Instant Jalebi

Indian Desserts have a very special place in my heart. They are made with so much love and the the best part is for most of the dishes, the ingredients are easily available at home. Jalebi is a dessert which can be enjoyed with any course(yes! even breakfast, especially breakfast!). This dish holds so many fond memories of my childhood. Every community in India has a favorite Snack-shop owner (Halwai) who makes delicious jalebis. This is enjoyedn hot and I like it crispy!

Jalebi is made with all purpose flour. The authentic recipe needs fermentation and is a longer process. But who wants to wait when the craving suddenly arises! This recipe is the instant version and tastes almost the same with very less work!

Ingredients:

Sugar- 1 cup

Water- 1/2 cup

Saffron- 3-4 strands

All Purpose flour- 1 cup

Curd- 1/4 cup

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Water- as required for a smooth batter

Turmeric powder(for color)- a pinch (use food grade orange/yellow color if you wish to)

Method:

1. In an saucepan, add sugar and water and heat it until you get almost 1 string consistency (String consistency is tested with taking a dop of liquid between index finger and thunm and trying to separate them and see how far the liquid stays in air). So just as 1 string is about to get formed, turn off the heat.

2. In a bowl, add flour, baking powder, curd and whisk together.

3. Slowly add water to it and continue whisking until you get a smooth flowing batter. Batter should not be too thin nor too thick.

4. Now in a flat base pan, heat oil for frying. Remember to fill the oil only to fill 2 inch of the pan. This is very important to get perfect shape.

5. Now jalebi is made spiral in shape. To make that, you can use a ketchup squeeze bottle or what I did. Just take a zip lock bag, put it in a glass with one corner down and fill it with batter and tie it from top.

6. Cut a little bit of cone from the bottom tip and start making spirals in medium-hot oil (do not fry in very hot oil as it will burn).

7. Let jalebi cook in oil for 2-3 min (or until slightly golden) and then immediately put it in the warm sugar syrup for 5 min.

8. Take it out from the syrup and Relish with your loved ones! :)