Jalebi Recipe

Freshly cooked Jalebi stacked on top and garnished with dried rose petals

4.81 from 21 votes

Magical spiral treat that is perfectly crispy and juiciest to the core…… this is Jalebi recipe, an acclaimed Indian dessert that soaks eternally in its sweet glory! When paired with milk or a dollop of rabdi, it makes for a drool-worthy and completely irresistible indulgence.

Prep: 20

Cook: 30

Rest: 40

Total: 1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: JALEBIS

Calories: 78kcal

Author: Ruchi

Ingredients

FOR JALEBI

2 cups All purpose flour or wheat flour
1 tablespoon Cornstarch or cornflour
¼ cup Besan (Chickpea flour/ Gram flour)
1½ teaspoons Baking powder
⅛ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
¼ cup Thick Curd
¾ cup Lukewarm Water (adjust accordingly)
- - Ghee for frying

SUGAR SYRUP

1 cup Sugar
½ cup Water
1 teaspoon Rosewater
½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
⅛ teaspoon Saffron strands

Instructions

PREPARE JALEBI BATTER

Sieve all-purpose flour, besan, baking powder, and cornstarch into a large mixing bowl.
Add yogurt and whisk until lump-free. You can use an immersion blender to whisk the batter.
Rub the yogurt well into the flour blend.
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.

PREPARE SUGAR SYRUP

Combine sugar and water in a medium-sized pan. Once it comes to a boil, add lemon juice (to prevent crystallization) and stir. Keep stirring the sugar syrup occasionally. 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. It will take 7-10 minutes to get one string consistency.
To check the consistency - 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.

JALEBI BATTER AFTER THE Rest:

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.
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.

FRY JALEBI

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 and tighten the cap. 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.
Follow this pattern to make Jalebi - Start the circle from the inside, work your way out, and make a complete circle.
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. Soon, they will float to the top.
Now increase the heat, flip the jalebis and cook from both sides until crisp.
Remove from oil with a slotted spoon or tongs and set it on a paper napkin to drain the excess ghee for a second or two. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter. You may need to lower the flame couple of times to ensure its proper shape.

SOAK THE JALEBIS

Once the Jalebis are out of hot oil, dip them immediately in the warm sugar syrup. The sugar syrup should be warm at all times. Warm but not boiling.
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.
My idea of eating Jalebi is - piping hot and crispy Jalebi dipped in cold Rabdi.

Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add baking soda?

I would not recommend that as baking soda would leave a strong aftertaste in the Jalebis.

Can I add food color to my Jalebis?

Of course, you can. There are generally two types of food colors used in preparing jalebi. One is powdered color, used mainly by halwais (sweet vendors), and the other is liquid color.

I prefer to use the liquid food color because it’s downright organic. You can use either yellow or orange food color to make the jalebi recipe.

Add it to the sugar syrup and dunk your jalebis into it. They will have a gorgeous hue when they come out of the sugar syrup.

My jalebis became soft and soggy.

Possible reasons for soft Jalebis - the consistency of the batter. It plays a key role here.

Either the besan batter is too thick or too thin.
Jalebis were not fried enough. They were not crisp when removed from the oil.
The sugar syrup was boiling. A boiling syrup will soften the crisp Jalebis.

My Jalebis are breaking in oil.

The consistency of the Jalebi batter is thin, causing them to disintegrate in oil. Even too hot a temperature oil will cause the Jalebis to break in oil. To correct this, allow the ghee to cool slightly, then start again.

But if the batter is thin, transfer all the batter into a mixing bowl, add a tablespoon of extra besan and beat until lum-free. Now try again.

Why did my sugar syrup start to crystallize?

The acid in lemon helps to split sucrose (sugar). If its quantity is less, sugar will crystallize. Simmer (do not boil) sugar on a low flame to prevent crystallization.

Can I add flavor to my Jalebis?

You sure can. But traditionally, the Jalebi batter is not flavored. The cardamom powder and saffron strands in the sugar syrup lend their incredible flavor to the Jalebis.

Can I make the Jalebis ahead of time?

Yes, you can surely make Jalebis ahead of time and store it for later use. If you plan to serve Jalebis for an event or festival, you can make a big batch and store them to be used later when required.

How can I store the Jalebis?

Jalebis stores well at room temperature for about 5 days. You can store it in a refrigerator for longer shelf life where it stays good for about 15 days.

How can I serve the Jalebis?

You can serve the hot/ warm Jalebis as it is or with cold milk or top it with rabdi and serve. In each way, this dessert tastes heavenly!

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