Make this Indian Sweet Jalebi recipe this holiday season for a unique dessert idea that will have everyone begging for more. This crispy, sweet, and addictive classic Indian dessert is reminiscent of the American funnel cake.
Sharing a quintessential Indian classic holiday dessert which is crispy, sweet, comforting and very addictive. Reminiscent of American funnel cake, Indian Sweet Jalebi is also a very famous street food. In India, you would find road-side carts selling signature orange-colored jalebies, fresh fried…soaked in rose syrup….served with various kinds of sweet dipping sauces. Oh yeah! Don’t judge me on serving sweet Jalebies with a sweet dipping sauce! Really, this is how Jalebies are sold and enjoyed in every part of India.
During the winter, especially during Indian grand festival, Diwali – Festival of Lights, Jalebi is served and enjoyed in almost every home. Offered in traditional worship and served to guests as a snack with Indian Masala Chai Tea. There is something extra comforting when you bite into a sweet, crispy Jalebi and then sip hot Chai with it. Pure Heaven!
The “Jalebi” name has come from the twisted, spiral shape of these sweet fritters. Being a home cook, I was a little sloppy in making perfectly round spirals, but isn’t that what home cooking is all about? The comfort and happiness of sharing homemade food with friends and family.
The texture of Sweet Jalebi is crispy on the outside and soft and syrupy when you bite into it. To make Jalebi extra crispy, I have added a little corn starch in the batter. If you can’t find corn starch, you can also use some fine rice flour. The signature orange color of Jalebi is courtesy of orange food coloring. In many Indian homes, saffron is used for adding the festive orange color. If you have access to saffron, feel free to use that instead.
Even though serving Sweet Cream, Rabri, is optional, I highly recommend trying it. In India, pastry chefs (a.k.a Halwai) cook milk and cream for hours to get this thick and grainy textured Rabri. I, however, make this with a modern day’s instant technique – using sweet condensed milk and milk powder. Trust me, if you have never had Rabri before…this recipe will make you very, very happy!
I hope you like this little taste of my culture with these sweet treats. Oh, I must say that all ingredients for Jalebi are easy to find. So, ferment some batter, fry some Jalebi, dip in syrup, and enjoy the festivity!
- Jalebi Batter
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoon Corn Starch
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
- ½ cup Water (a little more to make smooth batter)
- 10-15 drop Orange Food Color
- Oil for deep frying
- Rose Syrup
- 1 cup Water
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Rose Essence
- Milk Rabri
- ½ cup Condensed Milk
- ½ cup Whole Milk
- 2 tablespoon Milk Powder
- Jalebi Batter
- In a bowl, add lukewarm water with sugar, and sprinkle yeast on the top. Let it foam for 5 minutes then add rest of batter ingredients with water to make a smooth batter of pancake batter consistency. Set aside for one hour to ferment.
- In the meantime, in a pot, add milk and sweetened milk. Stir well and cook on medium-low heat until milk thickens (7-8 minutes). Add powdered milk and cook for one more minute. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
- Rose Syrup
- In an another pot, add sugar, water, and rose syrup. Bring to boil and then simmer until sugar thickens to a syrup consistency (10-15 minutes). Sugar will have maple syrup like consistency. Keep syrup warm while frying the jalebies.
- Jalebies
- Heat oil in a fryer or dutch oven.
- Transfer fermented Jalebi batter into a piping bag with ⅛ inch piping tip. Pipe the Jalebi into hot oil a few at a time. Make free-form spirals like a funnel cake. Deep fry 2 minutes each side until golden and crispy.
- Transfer each deep fried Jalebi in warm syrup for 1 minute and then remove onto a tray lined with cookie rack. This will help drip the extra sugar syrup.
- Serve the Jalebi warm with thick sweetened cream (rabri) and enjoy!!
- Don't forget to serve hot Chai Tea on the side.
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