Jalebi Indian Celebration Sweet Food

JALEBI RECIPE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, take the 1 cup of all purpose flour or maida. Add besan or gram flour, a pinch of baking soda and turmeric powder.
• Mix all the above dry ingredients with a spoon or spatula.
• Then add water. The amount of water to be added depends on the quality of flour used. I added 1 cup water. Depending on the quality of flour and besan, you can add from ¾ to 1 cup water.
• With the spatula or spoon, first mix. Break the small or tiny lumps with the spatula or spoon while mixing.
• Then in round circular directions stir the batter briskly for 4 minutes. This adds volume to the batter and makes it even and smooth.
• The batter should have a flowing consistency. Cover and keep the batter to ferment in a warm place for 12 to 15 hours. I kept for 15 hours. If you live in a cold climate, you can keep for 20 to 24 hours and if you live in a hot or warm climate, keep for 6 to 10 hours.
• After fermentation the batter will have tiny air-pockets in it with a tangy taste.
• Stir the batter and if you carefully see, the batter would have become thinner than what it was before fermentation.
• So to thicken the batter again, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
• With a spoon mix very well.
• Now pour this batter in the squeezy tomato ketchup bottles that we get in the market. You can also use coconut shell and make a small hole in it. You can also use a piping bag or make your own with butter paper. Depending on the capacity of the bottle, you can pour less or more in it.
• Take 1 cup sugar in a pan. Add saffron strands to it. Do add saffron as it gives a nice orange yellow color and also its aroma to the jalebi.
• Add ½ cup of water.
• Keep this pan on stove top on low heat and begin to stir, so that the sugar dissolves.
• On a low to medium flame, cook the sugar syrup.
• Cook till you get one string consistency in the sugar syrup.
• Once you get the one string consistency, switch off the heat and add ¼ tsp lime or lemon juice. Stir well. Keep the sugar syrup on the burner itself so that it remains warm when you add the jalebi in it.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. You can also use ghee or half-half of oil and ghee. Ghee gives a better flavor.
• To check the temperature of oil, add a tiny amount of batter to the oil. If it comes up quickly and gradually the oil is hot enough for the jalebi to be fried. The frying temperature is 350 degrees Fahrenheit/176 degrees Celsius.
• Now squeeze the bottle and make concentric rings with the batter.
• Either start from the center and move outside or vice versa. Be careful while making the jalebis as the oil is hot.
• You won't get perfect shapes as the jalebis keep on moving while you make the circles. This does require practice and it also depends on what equipment you are using to make them.
• When one side is partly cooked, turn over and fry the other side.
• Some jalebi will be cooked faster than others.
• Fry till the oil stops sizzling and the jalebis are a light golden. Remove with a tongs or a bamboo skewer. While removing shake to drain the extra oil.
• Then immediately put the fried jalebis in the sugar syrup. The sugar syrup should be slightly hot or warm when you add the jalebis in it.
• Turn over after after a minute so that both sides are coated with the syrup.
• Keep them in the syrup for about 2 to 3 minutes. If you keep for two minutes, they will be lightly colored and if you keep for 3 minutes or more, they will have a deep color.
• Remove with a wooden skewer or tongs. Shake lightly so that the excess sugar syrup falls back in the pan. Place them in a plate or tray lined with a foil or butter paper.
• Make all jalebi this way. Its better to have a help while doing so. Otherwise it is kind of multi-tasking.
• Serve jalebi hot, warm or at room temperature. The leftovers can be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated.

JALEBI

Steps:

• First, make the syrup. Put the sugar and 100ml water in a pan set over a medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, add the saffron and bring to the boil. Continue to boil for 5-6 mins until thickened and syrupy - the consistency should be like honey. Remove from the heat and add the cardamom and lemon juice - the lemon juice prevents the sugar crystallising. Set aside.
• For the batter, put all the ingredients except the baking powder and bicarb, in a large bowl. Slowly add 150ml water and whisk for a few minutes until smooth, then add the baking powder and bicarb and stir well - it should be as thick as pancake batter. Pour into a squeeze bottle with a narrow tip, or spoon into a piping bag and snip off the tip so you have a small opening. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan until it's no more than two-thirds full and heat to 170-180C, or until a drop of the batter sizzles when added.
• Carefully squeeze or pipe swirls of the batter directly into the hot oil - do this in batches (you should be able to fry four or five at once). Fry for 1-2 mins on each side until golden. Remove the jalebi with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain, then, while still warm, dip in the syrup using tongs or a fork, turning to coat. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds or chopped pistachios. Serve straightaway or leave to cool.

JALEBI RECIPE

Steps:

• Add sugar and water to a pot.
• Boil on a medium heat until it reaches a 1 string consistency.
• Take a small portion of the syrup in a spoon. Cool it slightly.
• Take it in between your thumb and fore finger.
• Gently move the fingers away from each other, you must see a single string.
• Pour lemon juice, cardamom powder and saffron. Remove from heat. Stir and set aside.
• If your syrup goes beyond this stage, then sprinkle some water and mix. Recheck for the 1 string consistency.
• A. Method 1: For Instant jalebi : Add maida, cornflour and turmeric to a mixing bowl. Mix everything well until uniform. Next add curd. Pour water & make a thick lump free batter. The batter has to be thick but of flowing consistency. If needed add more water. Beat the batter well with a whisk in one direction in a circular motion for 4 mins. The batter will turn smooth.
• B. Method 2: For fermentation : Mix together maida, besan & turmeric in a bowl. Pour water & make a thick batter of pouring consistency. Cover and ferment for 12 to 24 hours until the batter gets a very mild sour flavor. The batter will not rise, but will have tiny bubbles on top.
• Heat ghee or oil on a medium heat to fry jalebis.
• If using oil, then add 1 to 2 tbsp ghee to the oil. This enhances the flavor.
• Pour 1 tsp lemon juice to the batter & mix. Skip the lemon juice if you have fermented the batter.
• Add soda and mix gently just until combined.
• Check batter consistency: The prepared batter must be smooth free flowing and thick. Spoon just 2 to 3 tbsp of batter to the sauce bottle to check if the consistency is right.
• Next check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small portion of the batter. It has to come up immediately without browning.
• Now squeeze the bottle gently and move in circular motion to get spiral. If you are getting very thick jalebi, then the batter is thick. Next if you are getting very thin flat jalebis the batter is thin.
• To fix thick batter, add a tbsp or more water. Next to fix thin batter, add a tbsp of maida (all purpose flour). Take a look at the pic in the FAQ section to fix the batter.
• Mix the batter well. Spoon it to the bottle.
• Ensure oil is hot and the flame set to medium high heat.
• Squeeze in the batter gently in circular motions starting from the center moving outside.
• You can also do it the other way. You will get properly shaped ones after making a few.
• While the jalebi is getting fried, check the syrup. It must be slightly hot to warm when the jalebi is dipped into it. If not heat up a bit.
• The last 1 minute, turn the flame to low and fry the jalebi. This helps to make them extra crisp.
• When the jalebi is done it turns crisp. Remove it with a skewer and add to the warm sugar syrup directly.
• Allow to rest for 2 mins. Remove to a plate. Continue to make more jalebis.
• Serve jalebi hot.