Subj : Jalebi, part 1 To : All From : Ben Collver Date : Wed Jul 09 2025 08:27:38 MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Jalebi (Indian Funnel Cakes) Categories: Desserts, Indian Yield: 20 Jalebis MMMMM---------------------------JALEBI-------------------------------- 1 c Maida (all-purpose flour) 1 1/2 tb Corn starch 1 1/2 tb Besan (fine ground gram - flour) 1 ts Yeast 1 1/2 tb Ghee or oil; melted 2 tb Whole milk plain yogurt; - room temperature - (optional) 1/8 ts Saffron powder 1 dr Orange food color; - up to 2 dr (optional) 1/4 c Water; up to 1/3 c, - lukewarm 2 tb Water; up to 3 tb, warm, - for dissolving yeast Vegetable oil; for frying 1 tb Ghee; up to 2 tb; (optional) MMMMM------------------------SUGAR SYRUP----------------------------- 1 1/2 c Granulated sugar 1 c Water 1 Green cardamom pods; - up to 2; cracked open -OR- 1/4 ts Green cardamom powder 1/4 ts Saffron threads 1 ts Fresh lemon juice MMMMM--------------------OPTIONAL FLAVORINGS------------------------- Rose water Kewra (screwpine water) In a small bowl, add of scant pinch of sugar and 2 to 3 tb of warm water, dissolve yeast and let sit for 5 to 8 minutes. Let the yeast bloom. You should see froth on top. If the yeast does not bloom, discard and start the batch again. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift the maida, besan, and corn starch. Add the saffron powder. Using your finger, lightly mix the ghee and yogurt with the flour. Add the bloomed yeast mix, orange food color, and slowly add luke warm water to make a smooth, lump-free batter. Be doubly sure that the batter has no lumps, it is a very important step. Add the water a little at a time and incorporate. The consistency should be like a thick pancake batter. Cover the bowl with a cling film and set aside in a warm place to ferment for 2 to 3 hours. The batter will ferment quickly, about 1 to 2 hours during summer months but could take longer during winters. Do not disturb it during fermenting. 10 to 15 minutes before you are ready to fry the jalebis, in a medium, wide pot, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Once the sugar syrup is boiling, reduce the heat, add the cardamom and let simmer for 7 to 8 minutes so that the syrup thickens up a bit. We are not looking for any string consistency here but if you take a tiny drop of syrup in between your thumb and pointer finger, it should feel sticky and not watery. Once the sugar has simmered and thickened, add lemon juice, stir and put off the heat. Wait for 2 to 3 minutes and then if you are using saffron or cardamom powder or any other flavorings, add it to the sugar syrup. Let sit near to where you will fry up the jalebis. Use the widest pot or wok or pan that you have in your kitchen to fry the jalebis. I use my 12" skillet. Pour 1 to 2" oil in it and let heat up on medium heat. At the end of 2 hours, the fermented batter will not exactly double up in volume but you would see that it is much more light and fluffy than what we started with. Once fermented, do not mix the batter much. We want it to remain airy and fluffy. Just cut and fold once or twice using a spatula, just the way we handle cake frosting, and pour it into a squeezable bottle with nozzle. Try to squeeze the batter out of the nozzle, it should come out like a tooth paste from a tube. See notes for other ways of checking batter consistency. If you feel that the batter is thick, add a little water for the right consistency or if the batter is thin add a 2 tb flour and mix gently so that there are no lumps. To test the right temperature of oil, drop a small quantity batter in the oil, it should come up sizzling to the top but without changing color. If batter changes color, reduce heat and let the oil temperature reduce a bit. Squeeze the batterout of the nozzle, applying constant pressure and making 3 to 4 concentric circles in the oil and sealing them in the middle. Work from outside towards inside. It takes time and experience to get proper shape and it gets better and better batch after batch. Do not fry more than 4 to 5 jalebis in a batch. Once you have piped the jalebis in hot oil, in 2 to 3 seconds they will come floating up, flip and let turn golden on the other side too. Once golden, take out of from the hot oil, tilting the spider or frying spoon so that excess oil is drained. continued in part 2 MMMMM .