Let us welcome this New Year with our most very favorite sweet – Jalebi! Thin and crispy on the outside; soft and juicy on the inside. The burst of flavors that these spiral wonders give cannot be compared to anything else.
So, first of all how is the New Year celebration going on for you all? Hope you are all enjoying the first day of this year. To make it even more special, prepare these jalebis at home to celebrate this new beginning.
In south India, the most known counterpart to jalebi is jangri. There are a lot of differences between the two. From the batter used to the final appearance of it, both differ a lot. Jalebi is actually in a spiral shape whereas jangri has a complicated spiral shape. I mean if you are a south Indian, then you would surely know the difference between the two in its appearance.
We use maida and curd to make the jalebi batter. It is then left to ferment for sometime before it is fried. This fermentation gives the signature taste to the jalebi, the sour taste. Nowadays, many people follow instant methods to make this process quicker, which is making the batter sour.
So, for this instant process, cooking soda is used. Sometimes, I have seen recipes which call for even yeast to make the process much quicker than the original one. But, for jangri, we prepare the batter using urad dal. Also, we need not ferment the batter like the one done for jalebi.
Also, the main difference is the taste. Jalebi has this unique taste. It is so crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside and also it has this amazing sour taste. Jangri on the other hand is very soft and juicy unlike jalebi which is very thin too comparatively.
Thinking about jalebi brings back all old and nice memories. During my school and college days, I and my friends used to go to this authentic north Indian chaat shop. Why I say authentic is that they prepare everything so very well that it tastes truly amazing.
There, every evening, they used to make hot and fresh jalebis and samosas. Whenever I came by that road, if I notice the shop being open, I made sure I bought both. Oh! Don’t judge me people! :p I would buy it for everyone at home because we all loved it so much.
Oh, I forgot the pani puris that they make. Those are also out of the world, but I will discuss about those whenever I post pani puri recipe, because pani puri has lot of memories along with this one. Anyways, coming back to jalebi, it can be served warm or however you would like to have it. Usually warm or hot is the choice.
Jalebis taste awesome as is. When paired with rabri, the combination is out of the world. So, enjoy jalebis with your entire family for this New Year. Have a blessed year ahead! Cheers to 2021! Stay safe; stay healthy. Happy cooking and eating!
While you are here, do checkout my other sweet and snack recipes to prepare for the coming year! Try out my other dessert recipe too and bake some cakes to celebrate the new beginning!
Has meal planning been a little bit difficult during this lockdown? Look through my No Veggies, 21-Day Lockdown Series for ideas on what to cook during this lockdown.
If you have tried any of my recipes, then tag @the_busy_apron and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thebusyapron. Also tag @TheBusyApron and share it on Twitter with the hashtag #thebusyapron.
Jalebi
Ingredients
For the batter and for frying
- 1 cup all purpose flour / maida
- 1½ tbsp chickpea flour
- 3 tbsp yogurt
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- a pinch of orange food color, optional
- water, ½ cup or as needed
- oil or ghee, to fry the jalebi
For sugar syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- ⅛ cup cardamom powder
- few saffron strands
- ½ tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the all ingredients mentioned under 'for the batter and for frying' except for water and oil or ghee. Whisk well.
- Add half cup water or as needed to make a smooth batter. Cover the batter and let it ferment for 12-15 hours in a warm surrounding.
- Add sugar and water to a pan. Mix till the sugar dissolves and let it come to a boil.
- Add cardamom powder, saffron strands and lemon juice. Mix well. Let it simmer until it reaches a single thread consistency. Take it off the heat.
- Meanwhile, heat oil or ghee in a kadai on low-medium heat.
- Mix the batter well and transfer it to a squeeze bottle. Squeeze the batter in the oil in a spiral motion. Move from the inside to the outside. Fry till golden-brown and crisp on both sides.
- Remove the jalebi from oil and immediately dip both sides in warm sugar syrup for a few seconds.
- Remove from sugar syrup and serve hot or warm.
Notes
- Make sure there are no lumps while making the batter.
- If you do not want to use any food color, then use turmeric powder or add more saffron strands in the sugar syrup.
- To make the batter, add half cup water and then add more if needed. The batter should neither be too thick nor too thin.
- Keep in mind that the batter thins out after fermentation. So, add water as needed.
- Leave the batter to ferment for 12-15 hours or as your surrounding climate is. The batter is fermented once you see small bubbles on the top.
- For frying the jalebis, you can use oil or ghee or even a combination of both.
- Simmer the sugar syrup until it reaches a single thread consistency or until it turns sticky. A single thread consistency is when a drop of sugar syrup in between your thumb and index finger forms a single thread while pressing and releasing the fingers.
- While dropping the batter in the oil or ghee, make sure it is in low heat. After dropping it, increase the heat to medium and fry the jalebis.
- If the oil is too hot while frying, the batter ,might disintegrate. And if it is too low in heat, then the jalebis might absorb more oil or ghee.
- If you do not have a squeeze bottle, then use a piping bag or a freezer friendly pouch to pour the batter in and cut the tip to make a small hole.
- While dipping the fried jalebis in sugar syrup, make sure it is still warm.
- Dip the fried jalebis immediately in the sugar syrup just for a few seconds. Not more and not less.
- Lemon juice is added in the sugar syrup to avoid crystallization of sugar.
