Handmade Ashkenazi egg noodles are a labor of love, a lot of love. The cook needs to make a dozen or more of very thin and delicate egg crepes and then slice then together to thin strips. No wonder it’s one of my fondest culinary memories from my grandmother, Rachel Shraga.
My grandmother used to make the noodles with eggs and water only, but the truth is, it’s much easier to make them if you add a little potato flour, as most recipes instruct. Either way, they make any chicken soup seem special, and the holiday table, especially Passover, look extra festive.
Ashkenazi egg noodles (lokshen)
Course: SoupsCuisine: Ashkenazi, JewishDifficulty: Medium6
servings25
minutesAshkenazi egg noodles handmade noodles that are served in chicken soup, together or instead of matzo balls. They are kosher for Passover and so they’ve become a specialty of the holiday, but some cooks (like my grandmother and now my mother) serve it for Rosh Hashanah as well.
Use the video below as guide.
INGREDIENTS
4 large eggs at room temperature
4 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons potato flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Oil spray, like PAM
DIRECTIONS
- In a medium bowl whisk eggs and water until combined. sprinkle potato flour and salt on top of the eggs and whisk until combined and smooth. Take a look at the video below.
- Heat a large non stick pan over medium-high heat. Have a turner spatula and an empty plate next to you.
- Spray the pan with oil.
- Using a small ladle pour from the egg mixture into the pan and immediately tilt and swirl the pan to make a very thin crepe. Cook for about 10-20 seconds, until the bottom is golden then use the turner to flip crepe. cook for a few more seconds and transfer to the plate. Wipe the pan if there are any crumbs left in it and continue with the rest of the egg mixture.
- Roll a few of the crepes together and use a knife to slice them to thin noodles. Repeat with the rest of the crepes.
- Serve in chicken soup immediately. Noodles will keep in the fridge in a sealed container up to 3 days.
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Dear Ms Guttman, is it possible to dry them? Or to freeze them? I like to prepare it ahead.
Thank you! פםח שמח
Hi Constanze, I just called my mother to ask her, since she’ and before her my grandmother, have been making this lokshen for so many years. She said you cannot freeze it, or dry it, and I think she’s right. You can make it a day earlier, but that’s about it. I’m sorry! But they’re worth it.
Happy Passover!
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You can definitely freeze them. They need to be dried and floured so they do not stick together. Dry on sheets of floured newsprint paper. If dried completely they will become brittle and break if handled. I freeze them carefully folded on parchment paper in plastic zipper bags. To use the frozen noodles discard the loose flour but do not defrost and instead carefully drop still frozen and stiff into boiling broth or water so that they do not clump as they begin to thaw and cook.
Ed, thank you so much for this valuable information! It is very helpful and I will try it next time. Thank you!