Simple Jalebi Recipe (using leftover rice)

A post on jalebi made with leftover rice on a foodie group I follow intrigued me.  Jalebi made from leftover rice?  Wow.  I have heard of baking soda used in jalebi batter, heard of yeast used to ferment jalebi batter, but using leftover rice was a first.

When the batter did not rise and did not smell sour after fermentation like it usually does for a regular jalebi, I wasn't sure what was happening.  So I tried piping out some jalebis in oil with a small amount of batter first in a ziploc bag to see what would happen.  Drained and dipped them in sugar syrup and tasted one, wondering – would this taste like jalebi?

And you bet your @$$ it did.  It is very rare that a recipe gets me so enthused, and I must tell ya this one sure did.  There are many ways and recipes to make the jalebi batter.  Let’s start with this one method of preparation.

Jalebi Recipe

Adapted from: Chanchal Kothari

Yields: at least 25 jalebis

To make jalebi:

½ cup [60gm/2.2 oz] maida (or all-purpose flour)

½ cup [40gm/1.4 oz] besan (or chickpea flour)

½ cup [80gm/2.8oz] leftover cooked plain rice

½ cup water

Oil or ghee for frying

To make sugar syrup:

½ cup plain water

½ cup white sugar

½ tsp lemon juice

Pinch cardamom powder and saffron

Sliced almonds and pistachios for garnish

1.  Measure ½ cup each of leftover rice, maida, and besan.

2.  Grind leftover rice with half of the water until a fine, smooth paste.  Empty it into a bowl, use the other half amount of water to remove the remaining paste out of the grinder.  Add the maida and besan to it.

3.  Mix well until no lumps remain.  Do not add anything else to the batter.

4.  You should get a smooth thin batter of dropping consistency, not a thin runny batter.  Cover and keep in a warm place for 4-5 hours.

5.  You can prepare the sugar syrup and keep it ready.  Heat the water + sugar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil for 4-5 minutes.  Test a drop of the syrup to feel the stickiness.  You do not need a one-string syrup for jalebi, so boil the syrup just until you can test that it is sticky and not watery.  Add lemon juice + cardamom powder + saffron to the syrup, mix well, switch off the heat and keep it aside.

6.  Heat oil or ghee in a medium shallow and wide (flat-bottomed) nonstick pan on medium heat, prepare for deep-frying the jalebis. (You see stainless steel pan in my picture because I wanted to make small batches and that's the smallest pan I had). Stir the jalebi batter once, then pour into a Ziploc bag or a jalebi bottle.  When the oil is hot, holding the jalebi bottle or Ziploc directly over the pan press the bottle or bag with even pressure to drop the batter in concentric circles or whirls going from center to outward, but make it FAST.  This takes a little practice, so I suggest you try it on a plate first.  But go ahead and make any shapes you like, don't fret over making it perfect.

Drop only as many jalebis as the pan can handle, do not overfill.  Using two forks or tongs, flip the jalebi to cook evenly.  When it turns golden on both sides, drain on a paper towel.  Continue making all jalebis, OR leave the batter in the bottle closed with lid and refrigerate to use remaining jalebi batter the next day to make fresh jalebi again.  Bring the batter to room temperature when you are ready to make.

7.  While the excess oil from jalebi drains, heat the sugar syrup until it is warm (but not boiling hot).  Dip the jalebis in the syrup, flip to coat evenly, let extra syrup drain, transfer onto plate, sprinkle some sliced pistachios and almonds, and serve warm jalebi.

If you fry these jalebis in oil, it is pretty much a vegan jalebi.  So if you are a vegan and want to make this wonderful and tempting Indian dessert - this is a pretty good one.

You are going to love these easy-to-make jalebis.  The crunch outside, soft and juicy inside, and it doesn’t even need baking soda – the batter will puff up in oil on its own.  And you know what I love the most about this jalebi recipe?  The 1/2 cup simplicity.

Jalebi and Rabdi combination is very popular.  Make some delicious rabdi (click here for my rabdi recipe) a day beforehand so you can enjoy cool rabdi with hot jalebi!

I couldn’t wait to surprise Alok that evening.  First when I offered him the jalebis, he said he didn't want to eat and did all the usual drama that he does.  And then, he couldn't stop at one.  “Don’t you have any more jalebis left?” he craved.

Enjoy.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Come connect with me! on  Facebook  |  Email  |  RSS  |  Twitter