Jalebi : Quick and Easy Indian Style Funnel Cake Recipe

Jalebi

Jyoti Tejpal

Jalebi is a quick and easy Indian style funnel cake recipe which is very popular throughout India. This juicy and crispy jalebi can be prepared under 30 minutes. It is cherished by kids and grown-ups equally. Jalebi is an ideal dessert for any special occasion, a get-together, a birthday party, wedding celebrations or festivals like Diwali and Holi. You can make and eat jalebi anytime you crave for it. Serve Jalebi with samosa and piping hot chai as an evening snack and you are all set to experience the glorious joys of life. The crispiness of fried spirals filled with juicy sugar syrup makes it extremely desirable.

Jalebi is a traditional Indian dessert which is made by pouring all-purpose flour batter in spiral-shaped in the hot ghee/oil. The shapes are deep-fried until crisp and after frying, they are dunked into the sugar syrup. The spiral-shaped crisp & juicy sweet is made of all-purpose flour and sugar syrup. Jalebi dessert is served warm or cold. The warm jalebi tastes much fresher and tastier.

This easy and quick dessert Jalebi can be paired with various savory dishes depending upon the regions. Some of the very famous Jalebi and savory-spicy snack combinations are:

Poha Jalebi
Kachori Jalebi
Samosa Jalebi
Pakora Jalebi
Fafda Jalebi

Jalebi can be served as dessert after an elaborated Indian meal which consists of Indian flatbread, subji, curry, dal, rice, raita, and namkeen. If you have guests coming for dinner and you don’t have time for making traditional rabri, then these serving options would save your day. Here are some serving options for you:

Serve it with warm saffron milk.
Top it with some whipped cream and pistachios.
Serve along with vanilla ice cream drizzled with sugar syrup.
Top it with some sweetened condensed milk and chopped nuts.
Serve it with this instant pineapple coconut rabri or almond rose rabri.

Equipment needed for making jalebi is squeezable ketchup bottle/a piping bag/ or a ziplock bag The traditional way of making Jalebi requires a Jalebi Making cloth which is made using the layered muslin cloth which has a stitched hole in the center. There are easy and simple ways to make the same ‘Halwai’ (confectioner) style Jalebi at home without any Jalebi cloth. You can use any squeezable ketchup bottle, a piping bag, or a ziplock bag.

Jalebi is made using two methods:

The traditional method, where all-purpose flour batter is fermented for 10-24 hours.
The instant method, where no fermentation is required.

Prep Time15 min
Cook Time15 min
Total Time30 min
Ready in30
Yield4 Plates
Serving Size125 gg
Energy225 cal

Cuisine
- Indian
Course
- Dessert
Cooking Method
- Frying

Ingredients

For Salad and Toppings

For Jalebi Batter:
- 1 cup all purpose flour/plain flour) (maida)
- 3/4 cup yogurt/curd (dahi)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Water 2 tablespoons or more if required
- A pinch of orange food color (optional)
For Sugar Syrup (Chashni):
- 2 cups sugar (shakkar/chini)
- 1 1/4 cups water (pani)
- A slice of lemon
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder (ilaichi powder)
- 12-15 saffron strands (kesar ki pattiyan)
For Frying:
- Oil (tel) or clarified butter (ghee)

Method

Make Jalebi Batter

In a large bowl mix together flour (maida), and yogurt.
Start whisking in one direction.
Use a wire whisk or use hands.

Keep whisking.
After about 5 minutes the mixture would start turning into a smooth and lump-free batter.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the batter if the batter seems a little thick.

Sugar syrup for Jalebi

Add sugar and water to a pan.

Stir well and let it boil over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved.
When it comes to boil, add a slice of lemon and boil for a few minutes.
Add saffron strands and boil until you get the sticky syrup.
To check sugar syrup consistency, pour a drop of syrup in a plate or bowl.
Allow it to cool for a few seconds.
Touch the syrup with the index finger and then touch thumb and index finger together and gently pull apart.
If the syrup is sticky then your syrup is ready.

Add cardamom powder and stir well.
Turn off the heat and keep aside.
Keep the warm syrup for jalebis, so keep it on very low heat while frying the jalebis.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if it gets thicker.

Fry Jalebi

Heat ghee or oil in a broad pan over high heat.
Once hot, turn the heat to medium.
Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small portion of the batter if it sizzles and comes up within seconds than the oil is ready.

Fill the squeeze bottle with the batter and pour spiral shapes or concentric circles in the hot oil.
Fry Jalebis over medium heat until crisp and golden from both the sides.
After frying, drain jalebis on a cooling rack and let them cool for a couple of minutes.
Add fried jalebis to warm sugar syrup and soak them for 1-2 minutes.
Remove jalebis from the syrup and place on a cooling rack or a tray lined with butter paper.

Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm with some rabri or warm milk.

NOTES:

Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to sugar syrup every time you are heating it up.
The syrup will maintain it’s sticky uniformity and won’t get thicker.
Ensure the oil is hot enough before you drop the batter.
To gauging the temperature for frying, simply drop a tiny piece of batter, If it sizzles and comes up without browning then the oil is perfect for frying jalebi.
Use a wooden spoon, if you see bubbles around the wood then the oil is ready. If it sinks in the bottom then the oil is too cold, your jalebi won’t turn crispy and they will absorb so much of oil/ghee.
If the batter turns brown and comes right away on the top, then the batter is too hot, you jalebi would darken very fast from outside.
Always fry jalebi on medium heat.
If jalebi has shrunk, then that means you over-fried your jalebi.
If jalebi turns flat, then it means that jalebis were fried on low heat or the batter was too thin.
If jalebi comes out thick & soft, then the reason is that the batter is too thick.

4 servings per container
Serving Size125 gg
Amount per serving
Calories225
% Daily Value*
Total Fat3.5 g4.49%
Saturated Fat2.1 g10.5%
Trans Fat0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat0 g
Monounsaturated Fat0 g
Cholesterol8.5 mg2.83%
Sodium4.7 mg0.2%
Total Carbohydrate29 g10.55%
Dietary Fiber0.4 g1.43%
Total Sugars19 g
Protein1.3 g2.6%
Calcium0.8 mg0.06%
Iron0.7 mg3.89%
Potassium81 mg1.72%
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)1.1 mg1.22%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.