Jalebi Recipe, a conventional Indian sweet, which needs no defining introduction. This deep-fried pretzel like sweet – dish from India is well celebrated among the food lovers. The batter prepared with white flour defined into twisted and tangled concentric circles, deep-fried till crunchy and later dunked in saccharine sugar syrup.
The moment batter touches the hot oil it starts taking whimsical shapes as if the batter has a mind of its own. The pair of hands seasoned with years of practice could only master the tactful technique of shaping perfect Jalebi. That precise moment of the wrist is required to create exemplary well-coordinated circles. It is always absorbing to watch the Halwai make Jalebis. The man sitting beside the wide and flat skillet filled with pre-heated oil, the batter filled in a muslin cloth, he moves his wrist like a magic wand in a rhythmic motion over the kadhai and voila, there you have Jalebi ready.
My obsession with Jalebi Recipe unfolded two years back. Yes, it took me two years to bring the recipe to the blog. At the first attempt, only the recipe scored a spot in my recipe diary. But it was the appearance of the Jalebi that pulled me back every time to share the recipe on the blog. The task of disciplining Jalebi batter on a pan filled with piping hot oil is no less than taming a dragon. At last I accepted the fact that Jalebis in my kitchen could not compete with those prepared by the sweetmeat seller. But yet I could not deny the fact that Jalebis prepared by me have an appetizing appeal to them, which is good enough reason for me to go back to the recipe time and again.
Sharing with you few notes scribbled in my recipe diary after each trial of Jalebi Recipe, hope these might help you understand the process in a better way. The Jalebi batter is a simple one to put together, once the batter comes together I whisk it for good long 10 – 15 minutes. Inside the oven or microwave are my pet spots to keep the batter for fermentation. During summer or humid season, the batter gets fermented in no time but it might give you a heart wreck during freezing winters. In winters, wrap the bowl containing batter with a woollen piece of cloth and then keep it for fermenting, it may sound funny but this trick really works.
The second most crucial stage is the consistency of the batter. The batter should be thick with a dropping consistency to it, similar to dosa batter. To shape the Jalebi, you can either use the piping bag, ketchup dispenser or muslin cloth. Initially, it is best to make small size Jalebi with one or two concentric circles. While deep-frying the Jalebi, keep on moderating the heat. Jalebi gets the desired colour and crispness when deep-fried at the right temperature. The fuming hot oil might result in burnt and disoriented Jalebi. And at last, don’t get intimidated by the idea of creating perfectly shaped Jalebi. Let your creative thoughts flow into the pan to create a toothsome sweetmeat for your loved ones.
Learn how to make homemade crisp Jalebi:
Jalebi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour maida
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 3/4 cup sour yogurt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp ghee
- a pinch of turmeric powder for colour
- 2 tablespoons oil plus more oil for deep frying
- Ingredients for the sugar syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- a few strands of saffron
Instructions
- To make the Jalebi, sift together the maida, corn flour, baking soda in a bowl.
- Add ghee and turmeric powder in the same bowl. Combine nicely.
- Add yogurt to the dry ingredients and blend them all together to make a thick batter by adding very little approximately 1/4 Cup of lukewarm water at a time. Whisk the batter nicely for 5 - 10 minutes either with your hands or using an electric blender.
- The consistency of the batter should be thick and not watery, a little thicker than dosa batter. You should be able to make a shape when piped in a piping bag.
- Cover the jalebi batter and place it in a warm place for 24 hours or overnight, till it is fermented, the batter will rise once fermentation.
- Once the batter is fermented stir the batter in a cut and fold motion to combine it once again. Make sure not to whisk it for too long once it is fermented.
- To make the sugar syrup, boil the sugar with water and saffron strands in a wide pan on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. When the sugar becomes thick and stringy of one string consistency.Turn off the heat and keep aside.
- Now to make the jalebis, preheat the oil in a wide heavy-bottomed pan ( buy it here ) for deep frying. To check whether oil is hot enough for deep frying the Jalebi drop a small portion of batter in oil and it will come rising to the top almost immediately.
- Once you have filled the piping bag, pipe spirals or concentric circles of the batter onto the medium hot oil. Fry the jalebi on medium heat until golden brown in colour and crisp.
- Once the jalebi is crisp and browned, drain the exess oil out and immediately dip the jalebi's into the hot sugar syrup.
- Let Jalebi sit in the sugar syrup for 5 minutes or so to absorb the sweet flavor.
- Serve Jalebi warm.
