Jalebi

Lip-smacking Indian sweet, deep fried and dipped in flavoured saffron sugar syrup. 

Cuiisine- Uttar Pradesh

Course- Mithais ( Indian Sweets)
Preparation Time: 08-09 hours in summers / 24 hrs in winters
Cooking time: Depending on the size and volume of the Jalebi Karahi i.e. 1.5 mins per Jalebi.
No. of portions: 50 jalebis

Ingredients and Quantity:
For the Jalebi Batter:
Refined flour -500 gm.
Bengal gram flour (Besan) -100 gm.
Curd (Beaten) -100 gm
Salt – A little
Oil, warm- 50 ml
Yellow / Saffron colour: A few drops (Permitted edible Colour) (OPTIONAL)
For Pouring Batter:
Muslin Cloth: 01 metre
OR
Squeeze Bottles: 02 Nos. medium size
For Frying:
Pure Ghee – 2 kg or as required for frying

For Sugar Syrup:
Sugar – 01 kg
Water- ½  litre

Saffron-04 gm.

Rose water- 15 ml
Milk- 10 ml. for Clarification
Muslin cloth for straining: 01 metre

For the Garnish:

Silver leaf -4 sheets (Optional).
Pistachio nuts (Slivered) – 50 gm.

Almonds (Slivered)-30 gm.

Rose petals, dried- 15 gm.

Method

Sieve refined flour and besan together.
Add in a pinch of salt and beaten curds add warm oil and water.
Prepare a batter of dropping consistency. Add yellow color / saffron colour(Optional).Keep it covered overnight or for 24 hours in winters.
Prepare sugar syrup of one string consistency with sugar and water(2:1), stirring continuously on a medium flame or else the sugar will caramelize. Add saffron strands. Add milk to clarify it, remove the scum from the surface with the help of a ladle and discard.  Add rose water. Strain through a muslin cloth and use as and when required.

Heat ghee in a jalebi karahi.
Put prepared batter in a Squeeze bottle or in a muslin cloth (with a hole) and gently squeeze the batter into hot ghee in spiral shapes. Start from the outside and work inwards for better results
Fry till crisp. (Do not over-brown)
Remove when done & immediately dip into warm sugar syrup for 02 minutes.
Remove and serve hot garnished with Silver leaf (Optional), pistachio nuts and almond slivers. Sprinkle dried rose petals.

Chef Tips:
1.I personally suggest not to use food colour , you may instead use a very good quality Bengal gram flour.

2. Batter can be poured through a plastic sauce dispenser bottle into the hot fat in a Jalebi Karahi.
3. In Winters to ferment batter properly add a little ready-made batter from your trusted sweet vendor / Halwai into your ingredients of