Jalebi (With Yeast)

In a small bowl, add of scant pinch of sugar and 2-3 tablespoon of warm(not hot) water, sprinkle active dry yeast, mix a little and let sit for 5-8 minutes. Let the yeast bloom (you should see froth on top). If the yeast does not bloom , discard and start the batch again.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, sift the maida, besan and cornstarch. Add the ghee and yogurt to the flour.

Add the bloomed yeast water mix, and slowly add luke warm water to make a smooth,lump free batter. Add the water a little at a time and incorporate.The consistency should be like a thick pancake batter.

Cover the bowl with a cling film and set aside in a warm place to ferment for 2-3 hours. (The batter will ferment quickly, about 1-2 hours during summer months but could take longer during winters) Do not disturb during fermenting.

In a medium, wide pot, bring the sugar and water to a boil.

Once the sugar syrup is boiling, reduce the heat, add the cardamom and let simmer for 6-7 minutes and let syrup thicken a bit. We are not looking for any string consistency here. If you take a tiny drop of syrup in between your thumb and index finger, it should feel sticky like honey and not watery.

When the sugar has simmered and thickened, add lemon juice, stir and switch off the heat. Wait for 2-3 minutes and then if you are using saffron or any other flavorings, add it to the sugar syrup. Let sit warm near to where you will fry up the jalebis.

The fermented batter will not exactly double up in volume but you would see that it is much more light and fluffy than what we started with.

Once fermented, do not mix the batter much. We want it to remain airy and fluffy. Just cut and fold once or twice using a spatula ( the way we handle cake batter) and pour it into a squeezable bottle. Tap a few times to make sure that there are no air bubbles.

Try to squeeze the batter out of the nozzle, it should come out like how tooth paste comes from a tube. If you feel that the batter is thick, add a little water for the right consistency or if the batter is thin, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and mix gently so that there are no lumps.

Use the widest pot or wok or pan that you have in your kitchen to fry the jalebis. I use a 12 inch or 14 inch skillet. Pour 1-2 inches of oil in it and let heat up on medium heat.

To test the right temperature of oil, drop a small quantity batter in the oil, it should come up sizzling to the top but without changing color (if batter changes color, reduce heat and let the oil temperature reduce a bit).

Squeeze the batter out of the nozzle, in a circular motion & applying constant pressure and make 3-4 concentric circles in the oil and sealing them in the middle. Work from inside towards outside. It takes time and experience to get proper shape and it gets better and better batch after batch.

Do not fry more than 6-7  jalebis in a batch. Once you have piped the jalebis in hot oil, in 2-3 seconds they will come floating up, flip and let turn golden on the other side too. Once golden brown, take out from the hot oil using tongs or slotted spoon, tilting the spoon so that excess oil is drained.

Add the fried jalebi to the warm (not hot) cardamom-infused syrup. Let soak for not more than 20-30 seconds and take out again tilting the ladle to drain excess syrup else they will break and turn soggy. Fry up all the  jalebis and soak in syrup. Serve hot jalebi rightaway!