Swahili Food Recipe: Quicker Way to Make Jalebis (Easy Jalebi Recipe)

Summer has arrived in Muscat, and I’m grateful to be privileged to sip my cup of tea and type while also gazing out at the sea.

I’m at a great beachside restaurant that I enjoy going to—now all I need is a dish of hot jalebis to complete the experience! Unfortunately, it is not on the restaurant’s menu.

What Does Jalebi Mean?

Did you know that the jalebis was originally called Zalabiya in Persia? The formula for zalabiya was contained in Muhammad bin H. Bhagdadi’s cookbook, ‘Kitab al-tabeek,’ published in the 13th century. When the dish made its way to India, zalabiyas were called ‘jalebis.’ And just like that, Jalebi meaning was derived.

For me, the most difficult aspect of jalebis is deciding when to pause and move away from them. I appreciate it when jalebis is crunchy on the outside and moist and sticky on the inside; the combination is hard to resist. I’d just made a new batch this early morning with the intention of having enough for the next day. When I touched my glass container, which had only been filled with newly produced jalebis some few hours before, it was completely empty. It would have been spotless with no evidence of jalebis if it hadn’t been for the droplets of syrup as well as saffron strands that some of my tiny jalebis thieves had left behind. Fortunately, creating another batch only takes around 30 minutes.

Take a look at how lovely they are. I adore how they gleam and beckon my name. So now that I need to cook the 2nd batch in one day, I’m looking for a spot to hide in the kitchen. Do you have any recommendations? Where precisely do you keep your treasured treats?

Jalebis have a delicate saffron syrup filling inside and are crunchy on the outside. It’s best eaten right away.

Time to Prepare: 10 minutes

15 minutes to Cook

Time spent: twenty-five minutes

Category– snacks.

Method: Simple

saffron-cardamom mixture

• One cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of water
• a tiny little bit of saffron
• Three pods cardamom

How to Make a Jalebi

Jalebi Ingredients

• 1 cup flour (all-purpose)
• gram flour, 1/4 cup
• One teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate)
• a quarter teaspoon of saffron food colouring
• One cup of liquid
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• One tablespoon of white vinegar
• Two to three cups of oil for jalebis frying
• garnish with pistachios (optional)

Jalebi Recipe Instructions

Preparing the sugar syrup

1.  Combine the sugar, saffron, water as well as cardamom pods in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2.  Bring the liquid to a boil.
3.  When the upper section of the syrup is covered in bubbles, turn off the heat and close the syrup.

Jalebis

1.  Combine the flour [all-purpose], gram flour, food colour and bicarbonate in a mixing dish. Combine thoroughly.
2.  Combine the water, vinegar and melted butter in a separate basin. Stir everything together thoroughly.
3.  Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ones to form a smooth batter.
4.  Spoon the batter into a piping bag.
5.  Pour the cooking oil into a heavy-bottomed pan. Warm the cooking oil until the desired temperature is reached. Dip a wooden stick in the oil to see whether it’s hot enough for the jalebis. When bubbles develop around the stick, it’s time to move on to the next step.
6.  Reduce the heat to moderately low and gently pipe the jalebis dough in a circular pattern into the very hot oil.

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