Jalebi

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1/8 tablespoon orange food colour
• 1 lemon
• 2-3 tablespoons milk
• 1 ½ cups clarified butter/ vegetable oil
• 1/2 tablespoon green cardamom powder
• 4-5 threads of saffron
• 2 tablespoons rose water
• 1 squeeze bottle/ piping bag

Cooking steps

1. First put ½ cup of warm water in a bowl, add ½ tablespoon instant yeast & ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, mix it well with a spoon. Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. After that the yeast will be fermented and looks bubbly.
3. Then add this fermented yeast to the cup of white flour and 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour in a mixing bowl.
4. Then mix it well with a hand blender.
5. Now add ½ cup water in batches and blend it for 5-6 minutes to make a flowing batter (you can add more water if required).
6. Next, put it aside for 2-3 hours for the fermentation.
7. After that your batter should be fluffy.
8. Pour it into a squeeze bottle or a piping bag which makes it easier. I love to make jalebi with a squeeze bottle.
9. Now it’s time to make a sugar syrup. Take 3 cups of sugar in a pot, add 2 cups of water and boil it on medium heat.
10. Then add cardamom powder, 4-5 threads of saffron, rose water and 2 lemon slices, and boil it.
11. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of milk to make the syrup more clear.
12. Now add a pinch of orange food colour.
13. You should boil the sugar syrup for about 8-10 minutes to make a thin syrup. If your sugar syrup is thick or there are some strings then it cannot be used for our jalebis.
14. Now put 1 ½ cups of clarified butter or vegetable oil in a large flat frying pan. Here is a tip, if you want to use vegetable oil instead of clarified butter(Ghee) then you should add at least 2 tablespoons of clarified butter into the vegetable oil. This will add the flavour of clarified butter to the dish and enhance the taste.
15. Another important thing is that your heat should be on medium. Because if your oil or ghee is on high heat then you cannot make jalebis.
16. Now it’s time to start making jalebis in a circular shape. At this point, first your jalebi will be at the bottom then after a few seconds it will start floating. This is an indication that the temperature of the oil is perfect.
17. Now fry them for 3-4 minutes. You can fry 4-6 jalebis at the same time. The next step is very important. Immediately put these fried jalebis into the warm sugar syrup that you prepared in the previous steps. Leave them in the syrup for 1 minute. Make sure that your syrup is neither very hot nor very cold.
18. If you keep them in the syrup for more than 1 minute then they could be soft. Now take them out from the syrup.
19. Wow, your yummy and delicious jalebis are ready. Serve them hot