It's time for some yummy Jalebis

Prep time: 10-15 minutes (excluding fermentation time)

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 6-8 people

Batter Ingredients:

Sour curd 100 GRAMS

Water 80 ML

Refined Flour 500 GRAMS 

Water 325-350 ML 

Water 8 TBSP

Method:

Take a deep pot & add the sour curd & 1/3rd cup of water. Whisk well and then add the refined flour into the vessel & combine well. Once combined, add the remaining water and whisk continuously to avoid making lumps in the batter.

The amount of water may vary by 10-15 ml. Once you have a semi-smooth batter, wipe the edges of the pot then splash water on the surface of the batter & smoothen it out completely. Now cover the pot with a lid & keep it in a warm place to ferment for about 12-15 hours during winters and 8-9 hours in summers. The batter will fluff up slightly once fermented and also develop a few bubbles on the surface.

Now using water about 8 tablespoons adjust the consistency of the batter. The batter should become completely smooth & lacy, the consistency of it should be semi thick, if the batter is too thick then your jalebis will turn out soft & soggy, if your batter is too thin then you won’t be able to shape them properly & they will turn out to be completely flat.

Once your batter is ready, pour it into a piping bag or a squeezy bottle.

Sugar Syrup Ingredients:

Sugar 1 KG

Water 450 ML

Saffron A few strands

Organic food color 1/2 TSP 

Lemon juice 1/2 TSP

Method:

Add the sugar & water into pan on high flame & cook until all the sugar melts. Once the sugar melts add the remaining ingredients & cook the sugar syrup until it reaches almost one string consistency.

To check the consistency, dip a spatula or a spoon in the sugar syrup then remove it out & let it cool down slightly, then take some of the syrup on your index finger & pinch it using your thumb, when you pull your thumb away a string of the sugar should form & then break immediately.

Switch off the flame once your sugar syrup is ready, make sure you keep the sugar syrup warm when you dip fried jalebis in it. 

Frying Ingredients:

Oil As required.

Method:

Pour oil into a flat-bottomed deep pan. Heat the oil to 160C or until it gets moderately hot.

Once the oil is hot, cut a 1mm hole in the piping bag. To shape the jalebis, move your hand in 2.5 circles & then moving on to shape the next jalebi in the same way, make jalebis according to the surface area of the pan, you can even change the number of circles as per your preference.

Once you have shaped the jalebis in oil, fry them until they turn light golden brown from both sides over medium flame.

Once fried, remove the jalebis from the oil & immediately dip them into the warm sugar syrup, keep them submerged in the sugar syrup for 30 seconds then transfer them into a sieve so that all the excess sugar syrup drips off.

Your perfectly fried crispy jalebis are ready, garnish them with chopped pistachios before serving.