Instant Jalebi With Video Playful Cooking

Jalebi is one of the most popular Indian sweets, and it is impossible to not like it. Every celebratory occasion in North of India calls for a box of Jalebi. It is fairly easy to make and yes shaping those spirals for the first time might be difficult, but then it doesn’t have to be perfect. What matters is the texture!

Why this recipe will work

It’s instant - Most Jalebi recipe will call for overnight fermentation of the batter. This Instant Jalebi recipe uses yeast, which makes the process very fast, and you will have warm Jalebi to enjoy in an hour. Stays crispy even the next day - With the right quantity of the ingredients and accurate measurements, Jalebi will turn out crispy and will soak syrup, making it shine and juicy at every bite. This recipe is full proof, and I have been making Jalebi for several years now.

Ingredient Notes:

This Instant Jalebi recipe calls for yeast, and it takes about 30 minutes to ferment. On warm summer days, it might ferment even faster. All purpose flour - Jalebi is always prepared with All Purpose Flour or Maida. I am sure it will also work with other variety flour, but not, so sure of the gluten free version as I didn’t try. Corn flour - The crispy texture in Jalebi comes from the small portion of the corn flour that goes in the batter. Gram flour - Gram flour or chickpea flour again helps in the crispy texture and also adds a lovely taste to the Jalebi. Ghee, clarified butter - Ghee adds flavor to jalebi. In India, there are famous sweet shops who are known for frying Jalebi in ghee. It not only tastes rich, but also smells amazing. I however, fry in oil. Sugar - Sugar is needed to make the simple syrup where we dunk the fried Jalebi to soak up all that sweet syrup. Yeast - The traditional way of making Jalebi is by adding yogurt to make the batter, and then it is left overnight to ferment. The instant version is by using yeast. If you don’t want to add yeast, you can use yogurt too ad let it ferment overnight. Orange food color, optional - I use Wilton Golden Yellow concentrated color paste, which gives that gorgeous golden color. If you don’t add any color but use saffron while making the syrup, then the Jalebi will turn a mild yellow shade. Spices - Cloves, cardamom and saffron is added while making the syrup. You don’t have to use the spices while making batter.

Steps to make Instant Jalebi

Activate the yeast in warm water with sugar.Add all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Add ghee to the dry ingredients and mix it around.Pour the activated yeast and mix.

Whisk the batter to a very smooth consistency. There shouldn’t be any lump at all.Add the food color and whisk again. Leave the bowl covered in a warm place for it to ferment.

After 30 minutes, the batter should be fermented.Pour in pipping bags or squeeze bottles.

Shape Jalebi in medium hot oil in a heavy bottom skillet and fry for few minutes each side.Take it off the pan to the warm syrup and toss it around. Don’t leave Jalebi in syrup for more than 1 minute. It will make the Jalebi soggy.

Recipe Video

What equipments you need to make Jalebi?

You would need Plastic squeeze bottle, or you could use a pipping bag. You could also use just a zip log back and pour the batter in it, cut the tip and start shaping the Jalebi. I do prefer the pipping bag as I am more comfortable shaping and can squeeze out every little amount of the batter, which I find difficult with the squeeze bottle.

Few points to keep in mind!

Temperature of the oil is crucial:

Let the oil be in medium hot when you start shaping the swirls in the oil. If the oil gets too hot, then the batter will start to separate as you start squeezing the batter. If the oil is too cold, then the batter settle at the bottom of the pan and flatten out.

Sugar Syrup:

The consistency of the syrup shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. Just simmer for 5 minutes and then cool it off. If the syrup is too thin, then the crispy jalebi will soften when dunk in syrup. If the syrup is too thick, then the jalebi will not be able to soak it up. The syrup shouldn’t be hot when you drop the fried jalebi. It will get mushy if you drop in hot oil. Don’t let the fried jalebi stay too long in the syrup. Just dunk it, to coat it around and take it out. If you keep it in the syrup for too long, it will lose the crispy texture and get too mushy. Although making Jalebi is tricky and chances are the first time you will not get any swirls (I surely didn’t), but don’t discard as it will still taste amazing. It’s a famous Indian sweet and almost everybody falls in love with it. It’s a famous Diwali treat and a must during any festive season.