Vegan Matzo Ball Soup

• Large Pot
• Big spoon
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Mixing bowl
• Skimmer
• Hand blender 
• Sieve (optional)

Ingredients:

Vegetable Soup :

• 2 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 Carrots, washed and peeled
• 2 small to medium potatoes, washed and peeled
• 1 zucchini, cut to cubes
• 2 Celery stalks
• 3 liter of water
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley/ 2 tbsp of dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• ½ tsp nutmeg powder
• 1 tbsp table salt
• 1 tsp of dried onion

Matzo balls:

• 2.25 cups of matzo meal
• 1 cups of boiling water
• 1 tbsp of Himalayan salt
• 1.5 tsp of black pepper
• 1.5 chia eggs (1.5 cups of water with 4.5 tbsp of chia seeds)
• 5 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of agar agar powder
• Optional - 2 tbsp of vegan chicken flavor seasoning
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil for covering

1. Prepare the Chia eggs - In a high container or a bowl place the water and the seeds and let them sit for 15 minutes. The protein will slowly start to mix with the water and you will get a really jellified mixture.
2. While the chia eggs are sitting, prepare the soup: Heat the pot with the olive oil, add the sliced onion and it sauté for a few minutes, until fragrant.
3. In the meantime, cut the carrots to cubes and add to the pot. let them sauté for 1 minute.
4. Cut the potatoes and add them to the pot. Pour the water into the pot and let them boil. 
5. when the water boils, turn down the heat. the soup needs to be cooked, covered on low heat.
6. Add the spices and the fresh/ dried parsley, mix well and cover for 20 minutes.
7. Add the zucchini cubes to the pot, cook covered for another 10 minutes.
8. Taste and fix seasoning, leave on low heat for another 10 minutes.
9. While the soup is cooking, prepare the Matzo balls: 
10. Blend the jellified chia mixture well with a hand blender until it is a gray, see-through and unified in texture.
11. You can use the chia eggs just like that (jellified mixture) in the recipe.* (see notes) or pour the mixture through a sieve.
12. You will receive a thick, jell-like liquid. The process might take a couple of minutes because the liquid is so thick. Use a rubber spatula to push the jelly quicker.
13. In the mixing bowl, place the matzo meal. Prepare the boiling water in a container and mix into it the spices, oil, and the agar agar powder.
14. pour a little bit of the water into the matzo meal and mix by hand (careful the water is boiling but they cool down really fast), follow by adding a little bit of chia eggs and mix again by hand.
15. Repeat the last step, adding the water and the eggs little by little each time and mixing until you poured all the ingredients in and you get one thick, unified batter.
16. Flatten the surface of the batter in the bowl, pour two tbsp of oil on top and move the bowl around to make sure all the surface is covered with oil.
17. Leave the bowl to rest for 30 minutes while the soup gets cooked.
18. With your hands, roll the batter into your desired size (I like my matzo balls fairly small like in the photo) and set on a plate.
19. Cooking in the soup: reach the desired flavor of your soup before cooking the matzo ball. When ready, make sure the soup is on low boil ** (see notes) and then add the matzo balls to the soup. The balls will be ready after 10 minutes of cooking.  
20. If cooking the balls ahead of time: you can heat a portion of your soup with additional water in a pot (add the chicken flavor powder or more spices if necessary). reach to a boil and add the matzo balls. I usually cook them in 15 balls batches. Cook in boiling water for 10 minutes and remove from the pot using a skimmer spoon.
21. The matzo balls can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. (They taste pretty good cold!)
22. Enjoy!

 Notes - 

* Using the chia eggs without using the sieve tastes perfectly fine but you do end up feeling the texture of the seeds which is not a part of the original dish. In my house we prefer to stay true as much as we can to the original dish we know and love and so I pour the mixture through a sieve.

** The soup or water used to cook the Matzo ball must be at a boil while cooking, as the temperature is the thing the activates the agar agar and allows it the firm and hold the ball. Cooking the balls in water that are less hot than boiling might result in a dissolving matzo ball and nobody wants that :).