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It is almost impossible for us to wrap our heads around the fact that ‘jalebi’ is not an Indian dessert. The sweet, coil-like dessert is in fact, our desi spin to the West Asian treat Zolabiya or Zalabiya which still happens to be a popular festive delicacy during Ramazan. Jalebi is such a popular snack in India, that it is impossible to find a big Halwai shop that does not have a dedicated corner only to fry fresh and hot jalebis. It’s popularity also transcends boundaries, from North to South, East to West, you will find a variety of variants. One of the most fascinating variants we stumbled upon was the Mountain Dew Jalebi of Bangalore.
What Is Mountain Dew Jalebi?
What is the Mountain Dew Jalebi you ask? Well, most of us are aware of the popular soft drink Mountain Dew, the fizzy beverage is equally popular for its distinct, almost florescent green colour. Turns out, that the ‘Mountain Dew Jalebis’ are also of the same colour, but not a single drop of the beverage goes into making it.
Green Jalebi Made Without Any Food Colouring ? Yes, Please!
The local name of the popular street food is Avarebelle Jalebi. These jalebis are green in colour because of the addition of Hyacinth beans, also known as avarebelle in Karnataka. These beans are pureed and mixed with jalebi batter, gives that batter a lovely green colour. These beans have such a huge following, that there is also a local fare dedicated to it called the ‘Avarekai Mela’.
Coming to the taste of jalebi. The inclusion of beans does give this jalebi a certain earthy and wholesome taste. Since these jalebis are also dipped in sugar syrup, they are sweet like your regular jalebis (hence you need not be skeptical about its flavour at all).
So, the next time you make a visit to Bangalore, make sure you try your hand on these lovely jalebis.
