According to this poll
Community Calendar ND in a very unscentific poll on Facebook, to a little under 10,000 viewers, which is shared and to those who took the time to give their opinion about 1000 mostly in the Bismarck Mandan area, votes cast and counted. Who Knoephla’s soup tastes the best according to the poll?
The Top Three Vote Getters Were:
- Fried’s Family Restaurant 1010 Boundary Road Mandan North Dakota
- Rolling Hills Exit 147 Interstate 94 Mandan North Dakota
- Kroll’s Diner BisMan and Fargo North Dakota
Knoephla Soup
What the heck is it?
Knoephla soup is a German from Russia soup which is popular in Central and Western North Dakota. Arriving to North Dakota by farming German speaking immigrants from the Russian Black Sea area to settle in North Dakota. It was a simple soup made from ingredients readilly available on their farms chicken, potatoes, onions, cream and a dumpling like dough, knoephla, German word for knob or button . In many recipes passed down the instructions are limited and the dough varies with the ingredients. Some drop dough into the soup. Some dough reipes use cream or milk, some add baking powder but most have eggs and flour in the dough. The search for the best knoephla soup has been the question of many a conversation. Mandan is the heart of German from Russia country, Suzy’s husband’s grandfathers came to this area in the 1900’s and many of the descendents are still here. Suzy is a mix of Norwegian immigrants and German from the Revolutionary War days so Knoephla had not been a familiar recipe growing up. Truly there is no “best” because they are all dang good. Even back in 2001 according to this Mandan News clipping the author, Aaron Laduke could not vote on just one!
Two of the restrauants no longer exist, the Stadt Haus and the Speedway. The Dakota Farmers Restaurant will be closing its doors in September 2023 after 35 years.
The article does not state whose recipe this is unless Suzy missed that in the fine print.
Suzy worked at the Woolworth’s Coffee Shop in Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck when Glenda Emil pictured in the Mandan article also was a cook there.
Suzy’s Samplings of Knoephla Soup
Rolling Hills Restaurant
Located off Interstate 94 just a few miles west of Mandan North Dakota
Suzy’s family has eaten this soup by the bucket, you can actually by it by the bucket full. Just off the Sunset Drive exit on Interstate 94
Fried’s Family Restaurant
Located in Mandan North Dakota
This was very tasty, the had added bacon and plenty of potatoes
Grub Tub’s
Located in Dickinson North Dakota about 100 miles from Mandan.
Sadly this restaurant closed in September 2023 after being in business for almost 40 years
Dakota Farms Restaurant
Located on Mandan’s Main Street
Kroll’s Diner
two locations in Bismarck, one in Mandan, one in Minot, one in Fargo, all in North Dakota
This has a touch of fresh dill added and the broth was lighter. It was delicious. Served with homemade bread. So Yummy!
Bernie’s
East Grand Forks, Minnesota just across the Red River from North Dakota
Closed in September
Station West Mandan
Suzy’s Homemade Knoephla Soup
Using Ma Beehler’s (Suzy’s husband grandmother Frances Beehler’s Recipe) as a starting poing Suzy has come up with her version of this German from Russia soul warming soup.
Knoephla Soup Recipes
Suzy’s quest for a recipe begin with her mother-in-law. The Sisters of the Spoon grew up where knoephla soup had never been served nor do they recall hearing of it until they were young adults. Their household ethnicity was German their maternal grandmother and grandfather lived with their family after they moved from the small farm near Hettinger North Dakota. Grandma was German from Winona Minnesota and Grandpa from Norway. On their dad’s size his hertiage goes back to the Quakers, and Germans that settled in Pennnyslvania. So they did not have the German from Russia heritage but on Suzy’s husband side the Beehlers/Hoffmans came from the Black Sea area, what is now the Ukranine, the traditional Germans from Russia heritage. Suzy’s mother-in-law has hand-written recipes in spiral notebooks with them indexed by page number and the name of the recipe.
Ma Beehler’s recipe
This is Rose’s favorite recipe for Knoephla soup
The Best Knoephla Soup
Course: Chicken, How to, Recipes, Suzy’s Recipe4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalGerman from Russia Knoephla Soup
Ingredients
- Soup Base
6 to 8 cups chicken soup recipe from YouTube Episode 11 add more water if needed
6 to 8 cups soup base such as broth or made from Better than boullion add cooked carrots, onions and celery if you like
Add to broth after boiling knoephla 2/3 cup milk or heavy cream diluted with a little water, this is all to your personal preference on how creamy or thin you would like your soup
- Knoephla Dough
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk or 1/4 cup heavy cream diluted with 1/8 cup water
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 – 3 cups flour
Directions
- Bring the soup base with potatoes and any other veggies you may want to add like carrots,onions and celery to a boil also shredded chicken can be added
- While soup base is heating Mix up your dough. Make a well with the flour and stir in the eggs. Mix till the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl
- Work the dough so it can easily be rolled into long tubular shape, like a snake.
- Let the rolled dough rest for about 10 or 15 minutes
- Soup base should be lightly boiling, cut the tubes of dough with kitchen shears into the broth
- Cook for about 12 minutes, I check to make sure dough is cooked through and not doughy still
- Add your milk or cream at the end, stir to well combine, heat through. If you like a creamy soup just use more cream.
- Serve up with your favorite crusty bread or by itself.
Recipe Video
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