Amritsari Jalebi
Thick, immediate-consumption jalebis made to an Amritsari specification — a fermented maida-yogurt batter piped in wide, tight spirals into hot ghee and fried until crisp and blistered, then plunged briefly into light sugar syrup and served immediately while still warm. Distinguished from the thin, uniform Delhi jalebi by its irregular thickness, its ghee-frying (rather than oil), and its characteristically crunchy, slightly chewy, syrup-soaked texture. Amritsar's most beloved street sweet; eaten for breakfast with rabdi (thickened milk), or as an evening snack from the legendary old-city fryers who have maintained the same batter culture for generations.
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Recipe
Ingredients
| 1 cup | all-purpose flour |
| 2 tablespoons | gram flour (besan) |
| 1 teaspoon | baking powder |
| 1/2 teaspoon | baking soda |
| 1 cup | plain yogurt |
| 1 tablespoon | ghee |
| 1 cup | sugar |
| 1/2 cup | water |
| 1/4 teaspoon | saffron strands |
| 1/4 teaspoon | cardamom powder |
| — | oil for frying |
Instructions
- 1 In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour, gram flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- 2 Add yogurt and ghee to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
- 3 Cover the batter and let it ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight.
- 4 To make the sugar syrup, combine sugar and water in a pan and bring to a boil.
- 5 Add saffron strands and cardamom powder to the syrup and simmer until it reaches a one-string consistency.
- 6 Heat oil in a pan for frying.
- 7 Pour the fermented batter into a piping bag or squeeze bottle with a small nozzle.
- 8 Squeeze the batter into the hot oil in a spiral shape to form jalebis.
- 9 Fry until golden and crisp, then remove and immediately dip in the warm sugar syrup.
- 10 Allow the jalebis to soak in the syrup for a minute, then remove and serve hot.
Tips
For best results, ensure the batter is fermented well and the syrup is warm when dipping the jalebis.