Classic Matzo Brei

My mother dunked the matzo right into the egg (scrambled with a touch of milk for moisture) until it softened. The result was a much tastier matzo brei. Years later, when I tasted the matzo brei softened in water, it lacked flavor.

We do it slightly differently. Break up the matzoh, blanche with hot water to soften, then mix with beaten egg, a little milk, salt, pepper, powdered onion if you like. Then scramble to the desired degree of dryness. Guess you could also sautee some onion as well. Should be good! The egg soaks into the matzoh this way.

Like all ethnic cooking, everyone has their own recipe!

I have a large collection of Jewish cookbooks. None of them call for frying the matzah and making scrambled eggs mixed in. The idea is to treat it like French toast and let the egg soak into the matzah. Season before mixing everything.

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the addition (along with sauteed onions) of some shreds of lox. Lox, eggs, onions and matzo: What could be bad?

My mother made the greatest matzo brei. Her secret that made hers the best was that she soaked the matzo in milk first. I miss it and her

This is a bad recipe. If you rinse the matzoh - spelled "matzoh" NYT - in water, you get with soggy matzoh. Yuck. Instead: Use 1 large egg to every 1 and 1/2 sheets of store-bought matzoh. (2 eggs, 3 sheets, etc.) Scramble the egg(s) with an equal amount of milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Or some honey, cinnamon, etc.) Crack up the matzoh into bite-sized pieces over the bowl. Heat butter and pour the entire mixture on. Cook until it reaches the "doneness" you like.

I generally love Melissa's recipes. But this is not the way Jewish people prepare matzo brei. After soaking the matzo in water you let is soak in the scrambled egg, and the ratio is 1 egg per 2 slices of matzo or 2-3 eggs per 4 pieces .

My mother always dipped the matzo right into the egg mixture and let it sit for a while until the matzo absorbed the egg flavor and softened a bit. The result was a soft and crunchy matzo brei. The first time I tasted a matzo brei recipe that required wetting the matzo with water first, it tasted bland to me.

Lots of onions, fried very dark, are essential, for me.

My mom always softened matzo with water, crumbled it into beaten eggs, then into a fry pan bubbling with a generous amount of melted butter. Sugar on top to serve. Years later, a friend shared her family's take on brei that I've used since: after you incorporate softened broken up matzo into eggs, add a half sheet of dry broken up matzoh for crunch, then fry. Adds a satisfying crunch. Brei bliss.

I'm smiling as I read your notes, each offering your own variation and all conveying such feeling. We wet the matzah then add to well seasoned scrambled eggs. Let it sit in fridge for a bit, allowing the wet matzah to soak up seasoned egg. Fry it up in butter (we used to use shmalz) and s&p. When done, add more s&p and enjoy! Happy Pesach to all!

I'm 1/2 Italian + 1/2 Jewish so I make a Matzo Brei Frittata. I soak matzo in hot water or chicken broth), add loads of caramelized onions & garlic, cook on one side, flip onto the other side + voila. You can make individual ones in an 8 inch skillet or a larger one in a 10 inch skillet. A great side dish to serve with brisket, chicken etc., & always a breakfast/brunch treat. Some sour cream on the side is nice & when I'm channeling my Italian grandmother, ricotta! YUM!

The absolute best matzo brie similar to french toast. Whisk egg and milk together ( I add a little salt). Break up matzo into small pieces and marinate overnight.
Fry up in some olive oil- make it crunchy or soft. It's absolutely delicious and nothing compares to it!
I actually make a ton and keep it in the fridge for a few days.
From my childhood I remember it being called something like- siga frish de matzo- but I'm sure I've mutilated the German.

There are twelve-million ways to make matzo brei. Over the years I've tried about seven-hundred-thousand of them. I've pretty much settled in on the technique described by Ms. Clark in her recipe. A small variation is that I soak the crumbled matzo in (salted) water until quite soft and then I drain it and SQUEEZE as much water out of the matzo as possible. Then cook some onion, brown the matzo, add whatever you want (Lox, sugar, bananas, etc.), add the eggs and cook and eat. Yummmm...

Added sautéed onions, mushrooms, and sage cooked in butter, then served with a pinch of blue cheese and lox. Really good!