Hot 'n' Crisp Jalebi served with a choice of Rabdi or Milk

What comes to mind when you hear the word Jalebi = Piping hot, crispy, sinfully sweet, flavor-full, festive, mouthwateringggg......... the list goes on. For all of us who grew up in India, this Sweet brings memories of celebrating Independence Day, Republic Day & Dussehra.  It has taken me quite long to muster some courage to give this treat a shot. As you see shape ain't perfect but it wasn't a bad output. Infact this had my family drooling for more.

Jalebi - The Crispy n Sweet Indian Pinwheels 

Ingredients:

All-Purpose Flour – 1/2 cup
Gram Flour or Besan - 1 Tsp

Rapid Rise Yeast – 1/2 tsp

Corn Starch – 1/2 tsp

Oil or Ghee – 1/2 tsp

Yogurt – 1/2 Tbsp

Warm Water – 1/3 cup

Saffron - A pinch dissolved in 1 tsp warm milk.

Orange food color - 2 drops (mix with water or milk above)
And Cooking Oil to Fry (add a tsp of pure ghee for aroma)

For Syrup:

Sugar – 1 cup

Water – 1/2 cup

Saffron – Few Strands

Cardamom Powder – A pinch

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Method:

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix all dry ingredients, Rapid Rise Yeast and Corn Starch. 

Now dd Oil or Ghee, Yogurt and Water (with color) and mix well till all lumps are dissolved & batter is smooth..

This batter now needs to sit in a warm/humid place for the yeast to rise.

A good idea is to give it a water bath, which in our case can be a bigger bowl with some warm water.

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth & allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

After the batter has been resting for 15-20 mins, we will start making the sugar syrup and pre-heating cooking oil for deep frying  the jalebis.

For Syrup: 

In a heavy bottom pan, add Water, Sugar and Saffron. 

Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat or until the temperature reaches 200F/95C.

Reduce flame to a low simmer and add Cardamom Powder and Lemon Juice. Mix well.


An important Tool that will help: 

Ketchup bottle or mustard bottle dispenser with a spout.

You can find it easily at most groceries or your nearest Dollar Store. 

Alternatively Amazon ships it to you, I found a link here

Tablecraft 1112KMC 3-Piece Nostalgia Squeeze Bottle Set, 12-Ounce

Tablecraft

$5.95

Alternatively one can use a piping bag with number 3 nozzle.

& the Tricky bit:

After giving it 30 mins to rise, the batter is much more fluffier.
Mix the batter well and transfer it in your ketchup/mustard dispenser. 

You can add a spoon full of ghee to pre-heated oil at this stage to add to the aroma.
To check if the oil is ready, put a drop of batter in the oil, the batter should sizzle and come up without changing in color right away.

We will now quickly & patiently squeeze out the batter into the hot oil making ~ 6-8 small circular motions, start from outside making circles & ending somewhere in the middle ensure these concentric circles & sealed.

Jalebi should about ~2-3 inches in diameter.

Once Jalebis turn light golden brown these are ready for some syrup treatment,

use kitchen tongs to remove Jalebis, shake off excess oil and place directly into sugar syrup.

Simply Loved the Vibrant Yellow-Orange Color

Allow Jalebis to remain in the syrup for just a minute use a kitchen tong to flip & let both sides soak syrup, shake off excess sugar syrup and quickly move to a plate. 
(Important  tip to share - Maximum time for this exercise is 1 minute, else you're gonna get these soggy).

Jalebi's take a quick treatment in sugar syrup & ready to be taken out

Continue frying remaining jalebis & repeating steps as above.

Enjoy jalebis piping hot or allow to cool. I did both, enjoyed few (infact many jalebis hot right from pan to mouth) and had to keep some for the shooting. After some mouthwatering shots, didn't had any left to store, so no worries on preserving.....!

Have you ever tried Doodh-Jalebi  or Jalebi with fresh whole milk ???? 
It's a great way to enjoy your Jalebi.

My husband like it served with Milk

Or try it with some rabri (reduced milk) or condensed milk , know what - even kheer is a great company!

Jalebi served with some rice pudding (Kheer)

Alternatively, have these just like that direct from the frying pan.

I personally Like it Piping hot fresh out of frying pan.

Jokes apart, You can store jalebis in an air tight container for 3-4 days without refrigerating, Microwave oven for 10-15 secs & have piping hot.

Take whatever variation you like, its gonna be your show stealer at your weekend treat for sure !!! , as you see I just couldn't stop clicking more pics here......

Pls don't mind - I just couldn't stop clicking

We all had a great feast this weekend, hope you'll give it a shot & share with me how you did !

Have a sweet week Ahead......!!!

PS: A great alternative for the first timers who dont want all the hassle of preparing the dough etc.. is using Gits Jalebi Mix which is available at most Indian Grocery stores. Again - Found it on Amazon...

Gits Jalebi Mix

$5.99