Sometimes when you are enjoying a hearty and flavorful soup, you need an ingredient to add some crunch and crispiness to your meal. While you may enjoy soup crackers with Asian soups, the garnish used and widely appreciated for Jewish soups is soup nuts.
Soup nuts are also called mandlach or mandlen in Yiddish and can be translated to soup almonds in Hebrew. They are similar to croutons and can be used as a garnish on soups, salads, and stews.
Many people wonder why the garnish is called soup nuts. The reason for this is that its exterior resembles nuts, and they have a crispy texture.
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What Are Soup Nuts?
Soup nuts are a type of garnish used most commonly in Jewish cuisine for providing an extra crunchy texture to hearty salads, stews, dairy- or meat-based broths, and even desserts. When you enjoy a soup with soup nuts, you will be able to see round-shaped crispy balls floating on top and absorbing the broth.
Most people think they contain nuts given their name. But they actually have nothing to do with nuts but are made with matzo meal, eggs, oil, and water. If you are unfamiliar with soup nuts and come across them for the first time, you may mistake their appearance for a small profiterole, dumpling, or éclair.
Soup nuts are not square-shaped like croutons but have a round, ball-like shape with a diameter of roughly one inch. These small round balls are golden brown in color with a crunchy exterior and soft, fluffy inside.
Soup nuts are usually used around the Jewish holiday “Pesach” or “Passover” in soups. Jewish families often prefer to make mandlen or soup nuts from scratch, even though pre-made and packaged alternatives are available in stores and online. The packaged versions can help you cut down on preparation time for the soup nuts and give you an excellent, crunchy, soft garnish without hard work. Moreover, the release of the packaged version of soup nuts has made the garnish more popular among non-Jewish soup lovers.
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How Are Soup Nuts Made?
Soup nuts are light, fluffy, and crunchy balls of golden brown color made with eggs, matzo meal, water, and oil. Contrary to grape nuts, soup nuts do not contain any legumes and have been thought to originate in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. It was initially a way to enjoy some unleavened starch with soups during Pesach; however, the crispy and savory texture of these soup nuts made them a staple to be enjoyed year-round. Jewish manufacturers added them to their product lines as soon as they noticed mandlen’s popularity. Many companies such as Vita, Knorr, Osem, Manischewitz, and more provide consumers with fantastic quality pre-made soup nuts.
If you want to make soup nuts on your own at home, you can follow a simple recipe to make them. The ingredients typically used for making mandlen are eggs, water, vegetable oil, and matzo meal. Some recipes also include a hint of sugar or potato starch for a bit of sweetness or more crispiness. The seasoning used commonly in soup nuts is salt and pepper, but you can also add some herbs or garlic powder to the mix. If you are unsure about choosing the right type of ingredients, you can buy a premade mix for soup nuts.
Once all ingredients are ready, bring the oil and water mixture to a simmer and mix in the matzo meal. Add in the eggs and mix thoroughly as you would while making choux pastry. Keep the heat low while mixing, and take the dough off the heat once everything is well-combined. Make small dough balls and then bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. You can also fry these dough balls until they are golden brown and crispy.
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How Do You Eat Soup Nuts?
Mandlen, or soup nuts, can be a delight to enjoy in a creamy or bone-based broth. Soup nuts complement broths well as they soak up all extra moisture from the soup and cause a burst of flavor in your mouth as you bite into them.
Some loyal fan refer to soup nuts as Kosher Jewish oyster crackers. They are versatile and you can eat them by themselves as a snack, or add them to soup or salads to add a little extra flavor to your menu.
The instructions on the package of premade soup nuts will often suggest you sprinkle them over your salads, meaty stews, or soups; however, you can also make fantastic desserts with mandlen. Manischewitz, a well-known company manufacturing soup nuts, suggests a strawberry trifle recipe featuring mandlens).
Soup Nuts to Try – Manischewitz Mandlen Soup Nuts
If you are curious about the taste and texture of soup nuts, you must try soup nuts by Manischewitz. The Manischewitz Mandlen are gluten-free, low-calorie, sugar-free, and kosher, making them the perfect garnish for Passover dishes.
Manischewitz Mandlen is much better than other brands because it has a unique light, airy, and crunchy texture that just can’t be matched. It offers an added crisp factor that complements chowders, chilis, stews, and soups and makes them taste more delicious.
Soup nuts are also a healthy choice for you since they contain low fat and sodium content and can be enjoyed as a standalone snack. People who love Manischewitz Mandlen have said they complement chicken and clear broths exceptionally well.
Whether you want a scrumptious crunch in your desserts or appetizers, you can purchase Manischewitz Mandlen online or in stores near you for your favorite dishes.
Soup Nuts – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is soup mandlen?
Soup mandlen is a type of kosher food that is similar to crackers or cracker bread. It is most commonly used in Jewish cuisines, serving as an accompaniment for soups or as a garnish for other dishes.
Are soup nuts kosher for Passover?
Yes, soup nuts are kosher for Passover and are often enjoyed with a hot bowl of matzoh ball soup during Passover.
What is used to make soup nuts?
Soup nuts are typically made of vegetable oil/shortening, eggs, water, and matzo meal instead of regular flour. You can also season it with salt and pepper for your taste. Some Jewish families have their own versions of soup nuts and also add garlic powder and herbs to the dough mix for soup nuts.
Delicious Homemade Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
This delicious traditional matzo ball soup recipe is perfect for those cool fall and winter days or if you’re feeling under the weather!
Summary
Soup nuts are a tasty garnish you can enjoy with broths, stews, and even desserts. Made from simple ingredients like water, matzo meal, eggs, and vegetable oil, they are extremely easy to make at home.
Even if you don’t feel like making the dough and going through the complete cooking process, you can purchase premade versions of soup balls for a crunchy and delectable garnish. Try them with your favorite kosher foods and test to see if the mandlen live up to their hype.
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Image Credit
Eli Rosenblit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
My name is Jay and I started this website to share my love of Deli Food. I am Jewish with Italian ancestry and grandparents who emigrated to the US from Poland, Russia and Turkey. This website is my celebration of the delicious flavors of international deli culture. Please feel free to send me your suggestions and feedback through the contact form.
