Jalebi Recipe

Jalebis set me nostalgic and brings back many childhood memories. Our Sunday brunch would include a bowl full of warm Jalebis from the nearby sweet vendor.

This was a well-known shop, and people used to line up for hours to get hands-on this vendor’s warm Jalebis, and indeed, they were the best!

People from different regions have endorsed this dish as a part of their breakfast or evening snack, and Jalebi has lived up to its relevance.

Jalebi is a popular delicacy prepared for festivals like Diwali, Holi, Dusshera, and other festivals across India. It has a huge fan base and can be felt by its prevalence.

The recipe of Jalebi has many variations. Its ingredients vary from maida to sooji to moong dal and even cottage cheese (paneer)!

Every version has its unique flavor and an obsessional deliciousness to die for!

Although Jalebi is rooted in Indian cuisine, it is surprising to know that it doesn’t have its origin in India. It is believed to have traveled to India from Arab regions and got its name from the Arabic word ‘Zulabiya.’

But it doesn’t matter where it came from; the fact remains that it is now an inevitable part of Indian cuisine. 

What is Jalebi Recipe

Jalebi is an Indian version of funnel cake. It is a spiral-shaped dessert prepared with batter poured into hot oil and then taken out to be dunked into the sugar syrup infused with the fragrant rose water and saffron.

Jalebi is crispy and crunchy on the outside and soaked with the sugar syrup that drips lavishly as you bite into it. Traditionally, this dessert is made with batter that has been fermented for 6 to 8 hours. But this recipe doesn’t require any fermentation and can be prepared without yeast or baking soda.

The highly adored sweet treat, Jalebi, can be enjoyed as a standalone dessert or with hot or cold milk or rabdi.

Reasons You’ll ♡ Jalebi Recipe

Jalebi is one such dessert that has an admirer in every person. However, the reasons that make you fall in love with this recipe are listed here —

• Easy to make, even though shaping them to perfect spirals may require some practice.
• Loved by every age group.
• Can be made ahead of time and served when needed.
• Can be prepared in a big batch

Ingredient list for Jalebi recipe

You don’t have to hunt for many ingredients as they can be prepared with just a few that are already available in the pantry.

Flour — This forms the base ingredient that gives structure to our delicious Jalebis. You may either use wheat flour or all-purpose flour as per your preference.

Cornflour/ Cornstarch — Gives the Jalebi the crispness that it is loved for.

Baking Powder — It helps the Jalebis turn lighter and crispier. It is added as the leavening agent to the Jalebi batter. Always use fresh baking powder; a stale one will not yield the same results. 

Cardamom Powder — Adds a wonderful flavor to the Jalebis.

Thick Curd — Used for the fermentation of the Jalebi batter. In addition to that, yogurt also lends a tangy taste to this Jalebi, just like the traditionally fermented jalebis.

Water — Add lukewarm water as it helps to make the batter smooth and lump-free.

Ghee/oil — Used for frying the Jalebis.

Sugar — Sugar is used as the sweetening agent for our luscious dessert. Jalebis are dunked in the thick sugar syrup to make their juiciest best.

Rose Water — Added to the sugar syrup to lend a mesmerizing aroma to the Jalebis.

Lemon Juice — Added to the sugar syrup to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.

Saffron Strands — Added to the sugar syrup to lend a wonderful aroma and flavor to the Jalebis.

How to make Crispy Jalebi recipe

This section walks you through a detailed step-by-step recipe with pictures. For the FULL, printable recipe card, please scroll down to the bottom of this post. Jalebis recipe is prepared in four simple steps — 

Prepare the Jalebi batter — Sieve the flours into a large mixing bowl. Add yogurt and whisk until lump-free. Now, slowly add lukewarm water (a little at a time) to this mix and whisk again. Once you have a pourable dosa-like batter, cover the bowl and set it aside for 20-30 minutes or for an hour. 

After the desired time is over, you may notice that some bubbles are formed over the mix. Now whisk the batter nicely for about 2 minutes until smooth. Jalebi batter is ready for frying. 

Protip — The consistency of jalebi batter should be free-flowing, not watery. If it becomes watery, add some flour to adjust the thickness of the batter. Similarly, if the batter is not flowing, add more water to get the right consistency.

Make Sugar syrup — While the Jalebi batter is resting, let’s prepare the sugar syrup. Combine sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed wide pan. Once it comes to a boil, add lemon juice and stir. Now lower the heat and add saffron strands and cardamom powder.

Allow the sugar syrup to simmer over medium heat until it reaches one-string consistency. Once it reaches a one-string consistency, take it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. The sugar syrup temperature should be warm before you begin soaking the jalebis.

Check sugar syrup consistency —

• Take some liquid on the back of a spoon, and if it coats the spoon without dripping means sugar syrup is ready.
• Another way would be to take some cooled sugar syrup between your fingers, press, and now open your fingers; if it forms a thick string between your fingers without breaking – sugar syrup is ready to use. If it is still watery, reheat the syrup until you attain this consistency. 
• For accurate results – use a kitchen thermometer. Boil until it reaches 102-105 degrees C. That’s the ideal temperature for 1-thread consistency ( 1-taar chashni).

