Jalebi | Homemade Jelabi

Gems Gems, June 20, 2016

Jalebi is also called as Zulbia. Jalebi is a popular dish in West Asia, North Africa and South Asia. This is made up of maida batter fried in Ghee or oil and sweetened in sugar syrup. Jelabi is one of the most found and widely used street food in North India. You can find at least one Jelabiwala in every crowded  street corner. Jelabi is best savored with curd or rabri in North India. If you have ever been to Northern India, never miss having the Jelabi.

The word jalebi is a derived from the  Arabic word  zulabiya or can be from the  Persian word zalibiya, the name for a similar dish. In  Iran this is traditionally be given during Ramadan. Jelabi is believed to be brought to India by Persian invaders in the fifteenth century. Jelabi is known in different names in different countries.  In Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq it is known as “zalabia” or “zalabiya”, in Maldives it is “zilēbi”., “jeri” in Nepal and zlebia or zlabia in Tunisia, Libya  and Algeria.

Jelabi has an english cousin in USA known as funnel cake which is an American dish

Cooking Time: 2 Hrs

Serving Size of  Jalebi  Recipe : 4 persons

Ingredients for Jalebi

1. Flour/Maida          -1cup
2. Curd / Yogurt         – ½ cup
3. Sugar       – 3cups
4. Baking soda – pinch
5. Saffron         – few
6. Oil/Ghee     -for deep frying

Directions to prepare Jalebi

1. Mix  maida, yogurt and baking soda with enough  water to make it in to a smooth pouring consistency (should be similar to heavy Lassi) batter
2. Let the flour  ferment for next 20 to 24 hours, so keep it covered.
3. Once fermented, mix the batter with a blender or hand for another 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Prepare sugar syrup by 2 cups of water in sugar and keep it in low flame and stir it continuously.
5. Add saffron in between and keep stiring till the syrup is viscous enough to  form a string when you pour from a spoon.
6. Take shallow pan and pour Ghee/ oil for frying.
7. Put the batter in a Jelabi cloth with a thin slit  so that on squeezing the you should get a thing line of dough coming out of slit.
8. Squeeze the dough in the shape  of Jelabi circles in to the hot oil from the Jelabi cloth.
9. Fry till the Jelabies are golden crispy by turning Jelabies gently few times so that both sides are fried properly.
10. Once fried properly, dip Jelabies in the sugar syrup for 2 to 3 minutes
11. Drain and soak in sugar syrup for 2 – 3 mins
12. Take them out of the syrup and serve hot.

Note

1. In different places different ingredient are added in the Sugar syrup for flavor.  Lime juice and or Rose water  can be added for flavor in the sugar syrup as per your wish.
2. Saffron in sugar syrup gives the color to the Jelabi
3. Food Color can be added in the syrup to get the Jelabi  the color which is not an healthy option.
4. Instead of jalebi cloth you  can use empty sqeezey Tomato Ketchup pack or use a coconut shell with small hole in it.

You might also be interested in other Diwali Sweet recipes

Ravva Laddu

Semiya Payasam

Ragi Laddu

Ravva Kesari

Bundi Laddu

 

 

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