Instant Jalebi Recipe

The crunch, the molten sweet, there is just something so irresistible about a hot jalebi isn't there? Living in Canada there are places where I can get really good jalebi, but they are neither close nor convenient. For a jalebi lover like me I wanted a quick fix that would hit the spot.

Want other Pakistani Dessert Recipe Ideas?

• There's the classic kulfi, but made more elegant!
• A Caramel Custard that's better than you remembered
• Caramel Crunch Ice Cream that is a great make ahead dessert!

What a great Jalebi should be

It's simple. A great jalebi should be

• Crunchy
• Sweet with a little tang

How is this Easy Instant Jalebi Recipe made?

This jalebi recipe has two simple components

1.) The Batter

• Flour
• Baking Powder & Soda - I use both to ensure it rises
• Plain yoghurt - for it's tang, body, and yeast like abilities
• Rice flour (preferred) or Cornstarch - for crunch
• Melted ghee - for a little flavour boost
• Cardamom Powder - for personality
• Orange food colouring - for colour

2.) The Sugar Syrup

• Sugar - a little obvious I know
• Water - needed 🙂
• Cardamom Pods - for flavour
• Saffron - for that extra something special
• lemon juice - to prevent crystallization, but it also adds a quintissential tang

Is this how Jalebi is traditionally made?

Short answer: No. The jalebi made in stores is a yeasted batter that is left to ferment and develop flavour. It is a more time consuming process and while it is absolutely delicious sometimes we just want a quick fix. This easy one does not disappoint.

What should I fry in my Jalebi in?

Traditionally jalebi is fried in ghee. While the flavour ghee gives is amazing, I rarely have deep frying amounts of ghee in the house. Ghee is (in my humble opinion) a bit of an expensive thing to purchase large quantities for frying.

Instead I opted to fry my Jalebis in oil and added a few tablespoons of ghee for flavour. It's a great balance of flavour (and fat if I do say so myself).

4 Tips for CRUNCHY Easy Jalebi

1.) Oil temperature - the oil needs to be hot, hot enough that if you drop a little batter into it, it will start to sizzle and make it's way up to the surface in about 15-20 seconds. If it darkens and rises too fast it is too hot and if it sort of stays at the bottom then it's not hot enough. You are looking for an oil-ghee mix that is so hot it shimmers.

2.) Rice flour - I used cornstarch and it works, but the batches I made with rice flour stayed crunchier longer. Rice flour is available at South Asian stores, but also in many mainstream grocery stores too.

3.) Sugar Syrup Temperature: this is KEY. I repeat, it is key. Make your sugar syrup before you start anything else because it needs time to cool. If your sugar syrup is too hot then even the briefest dunking in it will cause your beautifully crunchy jalebi to soften. If it is cold then it won't absorb in the jalebi. What you are looking for is a syrup that is a temperate warm to touch, not hot.

4.) Sugar syrup thickness: I tried making jalebis with three different thickness of sugar syrup and found that the jalebis dunked in thicker versions held up better than the ones dunked in a watery syrup. That is why unlike many recipe I opt to boil my sugar syrup for 5-6 minutes so when the last few drops fall off the spoon it is a slower consistency than water, but not a thick one like the ones used for gulab jamun.

Bonus Jalebi Tip: when frying make sure you maintain a few inches of oil/ghee in your pot otherwise as my wise SIL pointed out your Jalebi will get greasy.

Happy Jalebi Making my friends! Do tag me in your Easy Instant Jalebi Recipe recreations on Instagram @flourandspiceblog !