03. WHEAT FLOUR JALEBI (INDIAN WHEAT FUNNEL CAKE)

 Hello :)

The end of the weekday calls for a dessert to celebrate the beginning of the weekend. At times, eating fried sweet foods can be very calming and our bodies can be very forgiving. But of course, keep a limit to the amount and make exercise a part of your routine sometimes, if not daily.

The dessert I am making here is Jalebi. Jalebis can be counted to be one among the quintessential Indian street sweet foods. Everyone likes them. Never heard of anyone hating jalebis. They are often eaten hot along with rabdi (sweet condensed milk).

Jalebi is mostly made from maida (all purpose flour), but as a healthier alternative I am going to make it with wheat flour (Atta). Also I have not used any food colouring instead I have chosen turmeric for the yellow colour. Because of this the jalebi here will not look like the ones we by from shops/restaurants. Nevertheless, they taste great and are healthier. So that's definitely a win.

Let us look at the ingredients and the method.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Jalebi

01. Wheat flour (2 cups)

02. Besan/Gram flour (quarter cup)

03. Curd (quarter cup)

04. Cornstarch (2 tbsp.)

05. Baking powder (2 tsp.)

06. Cardamom powder (2 tsp.)

07. Turmeric powder (1 tbsp.)

08. Lukewarm water (1 cup/ according to the thick consistency we are looking for)

09. Ghee (1 cup)

For the sugar syrup/Chaashni

01. Sugar (1 cup)

02. Water (half a cup)

03. Cardamom powder (1 tsp.)

04. Lemon juice (1tsp.)

METHOD:

Jalebi Batter Preparation

01. Take a bowl and add the wheat flour, besan, cornstarch, cardamom powder and turmeric powder.

02. Add the curd and lukewarm water. While adding the water keep a check on the consistency. The consistency we want is thick, like buttercream.

03. Add the baking soda and let it ferment for 6 hours. The fermentation step can be skipped if required.

Sugar syrup/ Chaashni for the jalebis to be dipped in

01. Combine the sugar, water and cardamom powder on a pan. Heat it for 15 minutes or as long as you start seeing the liquid become thick.

02. Then add the lemon juice. This syrup should not be allowed to cooled down because we need to  maintain a moderate amount of heat in order for the  fried jalebis to be dipped in. This helps the jalebis in sucking in the syrup.

Frying jalebis

01.  Take the ghee in a pan and heat it well. Say for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then bring it to low flame.

02.  Take the batter in a piping bag and start pouring it onto the pan in a zigzag manner while trying to maintain an outer circular shape.

03. Fry on each sides for around 5 min. Look for very slight brown colour.

04. Take it out of the pan, cool it off for 5 min and dip it in sugar syrup on both sides. 

 

05. The jalebis are ready to eat immediately or after cooling. 

    

Here's hoping you enjoy the recipe:)

Happy weekend to everyone!

Best
Sarika