Shared by Michael Twitty
Shared by Michael Twitty
Kneidlach in Yassa Sauce
Yield: 6 servings
Kneidlach in Yassa Sauce
Yield: 6 servingsFamily Journey
West Africa
America
Why should kneidlach (Yiddish for matzo balls) be reserved for soup? Here, cookbook author and historian Michael Twitty reimagines fluffy kneidlach as a fun Seder side dish. Michael tosses the kneidlach in a lemony, horseradish-flecked yassa sauce that's inspired by West African yassa chicken. The recipe makes extra yassa sauce; freeze leftovers, and use in salad dressing, or on chicken. This recipe will work with any matzo balls — use your favorite recipe, or check out ours.
Read more about Michael Twitty’s Passover celebrations in “For Michael Twitty, Seder Is a Chance to Share His Origin Story with Chosen Family” and try his recipes for West African brisket and Koshersoul collards with horseradish.
Ingredients
For the West African wet seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 1 scallion
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ small red onion, sliced
- ½” piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ small Scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 small cube kosher beef bouillon, crushed
- ½ tablespoon neutral oil
For the Yassa sauce:
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 cup sliced yellow onions
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
- 2 tablespoons West African wet seasoning
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 small beef bouillon cube
- 2 cups cooked kneidlach (we like the matzo balls from this recipe)
Preparation
Step 1
Make the West African seasoning: Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is fully pureed. Scrape down the sides and process again. Repeat until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a container and set aside.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic and salt until translucent, 3-4 minutes and add sugar, caramelizing until soft and light brown, 5-7 minutes.
Step 3
Add the lemon juice, horseradish, West African seasoning, stock and bouillon cube and whisk, cooking until it emulsifies, around 5 minutes.
Step 4
Add the kneidlach to the sauce and gently warm for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.
