Celebrating with Indian Jalebi

[Guest guest]

What can be more delicious than hot Jalebis?

 

There is some interesting history and folklore behind Jalebi/Zalabia,

we will see later.

 

Here are two recipes, India/Pakistan version.

 

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1. Jalebi: Golden spirals soaked in sugar syrup.

(from www.sanjeevkapoor.com)

 

Ingredients:

 

Refined flour 300 gms.

Green cardamom powder ½ tsp.

Curd (yogurt) optional

Sugar 500 gms.

Color (optional) a few drops

Soda bi-carb 1 tsp.

Ghee for deep frying -

 

1. Mix flour, cooking soda and Curd/Yogurt. Add some water and make a

smooth batter.

 

2. Leave it overnight to ferment.

 

3. Mix it, add a little water if required and make it into a pouring

consistency.

 

4. Prepare sugar syrup with equal quantity of sugar and water. Add

green cardamom powder and cook it for 20-25 minutes.

 

5. Heat Ghee in a Kadhai. Pour batter into a jalebi cloth and then

pour it into medium hot Ghee giving jalebi shapes.

 

6. Cook it from both sides. Remove and keep it in sugar syrup for at

least 5 minutes before serving.

 

Tip: For jalebi cloth, take some stiff cloth and make a 3 mm hole in

the center.

 

Note: Kadhai = pan for deep frying

 

 

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2. Jalaibi

(http://www.contactpakistan.com/pakfood/dessert/jaliabi.htm)

 

Ingredients

 

- 1 cup white flour (maida)

- 1\2 level tsp. bicarbonate of soda

- 1 tbsp. plain yogurt

- 2\3 cup water

- few drops of jalaibi (orange red) colour

 

For syrup:

- 11\2 cup sugar

- 11\2 cup water

 

- ghee or oil for deep frying

 

1.Sieve flour and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl. Add yogurt,

food colour and water. Whisk to a smooth batter. The consistency

should be like thin pancake batter. Add little more water if

necessary. Leave aside to rest for about 5 hours at room temperature

or overnight in the refrigerator.

 

2. Put sugar, water and cardamoms in saucepan. Bring to boil,

stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Boil rapidly for about 10-15

minutes or until a thick syrup has formed.

 

3. Heat ghee or oil in a deep frying pan or karahi to 170C or 325F.

Pour batter in polythene bag or in a muslin cloth and hold it like a

piping bag, make about 3mm hole at the base. Pipe jalaibi shape

(pretzel shape ) into hot oil. Fry both sides for about 3-5 minutes

or until crisp.

 

4. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on absorbent kitchen paper and

then place in the hot syrup for 3-5 minutes, remove with a slotted

spoon and transfer to serving dish.

 

5. Serve warm with green tea or warm milk.

 

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vegetarian_aryana/

 

Vegetarian cooking from Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia and other

central Asian regions (including Xinjian, Tibet, Kashmir, Punjab,

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Buryatia, Tuva, Kazakhastan, Azerbaijan,

Armenia).