Jalebi/ Kerala style Jelabis- Indian Sweet

Indian jalebis are festive and indulgent sweet. It is sweet, crispy, crunchy, and soaked in sugar syrup. Street carts serving warm jalebis are a common sight at fairs and festivals. Jalebis are fried batter piped into concentric circles directly into the hot oil. There is nothing better than warm crisp jalebis oozing with sugar syrup. It is irresistible, and they are sure to satisfy your craving!

South Indian and Kerala jalebis are delicious sweets that you can easily make at home. Kerala jelabis are made with simple urad dal batter and is similiar to Imarti/Jangiri. You can make them instantly as there is no resting and fermenting of the batter. Jalebis are a fun recipe to make at home. Use a squeeze bottle or a piping bag to create circular or flower shapes.

The north Indian Jalebi and south Indian Jangiri are made with wholly different ingredients. The North Indian jalebi is crispy and light made with maida and fermented overnight. The fermentation gives jalebis its characteristic mild sourness to balance the sweetness.

The Jangiri popular in south India and Kerala is made with ground Urad dal/ Black gram lentils paste. It can be made instantly and is crisp, and the fried lentil paste adds a unique flavor and taste. The batter needs to be aerated to attain light and crisp texture. You can use a wooden spoon or a hand mixture. The fluffier batter ensures perfect bakery-style jalebis at home.

Jalebi/ Kerala style Jelabis- Indian Sweet

Ingredients

For the batter
Urad dal- 1 cup
salt a pinch
Orange food color- a pinch (optional)
Corn starch- 3 tbs
oil for deep frying
(For a richer version use ghee or half of oil and ghee)

For the syrup
Sugar- 1 1/2 cup
water- 3/4 cup
Rose essence- 1 tsp
Cardamom powder- 1/2 tsp
Yellow/orange food color- a few drops
Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon
saffron- a few strands

Soak urad for 4 hours. Drain and grind this into a thick and smooth batter. Do not add more than 3-4 tbs of water for grinding ( batter should be like medhu vada consistency). You can add a few drops of food color at this stage and mix. The batter needs to be aerated to attain light and crisp texture. You can use a wooden spoon or a hand mixture. Add corn starch and mix well. To test if the batter is perfectly aerated, take a small portion of the batter and drop it into a bowl of water. If it floats, it means the batter is ready for frying.

In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer till it is nearly one thread consistency. Add saffron, food color, cardamom, lemon juice, and rose essence.
Heat oil in a pan (A wide and flat pan is best) till it is medium hot. Start making the jalebis immediately. Do not allow the batter to rest for long. Use a squeeze bottle or a piping bag or into a thick square piece of cloth with a small hole in the center. Gather the edges and make it like a pouch so that you can squeeze it easily into the hot oil.

Squeeze the batter into medium hot oil in a circular motion to form round patterns. Fry both sides for 2-3 minutes in medium hot oil, till jalebis are slightly crisp. Do not fry it too long because it will not absorb the syrup. Transfer the fried jalebis into the warm syrup and allow it to soak for 5-8 minutes. Enjoy!