🇮🇳 Indian Cuisine

Jalebi

Crispy Saffron Syrup Spirals

Prep Time 20 min
Servings 4
Difficulty Hard
Calories 346 kcal

Bright orange spirals of fermented batter deep-fried until impossibly crispy, then soaked in warm saffron-cardamom sugar syrup. These dazzling sweets shatter with the first bite, releasing a flood of aromatic sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons rice flour
  • 1/4 cup yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1.5 cups sugar for syrup
  • 1 cup water for syrup
  • A few strands of saffron
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1 tablespoon rose water
  • Oil for deep frying

Instructions

  1. 1 Mix all-purpose flour, rice flour, yogurt, and baking powder with enough warm water to create a smooth, flowing batter. Let it ferment in a warm spot for twelve hours or overnight until bubbly.
  2. 2 Prepare the sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water together until it reaches a one-string consistency. Add saffron strands, cardamom powder, and rose water, keeping the syrup warm throughout.
  3. 3 Heat oil in a wide, heavy pan to 170 degrees Celsius. Pour the fermented batter into a squeeze bottle, ensuring the nozzle opening allows a steady, thin stream of batter to flow.
  4. 4 Squeeze the batter into the hot oil in concentric circular motions to form tight spiral shapes. Fry for two to three minutes per side until deep golden orange and extremely crispy.
  5. 5 Remove the fried jalebis from the oil using a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into the warm sugar syrup. Let them soak for thirty seconds, turning once to ensure even coating.
  6. 6 Remove from the syrup and serve immediately while still warm and crackling crispy. The contrast between the shattering exterior and the syrup-saturated interior is the hallmark of perfect jalebi.

Did You Know?

The art of making perfect jalebi spirals takes years to master. Street vendors in Old Delhi can produce over five hundred perfectly uniform jalebis per hour, squeezing batter in continuous spirals without ever breaking the stream. Fresh hot jalebi with cold rabri is considered one of India's greatest dessert combinations.

From The Culinary Codex — http://theculinarycodex.com/dish/indian/jalebi/