Matzah Brei, literally fried matzah, is a delicious dish of Ashkenazi-Jewish origin, made from matzah fried with eggs. Like all things that are well-liked, there is a Facebook fan page for it. Locally, it has at least one prominent fan.
“ Brei is a great fun food, especially because it's easy to make," said Rabbi Shlomo Blickstein of the Bay Terrace Jewish Center in Bayside. "My teens can even make it by themselves,” he added.
It's traditionally on Passover—specifically the last day of the eight-day festival.
There are many recipes for this dish, but the basic how-to of it is that the dry matzah is softened in hot water or milk, broken into pieces, mixed with eggs and pan-fried in butter or oil.
You can make it omelet-style with other foods, or break it up like scrambled eggs. Toppings after it is cooked include kosher-for- apple sauce, jelly, sugar or a cinnamon and sugar combo. Blickstein has his own “healthy” alternative to the dish.
“Cholesterol conscious dieters can use just one egg, with additional egg whites from two to three eggs,” Blickstein suggests. “It has carbs, healthy fat from the egg, and protein from the egg whites—you could use whole wheat matzah but it won't taste as good.”
Here is an easy recipe for the dish:
MATZAH BREI
Ingredients
6 sheets of matzah
Hot water
4 eggs
Enough oil or butter to coat the frying pan
Salt and pepper (if you desire them)
Break matzah into pieces and place in a large bowl with hot water to soften. Drain water. Add beaten eggs, salt and pepper and other ingredients (mushrooms, onions) if you like, and mix well. Heat oil or butter in frying pan. Cook matzah-egg mixture over medium heat. Stir if you would like it scrambled or cook on both sides to keep it whole. Serve with preferred topping.
