Try this Crispy Jalebi Recipe with step-by-step photos and video. No baking powder, baking soda, yoghurt or yeast. You won’t believe these sweet spirals are homemade!
Jalebi cloth (or piping bag fitted with a round nozzle, squeezy bottle or similar for piping the batter into the oil)
Perforated skimmer/slotted spoon for frying
Ingredients
For the Jalebi starter (attho):
125gplain flour(all-purpose flour/maida)
180mlwarm water
1tsplemon juice
For the Jalebi batter:
450gplain flour(all-purpose flour/maida)
290mlroom temperature water
1 1/2tbspcornflour(cornstarch)
1/2tsporange gel food colour
For the sugar syrup:
1kggranulated white sugar
500mlwater
7green cardamom pods, seeds crushed(discard the husks)
10-12saffron strands
1tspvanilla extract
1Lcooking oilfor deep frying
Instructions
For the Jalebi starter (attho):
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, water and lemon juice. Beat until very smooth. Cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave out on the countertop for 48 hours. If it's particularly cold in your kitchen, leave the mixture somewhere warmer.
After 48 hours, the mixture should smell sour and have small bubbles visible on the surface. If this isn't the case, you'll need to leave it for another day. The fermentation will happen quickly if the batter is left in a warm place.
Note: The batter will be thinner and smoother in appearance after it has been fermented.
For the Jalebi batter:
Place the flour in a large bowl. Add the 48-hour fermented starter. Stir briefly to incorporate, then add 290ml room temperature water. Beat vigorously with a whisk until the mixture is relatively smooth, about 5 minutes. Some lumps are fine and will break down during the second fermentation.
Cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave out on the countertop for 24 hours. If it's particularly cold in your kitchen, leave the mixture somewhere warmer.
After 24 hours, the mixture should smell sour and have small bubbles visible on the surface. Note: The batter will be thinner and smoother in appearance after it has been fermented.
Take approximately 100ml fermented batter in a bowl and add the cornflour. Stir will to combine. There should be no visible lumps in the mixture. Add this slurry to the bowl of Jalebi batter. You might need to use a silicone spatula to remove it all from the bowl as it can be very sticky.
Beat the mixture until smooth and ribbon-like in consistency, about 7 minutes. The mixture should leave a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the batter when drizzled from a height.
Add any food colour you might like to use. Whisk it in and allow the batter to rest for 10-15 minutes while you make the sugar syrup.
For the sugar syrup:
Place the sugar in a large, wide saucepan. Add water and lemon juice and bring to the boil.
Cook the sugar syrup until it reaches 104°C/219°F on a cooking thermometer and then switch the heat off.
Add the ground cardamom seeds, saffron and vanilla if using. Stir and set aside.
To make the Jalebi:
Heat the oil in a large, wide pan suitable for deep frying. I find a paella pan is perfect for this job. The oil temperature should reach 175°C/350°F before you start piping.
Pour some of the Jalebi batter into a Jalebi cloth, squeezy bottle with a round hole or piping bag fitted with a round nozzle (about 4mm round).
Keep the nozzle as close as you can to the oil for better control but be careful not to get so close that the oil spits at your hand.
Begin to pipe spirals of batter into the hot oil, either working from the inside out or outside in. Around 5 turns per spiral is optimal. Finish your spiral with a straight line through the centre to seal the Jalebi.
Fry the Jalebi for around 40 seconds per side. Turn it only once it firms up to avoid breaking it. Don't let the Jalebi brown in the oil as this will ruin the taste.
Lift the Jalebi from the oil and carefully shake off any excess oil. Put the Jalebi straight into the warm sugar syrup and press gently to submerge it. Leave the Jalebi in the syrup for 3-4 minutes and then lift out onto a plate.
Repeat this process for the remaining Jalebi batter. As you build up more confidence, you can pipe more than one Jalebi at a time.
Stack the Jalebi as you like. I decorated mine with fresh rose petals. Serve warm with Rabri or Fafda and Chai.
Video
Notes
Making Jalebi isn’t easy and requires practice so don’t beat yourself up if your shapes aren’t perfect. Practice and take time. It’s a skill that takes years to nail.
Jalebi are not suitable for freezing.
Keep Jalebi loosely covered at room temperature and consume within 48 hours. They are best eaten as fresh as possible.
Store any leftover syrup in a clean bottle in the fridge. You can use it for more Jalebi or even Gulab Jamun or Rasgulla.