Jalebi
India's spiral sweet: a fermented yogurt batter piped into hot oil in interlocking loops, fried briefly crisp, then soaked in saffron-cardamom syrup.
Overview
A loose batter of plain flour, gram flour, yoghurt and water ferments 8-12 hours at room temperature (or 24 hours in the fridge), the slight tang from the yoghurt and the bubbles from the fermentation give the characteristic crisp-shattering bite. A 1-thread sugar syrup is scented with saffron, cardamom and a squeeze of lemon. The batter goes into a piping bag (or squeezy bottle); piped into hot oil in spirals from the centre outwards; fried for 30-40 seconds per side; lifted out and dropped straight into warm syrup for 30 seconds; lifted again. Eaten immediately while still hot and crisp.
Ingredients
Batter
- 200 g plain flour
- 30 g gram flour (besan)
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (for the orange colour; or a tiny pinch of saffron)
- 200 ml warm water (approximately)
- A pinch of bicarbonate of soda (added just before frying)
Sugar syrup
- 400 g caster sugar
- 250 ml water
- A generous pinch of saffron strands
- 6 green cardamom pods (bashed)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rose water (optional)
To fry
- 1 litre vegetable oil (or ghee, or a mix for richness)
To garnish
- 1 tablespoon pistachios (slivered)
- A few saffron strands
Method
Stage 1 - Batter (the night before)
- Whisk the plain flour, gram flour, cornflour and turmeric in a wide bowl.
- Add the yoghurt and the warm water gradually, whisking, to a smooth lump-free batter the consistency of single cream.
- Cover loosely; rest at warm room temperature 8-12 hours (or in the fridge 24 hours).
- The batter should be slightly bubbly and smell faintly sour.
Stage 2 - Syrup
- Combine the sugar, water and cardamom in a wide pan; bring to a boil.
- Simmer 5-6 minutes to a 1-thread consistency (a drop between thumb and finger pulled apart gives a single thread that doesn't break).
- Stir in the lemon juice and saffron.
- Off the heat, add the rose water (if using).
- Keep warm but not hot (about 50°C).
Stage 3 - Final batter mix
- Whisk the rested batter; it should still be the consistency of pouring cream. Add a tablespoon of warm water if too thick.
- Add the bicarbonate of soda; whisk in.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a 4 mm round nozzle (or a squeezy ketchup bottle, or a sealed plastic bag with a small corner snipped).
Stage 4 - Fry
- Heat the oil to 175-180°C in a wide shallow pan (8-9 cm deep is ideal; a wok or kadhai is traditional).
- Working over the oil, pipe spirals: start at the centre, make a small circle, then 2-3 interlocking loops around it (the classic shape; perfection isn't needed - rough is right).
- Fry 30-40 seconds; flip; another 30-40 seconds until golden and crisp.
- The jalebi should be hard and rigid when lifted; if it's still floppy it's not crisp enough.
- Lift onto a slotted spoon; drain 5 seconds.
Stage 5 - Soak
- Lower the hot jalebi straight into the warm syrup.
- Submerge with the back of the spoon for 30 seconds.
- Lift onto a wire rack or plate.
- Repeat with the rest, frying in batches of 2-3.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Scatter slivered pistachios and saffron strands on top.
- Eat hot, within 10 minutes - the texture is at its absolute best on the first bite from the syrup.
Notes
- Fermentation: Don't skip it. The slight sour tang and the air bubbles are what give jalebi its character. Warm room overnight; if your kitchen is cold (under 18°C), use the inside of an oven with the light on.
- Pipe over the oil: Hold the bag 2 cm above the surface. Too high and the spirals break up; too low and the bag melts.
- Hot jalebi, warm syrup: Crisp hot jalebi into 50°C syrup absorbs in 30 seconds without going soggy. Cold syrup makes them tough; boiling syrup splits them.
- Don't fry too dark: Deep gold is right. Browned jalebi taste bitter and the syrup can't penetrate.
Variations
Imarti (jangiri): South Indian cousin - thicker batter (urad dal-based) piped in concentric flower shapes; deeper orange. Khova jalebi: Add 50 g khoya (milk solids) to the batter for a richer, paler version popular in Rajasthan. Without fermentation (quick): Add ¼ teaspoon yeast and rest the batter 1 hour at warm room temperature. Acceptable shortcut; the depth of flavour is less.
Serving
Serve: hot, with cold rabri spooned alongside (the classic Old-Delhi breakfast); or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream; or plain with masala chai. Temperature: hot, just out of the syrup. Occasion: Diwali, Holi, weddings, festival breakfasts.
Storage
- Best within 30 minutes of frying.
- Reheat at 200°C oven for 4 minutes to recrisp (the syrup stays absorbed).
- The unfermented batter doesn't keep; mix the night before only.
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