We know you are already imagining perfectly shaped spirals getting deep-fried in a kadhai full of piping hot oil to be soaked in sugar syrup later, just to be devoured in seconds. Well, just know that you aren’t alone. Even we can’t wait to join you over a plate of piping hot, crispy and delicious Jalebis along with rabdi on the side. The love of us Indians with confectionery items isn’t a hidden secret anymore anyway.
With the onset of the first lockdown, a majority of young foodies like me donned on their aprons and imaginary chef hats and marched towards the kitchen to conquer the inner demons of fear of cooking. However, most of our fears came true when the cooking adventures went to ruins. After all, making seemingly 'simple' street foods isn’t as easy as savouring them. One of my failed cooking adventures was that of making Jalebis. Although I followed a recipe to the T, my Jalebis were just a blob of deep-fried batter and soggy. While some were undercooked, the others were burned to the point that the colour of the Jalebis was dark brown. I know that most of you are relating to these situations right now. Hence, to save yourself from any more Jalebi disasters, here are some easy tips and tricks you need to follow.
1. If your sugar syrup is cold and crystallized, add a tablespoon of water to it and reheat. Never soak your Jalebis in cold sugar syrup.
2. Make sure the flame is on medium-hot when you pour the batter into the pan. Reduce it to low in the last one minute to make the Jalebis crispy.
3. Always pour the Jalebis from the centre moving outside and not the other way around for perfectly shaped Jalebis.
4. Fermentation of the batter is one of the vital things to make Jalebis crispy. If you don’t have the time to ferment the batter, add one teaspoon of lemon juice to the batter.
5. Ensure that your batter has a flowing consistency. If it's thicker, bring it to a flowing consistency by adding a tablespoon of water.
We hope these tips will help you relish perfectly crispy Jalebis at home. Do follow the detailed recipe and let us know how your Jalebis turn out.