Fry the Jalebis — Heat oil/ghee in a heavy-bottomed flat kadhai over medium heat. While the oil/ghee is heating up, transfer the Jalebi batter to a squeezable bottle. You can even use a piping bag or any squeezable bottle in the house. 

Make sure you heat the oil enough to fry the jalebis.  Test the oil/ghee by dropping a small dollop of batter. If that tiny ball of batter floats up gradually, the oil/ghee is ready for frying. Turn the gas to medium flame before shaping Jalebis into the hot oil.

By keeping the bottle perpendicular to the kadhai (closer to the ghee/oil), squeeze the batter in a spiral motion. Form the spirals from inside to out in a round circular motion. Keep a steady hand and work fast. Once in the oil, allow the jalebis to cook undisturbed for 10-15 seconds; this step will help them hold their structure in oil.

Now increase the heat, flip the jalebis and cook from both sides until crisp. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon or tongs and immediately dip them in the warm syrup.

Protip —

• If the Jalebis are dispersing in oil, then your batter is too thin. Add more flour to the batter and start again. 
• The Jalebis will turn flat if not fried in hot oil. So, the oil temperature is essential for perfectly crisp Jalebis.
• Likewise, if fried in boiling oil, the jalebi batter will splatter in oil, and you will not attain the right shape.
• Do not overcrowd the kadhai; fry 2-3 jalebis at a time.

Soak Jalebis in sugar syrup — Once the Jalebis are out of hot oil, dip them immediately in the warm sugar syrup. Soak the jalebis in warm syrup for 20-30 seconds on each side. Flip them halfway during the soak time. After the time is over, drain the jalebis from the syrup, garnish with slivered pistachios, dried rose petals, and serve warm. 

Protip —

• Do not let the Jalebis sit in the sugar syrup for a long time. If left for long, Jalebis will turn soft and soggy. Repeat the process until all the Jalebis are dipped in warm sugar syrup.
• The sugar syrup should be warm at all times. Warm but not boiling. 

Expert tips and Variations for Jalebi Recipe

The batter consistency — Keep the batter of thick dropping consistency. If the batter is runny, you will get thin and flat Jalebis, while too thick batter will produce thick and soft Jalebis, without crispiness. A free-flowing yet thick batter is the best consistency to follow.

Whisk the batter well — Whisking the batter makes it lighter and airy, and therefore, it makes the Jalebis crispier when they are fried.

To prevent crystallization — Sugar may start to crystallize when the sugar syrup cools down. To prevent it from concentrating, lemon is added to the syrup. Also, keeping the syrup on a low flame prevents it from crystallizing.

Work quickly when making the spirals — Perfect spirals come with some practice. However, working swiftly may get you some lovely spirals that you can happily flaunt when making the spirals. A precise movement of your hand in a clockwise direction is required to form a well-coordinated circle.

Substitute — For this Jalebi recipe, you can substitute baking powder with 1 teaspoon of Eno.

Warm sugar syrup works best — Ensure that the sugar syrup is warm when you dip the Jalebis into it. If the syrup is too hot, it will ruin the crispiness of the Jalebis and turn them soft.

Keep the batter lump-free and smooth — Lump-free and smooth batter ensures better piping of the Jalebis and better shaping as well.

Food color — Feel free to add yellow food color. It adds a beautiful color to the Jalebis. Turmeric can substitute the synthetic yellow food color here.

The right temperature of the ghee — Maintaining the correct temperature of the ghee is essential to get the crispiest and well-fried Jalebis. Maintaining a moderate temperature is ideal.

Hot ghee will make the Jalebis turn brown from the outside and remain uncooked from the inside. On the contrary, if the ghee is not hot enough, the Jalebis will absorb more oil and turn soggy instead of getting crispy.

Kadhai — Always prepare the sugar syrup in a deep utensil so that the height of the sugar syrup is high. Don’t use a flat kadhai, or the jalebis won’t get dipped properly.

Role of baking soda — Baking powder is added to the batter to get a lighter and crispier outer layer of the Jalebis. When added to the wet mixture of flours+ water+ curd, it produces tiny bubbles in the batter, which activates ONLY when the batter is added to the ghee.

When the jalebi batter meets the hot ghee, these trapped bubbles expand the batter, making it fluffier (pic 6), which results in a lighter, crispier Jalebis.

Variation — Baking powder is added in the instant version of the Jalebis. However, if you want to follow the traditional way of preparing this delicacy, mix the flours with curd and water and place the batter in the warm spot for 6- 8 hours to let it ferment. Once fermented, you can transfer it to a squeezable bottle and make Jalebis.

Let me know what you think!

Jalebis are easy to make, and this recipe guides you through the simple process of making it. If Jalebi is your all-time favorite, just like me, then what are you waiting for?

Let’s begin now and make some crispy and lip-smacking Jalebis that amaze our loved ones.

Should you make this recipe, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.

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