One of the foods I will be making will be "kreplach". What are kreplach you might ask? Kreplach resemble wontons and are filled with chopped chicken mixture and then either boiled, fried or baked - and are traditonaly eaten in chicken soup.
Believe it or not, I have eaten kreplach before Yom Kippur for years and years and years, but somehow never quite thought to ask why we eat them. So today I did a little researching on the matter. On a very simple level, the meat (chicken) inside of the kreplach symbolizes the severity of judgement - while the white dough on the outside symbolizes G-d's mercy. As we prepare for Yom Kippur by eating a special meal, we symbolically "cover" the severity with kindness. When we eat the kreplach it reminds us to ask of Hashem to sugarcoat anything harsh that may G-d forbid be in store and to envelope those things with mercy and kindness.
They can also serve as a reminder to each of us of how to deal with the people around us. They can remind us that instead of being quick to judge those we love and we could judge others favorably. Instead of reacting to the ones with love with harsh words, we can do our best to use kindness and passion. When Hashem sees us treating others in this fashion, I have no doubt that He will judge us favorably as well!
May it be the will of Hashem that each and every one of us be blessed and sealed for a wonderful year filled only with health and happiness and joy! May blessings be showered upon us with reckless abandon and may the only tears we cry be tears of joy and may we merit to see the coming of Moshiach in the very near future!
Gemar chatima tova!!!
Kreplach
Wonton wrappers
Cooked chicken (I will use the chicken from my chicken soup.)
Oil
A small onion, minced
Salt
Pepper
Sautee the onion in a little bit of oil. Add in the cooked chicken (shredded or chopped) and season with salt and pepper (I might add some garlic too.) Sautee until just starting to slightly brown and remove from the pan. Place a small amount of the chicken mixture on a square wonton wrapper and fold over to form a triangle. Seal with the edges with a little bit of water.
To cook: Either drop them into a pot of salted, boiling water, fry them or bake until crisp at about 400 degrees.
Enjoy!
(Photo credit to my cousin Rashi Weiss.)
