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Title: Jalebi (Indian Funnel Cakes) PT 2
Categories: Desserts, Indian
Yield: 20 Jalebis

See part 1

Add the fried jalebis to the warm syrup. Let soak for not more than
25 to 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 warm with cold
unsweetened yogurt.

Notes:

Indian Cooking especially mithai (sweets) making rides on a lot of
approximations and tips and tricks learnt through experience. In our
homes, rarely gadgets are used to test the oil or sugar syrup
temperatures or times. Lets say we trust our sight and smell senses
more when cooking. Mithai making is an art and gets better with
practice. Here are few of the things I have learnt from mum and my
own trials.

Addition of lemon juice to the syrup prevents crystallization of
sugar as well as lends it a mild tart flavor which is typical to
jalebis.

Adding food coloring to the batter is a choice, if you do not want,
skip it.

I like to add color because my mum always does and I think it looks
nice to the eyes.

Usually the batter gets a little runny after fermentation, so it's
better to keep it on the thickish side before you set it out to
ferment.

You can always add water later to get the right consistency.

One of the ways to check the consistency of batter is to take a large
quantity in your hands and try to drop it in the bowl from a height,
about 1 to 2' it should fall is continuously, similar to how a lace
or ribbon flows.

You could use a Ziploc bag with a hole cut up at the end to make the
jalebis, but I find using the squeeze bottle much easier since if you
keep on pressing the Ziploc bag, after a few batches, the hole
becomes large in size and the jalebis become very very thick. I find
the ziploc method quite messy too.

The squeezable bottles are available in baking aisle for a couple of
dollars. They are much expensive to buy online. But trust me, really
easy and work with.

Attaching a nozzle to a piping bag works fine too, just keep in mind
that the thickness of the jalebis will depend on the nozzle size. Do
not use a very big size nozzle since the jalebis will not cook
properly inside once fried.

While frying, if the temperature of oil is too hot, the jalebis will
come up sizzling, the batter will tear or have bubbles all over, it
might every scatter in the oil and jalebis will turn over crisp and
not absorb syrup properly. If the oil temperature is too low, the
jalebis will remain flat and raw inside. Once you start frying, it
will take you 1 to 2 minutes to know the right temperature of oil,
the jalebis should come up within few seconds (2 to 3 seconds) of
piping into oil and swell as you fry but at the same time do not get
too brown. Don't worry I also had few over brown ones, so you will
know when its right.

Getting the right shape of the jalebis takes time, they do not have
to be precise and perfect but as you make more and more, you will get
a hang of it. Just keep in mind to squeeze the bottle/piping bag
batter with a constant pressure and work in concentric circles,
outside towards inside. Again, practice will help. However, whatever
shape they come out, they will taste good.

The right texture of the jalebis is crispy on outside, if you take a
bite, you will notice the tubular crossection filled with syrup.
Without getting more technical, just know that they are not meant to
be soft.

You will have leftover syrup after the jalebis are soaked. I usually
dunk baked bread croutons/slices in them and serve as a snack. You
could refrigerate it and use to make gulab jamuns if you like. Also,
it can be used in smoothies or for making beverages too.

Jalebis can be stored for 2 to 3 days. Do not refrigerate. Just store
at room temperature. I however, do not recommend or prefer storing
them. Make small batches and serve rightaway.

Recipe by sanjuro

Recipe FROM: <gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/jalebi.txt>

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