Learn how to make Halwai style Jalebi at home – Instant Jalebi is perfect for DIwali or whenever you need to have a festive sweet!
Genesis of this Homemade Jalebi
Somewhere on top of my to-do list was Jalebi . Having tasted it at many North Indian weddings / functions, I am amazed how similar yet different it is from its South Indian cousin Jaangri. They look similar yet are taste and ingredient-wise miles apart. Given my reluctance to deep fry , this was one of the few dishes that were deep fried (trust me, I even looked up google to see if someone had “baked or pan fried” these !! Lol )
I was quite taken in by chef Vaman’s video of almost instant jalebi without any commercial additives like Rankat / hydro yet tasting like the halwaai/ sweet meat shop’s owner’s secret recipe 🙂
Another quick to make Indian Sweet for Diwali would be this delish and almost Instant Cornflakes Rabri
History of how Jalebi was adopted into Indian Cuisine..
According to this link, For a long time, Indians have been going ga over this unrivaled dish. Thus, it will come as a shock to numerous to know that the beginning of jalebi isn’t Indian in any way. As a matter of fact, the country’s cherished recipe is maybe an import from its Center Eastern partner Zalabiya or the Persian Zulbiya! The most established notice of Zulbiya traces all the way back to the mid tenth 100 years.
An old Persian cookbook ‘Kitab al-Tabeekh’ by Muhammad receptacle Hasan al-Baghdadi makes reference to the recipe of the dish, portraying it as the sweet customarily circulated among the majority during Ramadan and different merriments. The dish likewise tracks down notice in another tenth century Arabic cookbook by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq.
What to serve with Jalebi
And what’s more , I quickly made Indori poha for our evening snack and the jalebi- poha combo took me right back to indore / Bhopal days where this street food is relished almost everyday like our idli / dosa ! Jalebi is also enjoyed with Ice Cream or samosa or Rabri (reduced, sweetened milk) with tea time.
The texture was bang on however the shapes gave up on me, as I was using a squeezee bottle. I will work on the shapes next time , till then do check out this recipe and the secret ingredient that gives it fluffiness yet makes it crispy.
Notes – I was very sceptical so tried with a very small Quantity n ended up with exactly 8 jalebis. You could easily double or triple this recipe .
Other Quick Sweets / Mithai you can make for Diwali or any other festival:
Prep time – 15 Mins , cook time – 30 Mins ; makes -8 medium sized jalebis
Ingredients to make Instant Jalebi
Sugar syrup-
- 1/4 cup water
- 2/3 cup sugar
- Pinch of Kesari essence / orange food colour
- Pinch of saffron
- 1/2 tsp of lemon juice
Jalebi –
- Maida / all purpose flour – 2/3 cup
- Urad dal flour – ground fine and sieved throughly – 2 tbsp (this is our secret ingredient so don’t skip it !)
- Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
- Ghee – 2 tsp
- Oil – to deep fry
Tips to make crispy and juicy Jalebis:
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature before making the batter
- The batter has to be a thickish dropping consistency. Too thick and it wont be crispy, too thin and the jalebis will break while frying
- Ensure the oil is at medium, not high or low. The jalebis are fried through when the oil stops sizzling
- You can use readymade Urad flour too. But if making at home, be sure to grind it really fine, sieve it and then use
- Food colour is optional, but that’s what gives the Jalebi the characteristic orange / saffron hue. So use organic food gel
- Make sure the Sugar syrup is warm when the Jalebis are dropped into them. Once they are soaked (3-4 mins), make sure to drain them on a wire rack so the extra syrup drips off. Else the Jalebis get very soggy.
PIN FOR LATER
How to make Instant Jalebi
- Make a 1 string consistency syrup with the sugar n water. Ensure the sugar stays warm , add a pinch of lemon juice to prevent crystallisation. Keep aside
- Mix maida, urad dal flours wel. Add ghee and rub into the flour mixture till It resembles breadcrumbs / shortcrust pastry.
- Now add the soda and little water (about 1/2 cup in 2 tbsp batches) and best wel till you get a thick yet dropping batter .
- Mix well further to get a idli batter kind of consistency but don’t add too much water (it’s the key here else you can’t squeeze the jalebis)
- Pour this batter into the bottle or a piping bag . Squeeze into moderately hot oil in medium flame, into spiral shapes. Let it fry to light golden brown
- On both sides ( as flat frying pan works best here !)
- Immediately dip the hot jalebis into the warm syrup. Let it soak for a good 2-3 Mins. Remove to a wire rack so the excess syrup can drip to a clean plate below.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Can be also served with vanilla ice cream or Rabdi 🙂 we *LOVED* it warm with a bowl of Indori poha on the side !
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Jalebi | How to make Instant Jalebi
Equipment
- Bowl
- Whisk
- Deep Fry Pan
- Squeezy Bottle
Ingredients
Jalebi:
- 2/3 cup All purpose flour Maida
- 2 TBSP Urad dal flour ground fine and sieved throughly – this is our secret ingredient so don’t skip!
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
- 2 tsp Ghee
- 1/2 cup Oil to deep fry
Sugar Syrup:
- 1/4 cup water
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 pinch orange food colour use organic food colour
- 1 Pinch Saffron Strands
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Make a 1 string consistency syrup with the sugar n water. Ensure the sugar stays warm , add a pinch of lemon juice to prevent crystallisation. Keep aside
- Mix maida, urad dal flours well. Add ghee and rub into the flour mixture till It resembles breadcrumbs / shortcrust pastry.
