Jalebi, also known as jilapi, jilebi, jilipi, zulbia, jerry, mushabak, and zalabia, is a popular sweet snack. It is made by deep-frying maida flour batter in pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup. This dessert can be served warm or cold.
How To Make Jalebi ?
Ingredients
For Sugar Syrup
- 1 Cup Sugar
- ¾ Cup Water
- ½ lemon juice
- ½ tsp Saffron Strands
For Khameer Jalebi
- 1 Cup Refined Flour
- ½ tsp yeast
- 2 tsp gram flour
- ½ cup water
For Instant Jalebi
- 1 Cup Refined Flour
- ¼ Cup Yogurt
- 1 tsp Vinegar
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
Other Ingredients
- Ghee or Oil, for deep frying
Process
For Sugar Syrup
- Add sugar and water in a pot, heat on medium flame.
- When the sugar melts, add lemon juice and keep stirring till one string consistency is achieved.
- Now add in saffron and mix well. Turn off the flame and set aside till in use.
For Khameer Jalebi
- Mix refined flour, yeast, gram flour & water in a bowl. Set aside for 6-7 hours to ferment.
- Once the batter ferments, beat it once again and mix.
- While mixing the ingredients, the batter will remain thicker than the usual batters as the starch will break down while fermenting and the batter will get thin.
For Instant Jalebi
- In a mixing bowl combine refined flour, baking powder, vinegar, yogurt and mix well. Set aside for 5-7 minutes.
- Add ½ cup water and whisk till there are no lumps.
- Now whisk for 2 mins so the air incorporates.
For Making Jalebis
- Fill the prepared batter in piping bag or ketchup bottle.
- Heat oil for deep frying in a wide mouth pan.
- Form round whirls working closely from outside to the centre.
- Fry the jalebis till golden in colour. Remove the jalebi and immediately steep in prepared sugar syrup.
- Soak the jalebis for 3-4mins. Remove and arrange on a plate.
- Repeat till all the batter is used up. Serve hot.
Type Of Jalebi
Paneer Jalebi
Made out of cottage cheese, this variant of Jalebi must be consumed within 24 hours, else it goes bad. It is also known as Chanar Jalebi, it is particularly found in West Bengal. Its ingredients include full cream milk, lemon juice, all-purpose flour and it is browner than its North Indian version.
Jaleba
Basically, it is thick and king size Jalebi, and hence the name Jaleba. One piece of it weighs 250 grams or more. Some of it can be prepared up to 500 grams as well! Mostly, it is fried in desi ghee and is a very popular dessert in North India.The jaleba of Gohana in Haryana is famous in particular.
Rabdi Jalebi
Evem though it is Jalebi served with Rabri, still Rabdi Jalebi deserves a separate mention. It is well sought after sweet dish and is garnished with saffron, almonds and pistachios. It is often served as a dessert in North Indian weddings.
Khoya Jalebi
It is a famous sweet dish of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh and is prepared using a batter of khoya, maida and milk. It tastes best when it is topped with cold milk or malai.
Urad ki Jalebi
Instead of using maida, it uses fermented urad dal and has a slightly sour after taste that makes it special. It is commonly prepared in parts of Bihar and Eastern UP.
What Is The Origin
Jilpi also known as “Zulbia“, is a sweet that sees a lot of love across countries in South Asia and West Asia. It is particularly popular in the Indian subcontinent where each state has its own variation. Even the names vary by region – jilapi in Bengal, jeri in Nepal, etc.
The Indian word jalebi is derived from the Arabic word zulabiya or the Persian zolbiya, another name for luqmat al qadi. This recipe was brought to Medieval India by Persian-speaking Turkic people in 15th century India, jalebi was known as Kundalika or Jalavallika. Priyamkarnrpakatha, a work by the Jain author Jinasura, composed around 1450 CE, mentions jalebi in the context of a dinner held by a rich merchant.
Gunyagunabodhini, another Sanskrit work dating before 1600 CE, lists the ingredients and recipe of the dish; these are identical to the ones used to prepare the modern jalebi. The western Asian dish of Zalabia used a different batter and a syrup of honey and rose water, It was in India that the Indian jalebi got its distinct form – crispness, color, and sticky sweetness.
For ages, Indians have been going ga-ga over this unparalleled dish. So, it will come as a shock to many to know that the origin of jalebi is not Indian at all. In fact, the nation’s beloved recipe is perhaps an import from its Middle-Eastern counterpart Zalabiya or the Persian Zulbiya.
history
According to Hobson-Jobson, the Indian word jilapi is derived from the Persian zolbiya, another name for luqmat al qadi. This recipe was brought to Medieval India by Persian-speaking Turkic invaders such as Mughals. In 15th century India, jilapi was known as Kundalika or Jalavallika.
