Vegan Lemongrass, Ginger and Coriander Infused Matzo Ball Soup
Passover tends to be a less than thrilling holiday for the Vegan Jew. I suppose I wouldn't really use the adjective "thrilling" to describe any Shagrin family religious-oriented gathering. Well, maybe at my Bat Mitzvah when my Grandma and Aunt J drank too much wine and ended up doing the Macarena on top of a table. That was pretty thrilling to a thirteen-year-old. It was also mildly embarrassing, mostly because I discovered my grandma could kick my ass in a dance competition. I can only hope that Shagrin women, like a fine wine, have a sense of rhythm that ripens with age...or with unbridled consumption of aforementioned wine.
Anyway, I derailed for a minute. Back on track.
Passover is a difficult food holiday for Vegans because many of the recipes are egg/meat laden. The absence of yeast in food products forces many recipes and packaged Passover goods to rely on eggs for their rising effect. Great for Jews, bad for Vegans. And while my Grandma could shake a mean tail-feather on the dance floor (table?), she could shimmy and shake her way through the kitchen like no one else in the family. I would eat so much of her Matzo Ball Soup that I barely had room for the rest of the meal. Don't worry, though. I'd sit for five minutes until letting out a burp large enough to rattle the fine china and every one's nerves, then get down to business with my other grandma's bangin' noodle kugel.
So, why couldn't I just leave well enough alone and Veganize a basic Matzo Ball Soup recipe? Well, as any good Jewish Granddaughter knows, NEVER try to beat Grandma at her own game. Even though she's not with us today, I'm sure my Meemaw would find some way to let me know she was displeased. The first zit I've had in months surfaced on my left temple as I was writing the initial recipe the other day, so I took it as a sign from above to deviate from the standard to a fusion East-Meets-Jew soup.