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10/03/2000 Archived Entry: "Jerusalem Kugel (Caramel-Pepper Noodle Pudding)"

I finally made a Jerusalem kugel. I have been meaning to for years, but somehow never got around to it, like so many other recipes that I eat, or see a recipe for, or hear about .My sister asked me to make a kugel for Rosh Hashonah, so it seemed it was Jerusalem kugel’s moment.

It is a very simple pudding (the English word for kugel), made of fine egg noodles (lokshen in Yiddish) bound with eggs. It’s distinguishing feature is that it is seasoned with caramel, made by browning sugar in oil.

It is, I have been told and recently read in Faye Levy’s new book 1,000 Jewish Recipes, the traditional snack of Sabbath kiddush in Jerusalem ... well, all of Israel nowadays. (For those of you who don’t know what kiddush is, to oversimplify, it’s the small meal eaten right after Sabbath morning services, or sometimes an elaborate meal if there’s an occasion to celebrate, such as a bar mitvah.) As a Sabbath kiddush dish and Sabbath afternoon snack, the kugel’s other distinguishing feature is that it is baked in a very low oven for many hours. That’s because one is not allowed to cook on the Sabbath, not even light a flame, so by necessity the kugel is prepared before the Sabbath starts on Friday and kept in the oven until it is eaten midday on Saturday. It will get very dark brown and crisply crusted if cooked that way. I baked mine at 350 degrees for 1 hour, as I thought most of us would be more interested in doing, and got a dense but moist interior with a beautifully browned, crisp crust.

I talked about Jerusalem kugel on the radio yesterday and I got many people calling in and contributing ideas and alternate recipes. Barbara’s version, which she called “Mock Jerusalem Kugel” was the most interesting. Instead of making a caramel, which Barbara rightly says intimidates many people, her recipe calls for boiling the sugar with a bit of brown sugar for color, along with the fat and seasonings, then adding the uncooked noodles and eggs. The recipe is below. I haven’t tested it yet, but its seems reasonable so I am including it here.

Barbara also mentioned that the true Jerusalem kugel is very thick, and if you want an authentic one you should bake it in a deep pan instead of a shallow baking ban. This makes sense. If it is to sit in the oven for 10 to 12 hours, even at low temperature (say 200 degrees), the kugel would dry out unless it was very thick.

This idea of a thick kugel was confirmed to me by the recipe in Susan Friedland’s Shabbat Shalom: Recipes and Meals for the Sabbath. Her recipe, made with 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup oil, 12 ounces of fine egg noodles, 4 eggs, and 2 teaspoons of pepper, is baked for 2 hours in a deep, six-cup souffle dish. I understand now that some people even use a tube pan, although I think it would be difficult to unmold because the caramel often makes the pudding stick a little.

I also got an e-mail from my friend Avi Keller, who is a kashruth supervisor (mashgiach), and he added that in his Lubavitcher Hasidic community it is called “Kugel Yerushalmi,” which means Jerusalemite kugel. That’s also what Gil Marks calls it in his book, The World of Jewish Cooking, where he claims it is a recipe that the Hasidim brought to the Holy Land in the early 1700s, when many Eastern European Hasidim migrated to Jerusalem “to live a more fully religious life.”


Jerusalem Kugel

Serves about 8

Because my family generally doesn’t like sweet foods, except at dessert, and we were going to be eating the kugel with our pot-roasted brisket and other savories, I didn’t sweeten my kugel as much as some recipes instruct. Next time, I am going to double the sugar, just to see what it tastes like. As a snack, I can see it being much sweeter. If you would like to do the same, don’t double the oil. It’s not necessary. If using a whole cup of sugar, for instance, use 6 tablespoons of oil. I might also add more black pepper next time. Even 1 1/2 teaspoons, as below, did not make for a very peppery pudding.

1/4 cup vegetable oil (corn, canola, peanut, etc.), plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup sugar
1 pound fine egg noodles
6 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

To cook the noodles, bring about 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, over low heat, stir the oil into the sugar. Watch carefully, stirring or swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar becomes a nutty brown. The oil will separate from the caramel. Remove from heat immediately.

Also while the water for the noodles comes to the boil, in a large bowl, beat the eggs with the pepper.

When the water is boiling, add the 2 tablespoons of salt, then stir in the noodles. Boil the noodles for 5 minutes. (I didn’t add salt to the pudding because I used so much salt to cook the noodles.)

While the noodles are cooking, grease a 9 by 13-inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Also place the already browned sugar on medium heat and melt it until very runny.

When the noodles are done, drain immediately, then turn them back into the pot they cooked in. Toss with the additional 1 tablespoon of oil, so they won’t stick together.

Stir the caramel, making sure it is runny, and let it cook a few seconds longer until it becomes a darker brown. Quickly turn the caramel and oil in the pan into the noodles, stirring them in while pouring. Add the beaten eggs and stir well again. Add the raisins, if desired.

Pour into the prepared baking pan, even out the top with a spatula, and bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven.

To serve, run a sharp knife around the edges of the kugel, then cut into squares. Carefully remove from the pan using a metal spatula, running the spatula under any sticky parts before trying to lift the pieces out.


Mock Jerusalem Kugel
(Not Kitchen Tested)

4 1/2 cups water
1 stick margarine
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper (or less to taste)
1 pound fine egg noodles
3 eggs, beaten together to mix well

In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the noodles and eggs. Bring to a boil. Add the uncooked noodles, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir in the beaten eggs, mixing well, then turn out into a well-greased 9 by 13-inch baking pan. If desired use a smaller, higher pan. According to Barbara, an authentic Jerusalem kugel is very thick..

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour or, if a browner, crisper crust is desired, bake for 15 minutes longer.