Indian sweets are a delightful reflection of the country’s rich culinary heritage, offering a variety of flavors, textures, and traditions. Among these, Jalebi stands out as a favorite across regions. Exploring Indian Sweets like Jalebi reveals its two popular types.

Table of Contents

Jilebi – Type 1

Extraordinarily tasty and simple. A tea-time treats. The recipe makes ten 4” jilebis.

Ingredients

For the batter:

Wheat flour – 1 cup
Water (at room temperature) – 1 tbsp
Yogurt – 1 cup
Ricebran/ Refined oil – 1 cup, to deep-fry
Salt – A pinch

For the sugar syrup:

Sugar – 1½ cups
Rosewater – 1 tablespoon
Water – 1½ cup

Method

First, place the sugar and water and create a two-string syrup, adding rosewater. Keep this over low flame. Keep a ladle for the syrup.
In a bowl, combine the wheat flour, yogurt, water and salt into a runny batter. Stir in the yellow and orange-red food colours.
Snip the corner end off a strong plastic case and spoon the contents inside.
On a flat pan of heated oil, etch two small circles clockwise and continue sketching ‘petals’ to form a flower. It should come in a single flow/ stroke.
Draw these flowers all around.
Over medium flame, fry the jilebis until just firm and use a perforated ladle to drop this into the two-string syrup. Use the syrup ladle to turn both sides and place on a platter.
After 10 minutes, place on a serving dish.
Serve warm, immediately.

For instant jilebis, slightly sour yogurt may be used.

Jilebis – Type 2

A much sought-after sweet in South India, a regal part of the paraphernalia of weddings and festivals, Juicy and melt-in-the-mouth. The recipe makes 10 sweet jilebis. In parts of Malabar, there are the sweet and sour sunshine-yellow Jangris. In other parts these are tied to the red, auspicious part of weddings calling for traditional sweetmeats.

Ingredients

Refined flour – 1 cup
Yogurt – 3 tablespoon
Soda bi-carbonate – ¼ teaspoon
Orange-red food colour – ¼ teaspoon
Fine rice powder – 1 tablespoon

For the Sugar Syrup:

Sugar – 200 gms
Rosewater – 1 tablespoon
Water – ½ cup

Method

In a bowl, mix flour, rice-flour, soda bi-carb, yogurt, orange food colour with quarter cup water. Whisk until blended.
Keep covered for 8-10 hours.
In a wok, keep the sugar and water. Stir and let the sugar melt. Bring to a boil. Once it bubbles, let boil over high heat, for 8 minutes. This is when the syrup reaches one thread stage.
Keep the heat on low and add rosewater. Switch off the flame but leave on the burner to retain the warmth of the syrup.
Now, in a rimmed non-stick flat pan, heat refined oil.
Take a clean, thick, empty plastic cover. Snip off the open end.
Spoon the batter into an inner corner. Push towards the edge. Enclose with a rubber-band. Your piping bag is ready.
Gently press the batter towards the tip. Now, snip off the end of the piping bag, depending on how thick you want the Jilebi strings to be.
The heat should be medium, neither too high nor too low. Once the oil has started to bubble on maximum heat, lower the flame to medium.
Now, holding the piping bag in your hand, draw three increasing circles, anti-clockwise. Now, continue to etch oblong petals.
Once a full flower has been piped in a single continuous stream, remove the bag. You can pipe 3-4 jilebi circles in the surface of the pan.
Over medium-low heat, deepfry until the jilebi is firm and flip over. Once both sides are firm and cooked, drop into the syrup.
After coating both sides, place on a plate.
After 7 minutes, the syrup will crystallize.
Jilebis are ready.
Serve warm with a cup of hot or cold beverage.