Jilapi (Jalebi) is a type of delicious Indian snack. It is made from fried batter in a spiral shape and soaked in sugar syrup. There are many types of jalebi like Afghan Jilapi, Persian jalebi etc. Also there are many ways to make this sweet dish such as Turkish Jalebi.
What is Jilapi?
Jilapi (Jalebi) is a sweet dish made with flour and sugar syrup just like Tulumba, which is popular in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. And the word Jalebi comes from Hindi/Urdu word “jalab” which means syrup or molasses.
The exact origin of this dessert is unknown but it’s believed to have been invented in 15th century Persia or present day Iran as an Indian Muslim delicacy which later spread across Central Asia to Turkey and other parts of Europe via traders travelling along Silk Road trade route between China and Europe.
Jilapi Origin
Jilapi is a traditional sweet from the Indian subcontinent. It is made from a batter of maida flour and water, which is then deep-fried. The result is a crunchy exterior with a soft interior. You can also read about chicken kathi roll, another delicious Indian food.
Jalebi originates from the Indian subcontinent and has been adopted by different cultures across Asia, where it has evolved into many different variations on the original recipe. In Pakistan, jilapi are called “jehlee”, while Afghani immigrants refer to them as “jeevayee”. In Turkey, they are known as çörek (from Persian شوره).
Types of Jilapi (Jalebi)
Indian Jilapi: Indian Jalebi is a popular Indian sweet dish made with all purpose flour (maida), yogurt, water and sugar. It is served hot and often eaten for breakfast or as a snack. Moreover the jilapi has its roots in the Middle East where it was known as zalabia or zalibiyeh; it has evolved into many different forms across South Asia including Pakistan and Bangladesh where they are known as jilabi.
Persian Jilapi: The Persian Jilapi or Zolbia is a sweet dish, popular in Iran and Afghanistan. It is made with flour, milk and water. The dough is deep fried and served with honey or syrup
Turkish Jilapi: Turkish Jilapi is also known as Turkish delight. It is made with a dough of flour, eggs and sugar, which is then deep-fried in hot oil. The result is a soft and chewy candy that can be served with milk or syrup and a cop of coffee made with the Turkish coffee pot.
Afghan Jilapi: So this type of jilapi has its origins in Persia where it was known as zalabiya or zulbia (zool-bee-yah), which means “honeyed” or “golden”. After the Islamic conquest of Persia (modern day Iran), this dessert spread throughout the Muslim world as jalebi or zalabia.
Jilapi Recipe
Jilapi is a popular Indian sweet snack that is made with fried batter. It is similar to funnel cake, but instead of being flavored with cinnamon and sugar, jilapi has saffron and cardamom added to it. (By the way is you are into saffron flavored sweets make sure you read about lussekatt and saffranspannkaka too). The batter is formed into long coils and deep-fried in oil until golden brown. The cooked jalebis are then soaked in sugar syrup before being served hot or cold (depending on your preference).
Jilapi can be eaten on its own or served with ice cream as a dessert combination known as Jilabi Sundae (or simply “Jilapi”). If you are planning to make these yourself at home then here is how:
Ingredients:
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cup hung curd
- 1/2 cup ghee
- 3 cup sugar
- 5 strand saffron
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered green cardamom
- 1/2 cup corn flour
- 1 1/2 pinch baking soda
- 2 cup sunflower oil
- 3 cup water
- 4 drops rose essence
- 1/2 teaspoon edible food color
Instruction:
Step 1:
For the straightforward Jilapi recipe, all-purpose flour, corn flour, and baking soda are combined. Ghee and food color should be mixed into the above mixture. To create a thick batter, hung curd and water should be combined. After thoroughly mixing, you should be able to achieve a thick but somewhat flowing consistency. Eight to ten hours of fermentation are required for the mixture. By taking this step, you can get a taste that is unlike any other. To make sugar syrup, heat water in a pan over medium heat. Mix in the sugar until it is completely dissolved. The syrup should be simmered until it is the consistency of one string. Include rose essence, cardamom powder, and saffron. To make the final sugar syrup, thoroughly stir. The jilapis will be soaked in this to get their characteristic sweetness.
Step 2:
Moreover for deep-frying, heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Make a small hole in the muslin cloth and place the jilapi batter inside. Making jalebis can even be done with a squeezy bottle—a type of ketchup bottle with a small nozzle on top. Simply squeeze the muslin cloth to form concentric circles at this point. Make perfect circles by moving from the inside to the outside. Fry the jilapis on both sides until they have a golden color and a crispy texture.
Step 3:
Next soak the jilapis in warm sugar syrup for three to four minutes. The jalebis will become limp if the sugar syrup is too hot, so make sure it is warm. If you want the jilapis to remain crisp, you should not soak them for too long. Now, transfer the jalebis to a tray lined with butter paper or foil after removing them from the syrup. Serve the jilapis hot, warm, or at room temperature with creamy Rabri, and optionally decorate with silver foil. Note: Add a small amount of ghee to the batter to give your jalebi that perfect aroma, which will make it even more delicious. Do not forget to ferment the batter overnight before making the crispy Jilapi.
Jilapi and Milk
Jilapi is a sweet dish that is popular in many parts of South Asia and is usually made from flour, sugar and ghee (a type of clarified butter).
It has many variations based on the ingredients used in its preparation. Therefore some people prefer to use milk instead of water while cooking the batter. This gives their jalebi a unique taste that cannot be replicated by any other recipe! Nontheless it makes a great experience deating Jilapi with tea or coffee specially if it is made with a Bialetti Brikka with is an Italian tradition moka pot.
Jilapi Ice Cream
First heat milk in a pan until it is hot but not boiling. And add sugar and stir until dissolved. Then let it cool down for 5-10 minutes and then add jilapi batter to this cooled down milk mixture slowly and continuously stirring so that no lumps form in your ice cream base. You will end up with a thick consistency which resembles that of custard!
We hope this recipe by Edge of the Globe’s Lifestyle was helpful enough. Do not forget to share your thoughts down in the comments.
