Diwali special: Jalebi with khajoor or dates rabdi
A classic dessert that works very well for all festive moments
| PREP TIME | 12 h |
|---|---|
| COOK TIME | 03h |
| SERVES | 5 to 6 |
For Jalebi batter
500 gms refined flour
125 gms curd
0.5 gms saffron
200 ml water
For sugar syrup
750 gms sugar
300 ml water
5 ml lime juice
0.5 gms saffron
Khajoor Rabdi
1 l milk
100 gms dates
25 gms sugar
For Frying
300 ml oil
200 ml ghee
1. In a bowl add saffron and 200 millilitre hot water. Allow it to sit for a while so that the colour and flavours are released, for about 30 minutes
2. Take a bowl add all purpose flour, curd and mix it well. And add this batter to the saffron mix (after it turns lukewarm). Allow the batter to ferment for about 12 to 24 hours at room temperature. If the room temperature is below 20C, the batter would need to ferment for 24 hours. Some people skip the fermentation process by squeeing in lime juice. But the traditional way to ferment the batter is better.
For the sugar syrup
3. Add sugar in a pot, pour water and boil the syrup until it reaches a one-string consistency. To test, take a little syrup inbetween your thumb and forefinger. Move the fingers apart gently, and you will see a single string like consistency. Add lime juice and saffron to it. Lime juice helps sugar to not solidify.
For Rabdi
4. Boil milk in a pot to reduce it to half. Keep stirring at regular intervals to avoid the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once it reduces to half, (could take about 2 to 3 hours) add sugar, chopped dates and cook for two minutes. Turn off the flame.
To make the jalebis
5. Pour the batter in a squeeze bottle, you use an oil dispenser or also make a piping bag using a zip lock bag. You can also use a muslin cloth to make the cone and pierce a hole to let make concentric circles.
6. Pour ghee in a pan and heat it. On a medium high heat, start making concentric circles, moving from inside to outside.
7. Fry the jalebis till they are golden and crisp. If you want the jalebis to be more crispy, leave it on for 1 minute in the ghee on a low flame.
8. Using a skewer, gently pick the jalebis and dip them in the sugar syrup. You can also use a frying ladle to scoop them out. Dip the jalebis for 2 to 3 minutes till the sugar is absorbed well. In case the sugar has solidified, add a little warm water and heat it up.
Remove it on a serving plate and serve warm with rabdi. The traditional way of eating jalebi with rabdi is by dipping it in with every bite. However, feel free to pour rabdi over the warm jalebis and enjoy.