Matzo Ball Soup, Camp Version
Boxed matzo ball mix, dried vegetable broth, ginger and basil. A pot of soup that tastes like it took an afternoon.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 96
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 900 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Store-bought matzo ball mix | 1 packet | about 4.5 oz, makes 8 small balls |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered egg | 2 eggs worth | reconstituted, replaces the fresh eggs the box wants |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | in a dropper bottle |
| Dried parsnip and carrot | 1/2 cup total | dehydrated at home or bought as soup vegetables |
| Dried onion and leek flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Vegetable bouillon | 2 cubes | |
| Ground ginger | 1 tsp | 1/2 tsp goes in the matzo balls |
| Ground coriander | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried basil | 1 tbsp | half in the balls, half in the broth |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Bay leaf | 1 | |
| Dried kombu | 1 small piece | optional, but it is what makes the broth taste like it simmered |
| Turmeric | 1/4 tsp | for color |
| Black pepper and salt | to taste | |
| Nigella seeds | 1 tsp | garnish |
| Lemon powder or a wedge | 1 tsp or 1 wedge |
Method
- Mix the powdered egg with 4 tbsp cold water in a mug or a bag. Let it sit two minutes until it stops being gritty.
- Stir in the olive oil, then the matzo ball mix, 1/2 tsp ginger, the coriander, half the basil, and a grind of pepper. Stir until it just comes together and stop. Overworking makes rocks.
- Rest the dough 15 minutes at ambient temperature. Do not chill it, even in winter. Cold dough gives you dense balls.
- Meanwhile bring 900 ml of water to a boil with the dried vegetables, onion and leek flakes, bouillon, garlic powder, remaining ginger, remaining basil, bay leaf, kombu, and turmeric. Simmer 10 minutes, then pull the bay leaf and the kombu.
- Wet your hands and roll the dough into eight balls, smaller than you think. They double.
- Drop them into the simmering broth, lid on, and cook 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Steam is doing the work.
- Salt the broth at the end, scatter nigella seeds, and hit each bowl with lemon.
Matzo ball soup normally starts with an hour of roasting vegetables for broth. On a stove with one pot and finite fuel, that is not happening. Dried parsnip and carrot, onion flakes, bouillon, and a scrap of kombu get most of the way there: the kombu adds the savory backbone that a long simmer would otherwise build, and turmeric supplies the gold color.
The balls are the part that can actually fail. Powdered egg stands in for fresh, and the dough gets rested at ambient temperature rather than chilled, which keeps them light. Stir until the mix is just hydrated, roll them small, and leave the lid on for the full twenty minutes. Every time you check, you drop the steam and they come out tight.
Packing
Premix all the broth powders and dried vegetables into one bag at home. Matzo mix, spices for the balls, and powdered egg go in a second bag. Oil and nigella seeds ride separately.
Variations
- Add a handful of dried mushrooms to the broth for more depth if you skip the kombu.
- Instant potato flakes stirred into the leftover broth turn it into a second, thicker meal.
- Real eggs work fine on a car-camping trip out of a cooler.
https://daraeats.com/vegetarian-matzo-ball-soup