Jalebis made with pure ghee are such a great treat in India. Crispy from the outside, and soft from the inside with cardamom-infused syrup. This recipe is my easy take on the authentic jalebi recipe.
What is Jalebi?
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Jalebi is a popular dessert in South Asia, Turkey, some parts of Africa, and the middle east. Jalebi is very similar to a North American Funnel cake.
Indian jalebi batter is made with fermented all-purpose flour. The batter is fried in ghee or oil. Then soaked into cardamom-infused syrup.
Fun Fact-Indian Jalebi Tradition
Folks in western India celebrate the birth of daughters by treating their family and friends with jalebi. In Gujarat, new parents reveal their baby's gender by distributing sweets. Peda (like a doughy sweet sphere) is for a baby Boy.
What's in This Recipe?
- All-Purpose Flour: Indian Maida aka all-purpose flour is great for the Jalebi recipe.
- Corn Starch: corn starch helps make jalebis crispy. I am using ¼ cup for each 1 cup of all-purpose flour.
- Yogurt: plain full-fat yogurt gives a great tang to the recipe.
- Baking Powder: baking powder helps puff up the Instant jalebis.
- Food Coloring: food coloring is completely optional. I like to use saffron yellow color for jalebis to mimic Indian jalebis. You may add turmeric powder or infuse the saffron in hot water for color.
- Saffron: I love the floral smell of saffron in simple syrup for jalebis.
- Sugar: I like to make a large batch of simple syrup for jalebis to soak a bunch at once.
- Cardamom: freshly ground cardamom gives the best flavors. The Majority of Indian desserts have ground cardamom in them.
Tips for Crispy Jalebis
- Add the baking powder to the batter once the ghee is hot and jalebis are ready to fry.
- Add a tablespoon of ghee to the batter for crispier jalebis.
How to Serve Jalebis
Jalebis are dipped in syrup and served hot as is. To load it with more sugar, you can serve it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and chopped almond or pistachios.
Jalebi For Ramadan and Eid
Jalebis are such a great treat for Ramadan or Eid. We love making a large batch of them for Iftar boxes to share with friends and neighbors.
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need:
More Dessert Recipes
- Gajar Halwa Recipe
- Cardamom Infused Crepes
- Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Nutella Loaf Cake with Nutella Ganache
Jalebi Recipe | Instant Crispy Jalebi Recipe
Ingredients
For Jalebi
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 Tablespoons corn starch
- 4 Tablespoons yogurt
- ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric or saffron yellow food coloring
For Simple Syrup
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup water
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
- 5-10 saffron strands
For Frying
- 14 oz Ghee or oil
Instructions
Prepare Syrup
- Combine all the simple syrup ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat while stirring continuously until sugar is dissolved completely and the syrup is smooth.
- Once the syrup thickens up turn the heat off. Set the syrup aside.
Jalebi Batter
- Combine all the jalebi ingredients in a bowl except baking powder. Wisk until no lumps are left. Cover and set the batter aside.
- Add baking powder when ghee or oil is ready to fry the jalebis.
Frying the Jalebi
- Heat ghee or oil in a large deep skillet or a wok on medium heat.
- Fill the jalebi batter in a piping bag or squeeze bottle with a nozzle. Cut off the tip of the piping bag about ¼”.
- Add a drop of batter in hot ghee or oil. If the batter comes right up on the hot ghee surface then it's ready to fry the jalebis.
- Create batter spirals starting from the center in hot ghee. Fry until golden on one side. Turn the jalebi and fry on the other side until golden. Carefully transfer the jalebi to syrup. Soak for a few seconds then transfer it onto a plate.
- Repeat the process for the rest of the batter.
Serving
- Serve the hot Jalebis as is or with some chopped pistachios or almonds.
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