired extras.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons chicken schmaltz or oil

• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

• 1—2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

• 4 large eggs

• ¼  cup seltzer

• 1  teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

• f¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill, basil, parsley, or a combination

• 1 cup matzo meal

Method:

• Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of the fat until it’s soft and transparent, then continue to cook, stirring until golden. Set it aside to cool.

• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until completely homogenous and very foamy, with a fork. I suppose you could use a whisk, but Grandma didn’t have a whisk.

• Add the sautéed onion and as much of the remaining oil you can scrape out of the pan into the beaten eggs. Add the remaining fat and the garlic.

• Add all the other ingredients except for the matzo meal and stir to combine thoroughly.  Sprinkle in the matzo meal, gradually, while stirring. Then, refrigerate uncovered for at least an hour. I often make the batter the night before.

• When you’re ready to cook them, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Choose a pot that’s wide, so that all the matzo balls have room to bob around on the surface. Make them in multiple batches if necessary. If you over-crowd the pot, they could fall apart.

• Using a fork, give the batter a good stir.

• Wet your hands under cold running water. I use a cookie scoop so that my matzo balls are uniform in size, but if you don’t have one, just try to make them all close to the same size. Grandma used a soup spoon. think walnut-sized, or use a 1 ½ inch scoop.

• Scoop up the batter, drop it into a wet hand, and gently roll it into a ball using both palms. Do not pack the dough. You want it to stay soft and light.

• As you make each one, gently slide it into the simmering water.  When all the matzo balls are in the pot, cover it and let them simmer for an hour.  Don’t let them boil hard, just a gentle simmer will do. Don’t remove cover during the cooking process; you don’t want the steam to escape.

• When they’re done, remove the matzo balls from the pot with a slotted spoon. Drain them very well and store in the refrigerator in an air tight container, to be reheated in your soup at serving time.

For the soup:

• Start with either my recipe for Grandma’s Chicken Soup, or Vegetarian Chicken-less Soup.

• Instead of adding all of the ingredients at once, start by putting all the vegetables in the pot with a small splash of neutral oil or chicken schmaltz.

• Turn on the heat and sauté the vegetables, stirring, for about 3 minutes.

• Add the advieh seasoning (see above) and continue to cook, stirring, for a few more minutes to release the flavors of the spices.

• Add 2 dried limes with the liquid. If they’re not available, add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon to the finished soup.

• Continue with the soup recipe as written. When the soup is finished and strained, add a handful of herbs, either to the pot or to each individual bowl. I like using a combination of chopped cilantro and parsley, with a little dill and basil added to the mix.

• Optional: add a handful of cooked chickpeas to the soup.

To Serve:

Put a few matzo balls in each bowl and ladle the hot soup over them. Garnish with herbs and chickpeas, if desired.