- Now add the soda and little water (about 1/2 cup in 2 tbsp batches) and best well till you get a thick yet dropping batter .
- Mix well further to get a idli batter kind of consistency but don’t add too much water (it’s the key here else you can’t squeeze the jalebis)
- Pour this batter into the bottle or a piping bag . Squeeze into moderately hot oil in medium flame, into spiral shapes. Let it fry to light golden brown
- On both sides ( as flat frying pan works best here !)
- Immediately dip the hot jalebis into the warm syrup. Let it soak for a good 2-3 Mins.
- Remove to a wire rack so the excess syrup can drip to a clean plate below.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Can be also served with vanilla ice cream or Rabdi 🙂 we *LOVED* it warm with a bowl of Indori poha on the side !
Notes
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature before making the batter
- The batter has to be a thickish dropping consistency. Too thick and it wont be crispy, too thin and the jalebis will break while frying
- Ensure the oil is at medium, not high or low. The jalebis are fried through when the oil stops sizzling
- You can use readymade Urad flour too. But if making at home, be sure to grind it really fine, sieve it and then use
- Food colour is optional, but that’s what gives the Jalebi the characteristic orange / saffron hue. So use organic food gel
- Make sure the Sugar syrup is warm when the Jalebis are dropped into them. Once they are soaked (3-4 mins), make sure to drain them on a wire rack so the extra syrup drips off. Else the Jalebis get very soggy.
Jalebi looks absolutely incredible, succulent and one of my favourite sweet. I can enjoy some rite now without any fuss..
Jalebi making is an art in itself..you may not have got the right shape, but the jalebi's look very juicy and that's what really matters. The combo of poha jalebi is classic !!
This was on my list too for J , but I finally posted something else.
Beautifully made jalebi. This is one juicy and yummy looking jelabi. Pairs well with poha, chaach. Me coming over.
Thanks Archana. Do come over 🙂
The jalebis looks juicy and with the poha it is a heavely combo! Must try this instant version Kalyani.
Love this type of instant jalebi and it looks so juicy and delicious !!! Never tried instant version of jelabi, sounds simple, will give a try !!! Guess that the addition of urad dal gives the soft and juicy jelabi!!!
I heard about this combo and I have friends who say that the combo is awesome. And here you are posting the combo. Awesome. Regarding the shapes for jilebi my viewpoint is that the taste matters not the shape 🙂
That is a wonderful combination of jalebi and poha. The jalebis have turned out awesome Kalyani. And love this instant version. Looks so much easier than the traditional method.
Omg jelabi looks so juicy and luscious , Poha and jalebi are best breakfast combo , you made it so much perfection kalyani.. simply superb !!your jelabi looks perfect to me ,the bang on taste and texture is what makes it look alluring !! Very Interesting method it sounds lot like Imarti !!
Crispy, juicy and delicious looking jalebi. I always have trouble making round jalebi too, but who cares as long as they are hot and yummy!!
Im still hesitant to try jelabi ,let me see if i again some confidence after seeing yours. Nicely done..
I second sharmila. Always, have that hesitant. Hopefully this instant version will help me remove that. Thanks for sharing this Kalyani.
I have been wanting to make this combo for a while now and since I have so many versions of Jalebi on the blog already, still hesitant to do..your plate looks so sinful and inviting!
A wonderful combination, poha and jalebi. I love hot jalebis. I've yet to make it at home. This instant jalebi recipe might just be the right one.
Jalebi is my all time favourite and my family loves crispy deep fried ones. The instant version is perfect for those sudden cravings.
An awesome combination poha and jalebi!! Totally drooling Kalyani! For me
Too the shapes will be like this!! ???? but what matters is the taste! I bet they taste amazing!
Jalebi is one thing that everyone in my house loves and I have not yet made it. Love your recipe and it seems very doable. Did you use store bought urad dal flour or did you grind your own?
Sandhya – I used home-made Urad dal flour
Bookmarked Kalyani. Going by your review, this jalebi must be worth trying.
My daughter who doesn't touch sweets other than Mysorepak literally started pleading at shop and made me buy an instant pack of jalebi mix because it came with a squeeze bottle and she wanted to try it. 🙂 I will involve her in trying it out your recipe.
Jalebi looks so inviting and crisp.. lovely combo with poha.
Yummy, the clicks of jalebi remind me of the very Gujju combo, ganthia (fafda) and jalebi. Wish I could have some right away. I’ve yet to try making jalebi at home.
thanks Mayuri. Fafda and jalebi also remind me of Dusherra in Mumbai.
These jalebis surely look so crispy and juicy. Instant method is less bothersome too. I will have to try it out. As you mentioned urad dal flour must not be skipped, will order at once and make jalebis. The tips are informative.
Thanks Neha. Do try. It sure is a crowd pleaser
Love jalebi, didn’t know the addition of urad dal. Will have to try this version. Jalebi is my next blog post too as it is must have on Diwali.
Isn’t it? Jalebi is a hit with kids and adults alike.
Beautifully made jalebis. It’s been on my list to do, now I can follow your instant recipe.
sounds like a plan, Jayashree. Do try
I always thought Jalebi’s making was very tedious and never tried. After seeing you instant Jalebi it gives me confidence to try. Perfectly shaped Jalebi’s
thanks Narmadha. do try.