It was the last day of our Bengali Year...!! Chaitro Sonkranti..!! And I was Missing my childhood days very badly remembering the "Charak Sankranti Mela"( The village fair held usually few days before the end of the Bengali year). The shopping, the food, the giant wheels, the smiles and the chatter of people...!! Other than enjoying different rides and shopping we simply loved to buy Jilipi,Papar bhaja(Jalebi,Papad,other Namkeens) and many other fair special foods. I know those foods contain loads of calories but I cant resist myself by anyway, even after so many years.
Entering into the kitchen ,that day,I felt bored and didn't want to go for normal usual snacks which I regularly prepare. Suddenly thought it would be great if I could make some arrangements to prepare Jalebi/Jilipi at home. Few days ago I read atleast two to three different processes of making jilipi at home. Quickly chose one of them and started to make it. Though I was little worried, as I thought the spiral shape of jilipi is really difficult to make but it wasn't so bad at the end and tI must say the taste was very good.
Anyway, here is the way of preparing Jilipi/Jalebi at home.
Ingredients:
- Flour:1 Cup
- Rice Flour/ Semolina: 1 tsp
- Yoghurt:1/2 Cup
- Kesar/Saffron:2pinch
- Ghee/Oil: For Deep Frying.
- Ketchup Bottol for frying.
- Water: Sufficient.
- Water : 2 Cups
- Sugar: 3 Cups
- Cardamom Powder: A pinch
- Saffron: Few Strands.
Process:
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, yogurt, rice flour and sufficient water to a smooth and pouring consistency batter.
- Cover and keep in a warm place to ferment for 24 hours.
- Beat the batter with your hands again for 15 minutes
- Make sure the batter is fermented, but do not over ferment. After fermenting batter will be little lacy.
- Cook sugar with 2 cups water in a deep non-stick pan on high heat, stirring continuously, till the sugar dissolves.
- Sprinkle the cardamom powder and saffron strands on it.
- The syrup will be of one string consistency.
- Keep the syrup warm.
- Heat sufficient ghee/oil in a kadai on medium heat.
- Pour the batter into the ketchup bottle.
- Squeeze round spirals into the hot ghee/oil and deep fry, turning them over gently a few times, till they are evenly golden and crisp.
- Drain and soak in sugar syrup for 30 sec to 1 min only.
- Take them out of the syrup ,sprinkle little Kesar on them and serve hot.
