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Chremslach
Chremslach (חרעמזלעך): Passover matzo-meal fritters with raisins and cinnamon
Chremslach are a Galician and Polish Passover sweet still fried in Ashkenazi kitchens in Haifa and Jerusalem during the holiday week, often eaten as a dessert after the seder leftovers or for a festive breakfast. Matzo meal is mixed with eggs, sugar, raisins, chopped almonds and cinnamon into a thick batter, then dropped into hot oil in spoonfuls to make small, puffy fritters, crisp outside and soft inside. Serve them warm, dusted with sugar or drizzled with honey. The common mistake is frying straight away: the matzo meal needs 15 minutes to swell, or the fritters fall apart in the oil. Chef's tip: wet your spoon between fritters so the sticky batter slides off cleanly.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 eggsseparated
- 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
- 3 ½ oz matzo meal
- 1 ¾ oz raisins
- 1 ⅜ oz blanched almondsfinely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor shallow frying
- 3 tbsp honey (optional)to serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Beat the yolks from 3 eggs with 1 ¾ oz caster sugar until pale, then stir in 3 ½ oz matzo meal, 1 ¾ oz raisins, 1 ⅜ oz blanched almonds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp lemon zest and ¼ cup water. Leave for 15 minutes to swell.
15 minStep 2: Whisk the whites with 1 pinch salt to soft peaks and fold them gently into the batter.
3 minStep 3: Heat 1 ¼ cups sunflower oil 1.5 cm deep in a frying pan over a medium heat to about 350°F; a drop of batter should sizzle at once.
Step 4: Drop in heaped tablespoons of batter, flattening slightly, and fry for 2 minutes per side until puffed and deep golden. Fry in batches without crowding.
12 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm, drizzled with 3 tbsp honey if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chremslach take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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