A Reform Judaism magazine reader once asked me to help re-create her grandmother’s recipe for bubele, a matzah meal fritter similar to chremslach. I researched it for months and then, thanks to a friend who gave me a South African Union of Jewish Women cookbook, I found a recipe! The following is my adaptation for the modern cook.
Ingredients
1 cup matzah meal
1⁄4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄4 cup seedless raisins
2 tablespoons finely ground almonds
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 apple, peeled and coarsely grated (Gala or Fuji)
1⁄4 cup Passover wine, preferably sweet to semi sweet
2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3⁄4 cup water or more as needed
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Vegetable oil for frying
2 tablespoons sugar with 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Directions
- Combine the first 6 dry ingredients in a 2-quart medium bowl.
- Place the lemon juice in a 1-quart bowl and grate the peeled apple into the bowl. If you’re grating with a food processor, immediately mix the apple with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Add the wine, honey, and eggs to the apple mixture. Combine well.
- Stir mixture into dry ingredients.
- Add water until the mixture is a thick batter, but thin enough to drop from a spoon.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan until it’s hot, but not smoking.
- Drop 2 tablespoons of batter at a time into the hot oil. Repeat with additional spoonfuls, being sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides, for no more than 1 minute per side.
- Remove the bubele with a slotted spatula or spoon. Drain on paper towels. If preparing as dessert, combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top while the bubele is still hot.
Additional Notes
- Don’t overcrowd the food in your frying pan. This is the best way to keep oil at an even frying temperature, which will insure a light, crispy end product.
- Drain fried foods on a plate covered with crumpled paper towels. You’ll create a larger surface area for absorbing more oil and use fewer paper towels—saving trees at the same time!
