Jalebi

Name: Jalebi
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: For The Batter; 1 cup plain flour; ½ cup plain yoghurt; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¾ cup warm water; For The Sugar Syrup/chasni; 2½ cups water; 1 cup sugar; Few saffron strands

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Jalebi

Jalebi can be described in few words- Spirals of Happiness. Sweet, crispy, juicy and utterly addictive.

The closest thing to a Jalebi in the western world is probably a funnel cake. The difference being that jalebi is smaller spirals and dipped in sugar syrup unlike the funnel cake which is bigger and dusted with sugar. Jalebi is a popular sweet not only in India but also in South and West Asia, Africa, and Mauritius and known with different names like jilapi, jilebi, jilipi, jalavallika, Kundalika, zulbia, jerry, mushabak, z’labia, or zalabia to name a few.

For many Indians, Jalebi is not just another sweet but a ritual especially in the winters and enjoyed for breakfast, teatime snack or dessert (actually there is no right or wrong time to eat jalebi). It is so popular that each region/state in India has a different accompaniment for jabeli for instance in Delhi it is enjoyed with samosa, or kachori, in Indore, it is served with Poha, in Gujarat it is served with fafda to name a few. In the North of India during the winters, jalebi with rabri and hot saffron milk is hugely popular and is even considered medicinal.

Making jalebi at home can be a bit fiddly- but believe me it is well worth all the fuss! A perfect jalebi is crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and oozes sticky syrup with every bite. Nothing can ever be better!

Ingredients

For The Batter
1 cup plain flour
½ cup plain yoghurt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup warm water

For The Sugar Syrup/chasni
2½ cups water
1 cup sugar
Few saffron strands

Other Ingredients
2 cups ghee/oil for frying

Directions

Step-1

In a bowl, add the plain flour, yoghurt, baking soda and water. Mix it to form a thick dropping consistency batter (it should be a bit thicker than pancake batter). Cover and rest it for about 3-4 hours to ferment the batter.

Step-2

Heat water in a pan and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar then bring to a boil. Add the saffron strands and simmer for 8-10 minutes to thicken the sugar syrup. Remember to keep stirring it frequently. Check if the sugar syrup has reached one-string consistency and then turn off the heat.

(To check if the sugar syrup has reached one string consistency, take a drop of sugar syrup between your thumb and index finger and move the fingers slowly apart. The sugar syrup should form a single string).

Step-3

Transfer the batter to a squeezy bottle or piping bag.

Heat the ghee/oil for deep frying. Keep the temperature of the oil to low-medium heat. To check if the batter is ready for frying the jalebi drop a bit of the batter in the oil and if it bubbles and rises, it is hot enough. (Remember- If the batter disperses in the oil and doesn’t keep its shape- either the oil is too hot, or the batter is too thin. Lower the heat and add couple of teaspoons of flour to adjust the consistency of the batter).

Pipe the batter in the hot ghee/oil, making 2-3 concentric circles. The shape is spiral or coil like and not too far apart. I prefer moving from inside to outside. Finish off each jalebi by moving back across the circle to the opposite edge which helps in creating a line that holds the spiral/coil/concentric circles together.

Fry the jalebi on medium heat while turning it over so that the jalebi cooks well on both sides and is golden and crispy. Drain on a paper towel to absorb excess ghee/oil.

Step-4

While you fry the jalebi keep the sugar syrup warm.

Immerse the fried jalebi in the warm sugar syrup for 2-3 minutes. A couple of minutes after dunking, take the jalebis out.

The jalebis are best eaten hot!

Tips & Variations

I have prepared the batter and let it rest for 3-4 hours for fermentation. The fermentation gives the jalebi its characteristic sour flavour and encourages gluten formation which helps in piping the iconic shape of the jalebi. In winters you can keep the batter overnight too.
The consistency of the batter is very important while making jalebi. It should be thick dropping consistency – slightly thicker than pancake batter. If the batter is too thick, thin it down with a little water. If the batter disperses in hot oil, it could be thin and, in that case, add 1-2 teaspoons of flour to thicken it.
The temperature of the oil for frying jalebi also plays a very important role. The ideal temperature is around 330F/160 C (this is slightly lower than normal temperature of deep drying). If the temperature is too high the jalebis will not hold its shape, disintegrate, and brown immediately. If the oil is not hot enough, then the jalebis will deflate and sink to the bottom. So, keep adjusting the heat accordingly as you keep frying.
Traditionally in India, the professional sweet makers use a cloth bag for piping the batter, I prefer using either a plastic squeezy bottle or piping bag for better control and hold. Just make sure the tip of the bottle/ piping bag is not too small or big.
Jalebi can be stored in an airtight container and served at room temperature.
I prefer to use ghee for frying jalebi, but oil works equally well too.
Make sure the syrup is just warm while dunking the jalebi as if the syrup is too hot then the jalebis will be soft and soggy.
If you want to keep the jalebi for longer then, you can add 2 teaspoons of fine rice flour or corn flour to the batter, so the jalebis stay crisp for longer.
I have added saffron to the sugar syrup for the golden yellow colour. Edible yellow/orange colour, turmeric powder can be added to the batter too. The baking soda in the batter also gives a golden yellow colour to the jalebi.