Jalebi (Sweet)
April 2nd, 2007 filed under Desserts, Vegan
Jalebis can best be described as funnel cakes. Jalebis can be made thin and crispy or thick and juicy. Jalebis taste best when served hot.
Makes 10 Jalebis.
Ingredients:
Batter:
- 1/2 cup All Purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon besan (gram flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- About 1/3 cup of lukewarm water (as needed)
Syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- Pinch of cardamom powder
- Few strands of saffron
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Also needed:
- Oil to fry
Method:
Batter:
- Dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it sit for about five minutes.
- Mix the flour, besan (gram flour), oil, and sugar together.
- Add the yeast solution and mix well, making sure that there are no lumps and the batter is smooth.
- Set the batter aside and let it sit in a warm place for one hour.
- Make sure the batter is fermented, but do not over ferment. After fermenting batter will be little lacy.
Syrup:
- Boil the sugar and water together. Add the lemon juice and saffron and close the heat.
Making Jalebis:
- Heat the oil in a flat frying pan about 1 1/2″ deep. To check if the oil is ready, put ont drop of batter in the oil, the batter should sizzle and come up without changing in color right away.
- Fill the Jalebi batter into a piping bag with a number 3 nozzle. You can also use an empty bottle (i.e. empty ketchup or mustard bottle).
- Squeeze the Jalebi batter out in the hot oil in a pretzel shape to about 2 inches in diameter.
- Fry the Jalebis until golden-brown on both sides.
- Transfer into the warm syrup.
- Let jalebi soak in the hot syrup for a few seconds and take out.
- Serve hot.
Variations
Try sprinkling cinnamon powder or drizzle melted chocolate over the Jalebis for a creative touch.
Hi Manjula:)
I Live in karachi,pakistan,I Love your jalebi recipe & your website also, i make your jalebi recipe daily,today also.
Can I use dry yeast instead of fresh yeast?
hi manjula,
we just wanted to tell you that we love your website! you have awesome recipes. i just made jalebi for my husband, he is from India. he misses home and the sweets from home, and i also made him gulab jamun. thanks and keep up the good work. cant wait to see the mango ice cream recipe you have, i made some mango ice cream but the texture didnt turn out right.
thanks,
jacob family
aapki jalebi recipe bahut accha hai!! main angrezi hu, lekin main hindi sikh raha hu. i am making this for the second time, brilliant recipe!!
Good job with the Hindi. For “hu” you should use “hoon” as it is the conventional way of spelling it in English. Some Hindi books use spellings like “hu” that are not a conventional transliteration of Hindi to English. I don’t know why they do it, but I have seen it in Hindi tutorial books here in the US.
yes as per a phonetical translation indeed you are right, but as per my course it is translated as hu. but the ‘u’ has a straight horizontal line above, then a wavy line above that.. indicating an elongated sound, and a nazalised sound… unfortunately it is not possible to get such a symbol up here, and too inconvenient. in the same sence, the ‘i’ in mai (main) is also nazalised, having a wavy line above it (~) .. thanks
Yes, I know exactly what you mean with “hu” and the squiggly line. I follow the convention used in India and wish that some of the authors of Hindi books (usually non-Indians) did not dilute it with these new variations as it creates confusion and makes it harder to pronounce unless you study up on the author’s legend for pronunciation. Anyhow, continued good luck with your learning.
Hi Manjulaji:
Thanks for this simply awesome recipe; I don’t have enough word in my store to express my gratitude to you. As I mentioned before you are amazing, your recipes are like magic; never failed.
Jelebi is one of our favourite sweet. I always thought it can not be made in home only be bought from the store. But with surprise I found out today ” I made it!”. I am so happy to see perfect jelebi on my dish!
Thank you again and very best wishes for my favourite cook!
Dear Auntie Manjula!
Thank you for your amazing website. I am (also) writing from Norway, where you’ve apparently have made a huge fan base.
just wanted to ask you a little question. I’ve learned that you should let the dough ferment for as long as you can. Even a day or two…that of course makes “smell” a problem, is that the reason you dont want the batter to ferment for long or is it because of other reasons. In that case,-what is the reason?
Thank you again for your website.
how to store jalebi crisp like store for long time
Home made sweets will not keep as long as the store bought ones in many cases because the store bought ones often are made with some type of preservative and home made ones are not.
How much time is a “long time” that you want to keep these? A week? A month? Longer?
Hi Manjula Aunty,
Can I use instant yeast for this? If yes, do I have to dissolve it in warm water for 5 minutes?
Thanks,
Krishna
Hi Gitta,
I live in Stavanger in Norway and where do you live. I am Jalebis today and then will make it for Ugadi,south Indian festival on March 27th. Thank you so much Manjula aunty for your recipes.I was always scared to try sweet recipes but now I am very confident with making sweets and this would not be possible without YOU.Thanks.
Hi Manjula:)
I’m adopted from India and live in Norway. I love your Jalebi.
I’m going to make them for my daughters birthday. We tested them out today both with and without the syrup. Delicious!
Love your website:)