Photo: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Maharashtra · Dessert

Jalebi

Deep-fried crispy spirals of fermented batter soaked in hot saffron sugar syrup until they crackle and snap between the teeth — one of Maharashtra's most popular street sweets, particularly at Pune's Tulsi Baug market and Mumbai's Mohammed Ali Road during Ramadan. Maharashtra's version is made fresh by halwais who maintain a perpetually fermented batter (often weeks old), giving the jalebis a characteristic subtle sourness beneath the sugar.

🧺 Ingredients

• 1 cup (120 g) maida (refined flour)
• 1 tbsp besan (chickpea flour)
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• Water to make a thick, smooth batter (~180 ml)
• 2 cups (400 g) sugar
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 15 saffron strands
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• ½ tsp lemon juice (to prevent crystallisation)
• Oil or ghee for deep frying
• Oil must be at 180°C — lower temperature produces pale, oily, uncrispy jalebis

👩‍🍳 How to make Jalebi

1. Combine maida, besan, yogurt and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Add water gradually, whisking to a smooth, pourable batter — the consistency of single cream (pourable, not thick).
3. Mix vigorously for 2 minutes to incorporate air.
4. Cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature for 8–12 hours (overnight).
5. The batter will rise slightly and develop a mild sour smell — this fermentation is essential for authentic jalebi flavour.
6. Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan over high heat.
7. Boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
8. Reduce to medium heat.
9. Cook for 5–7 minutes until one-string consistency (dip a spoon, let a drop fall — it should form a thin string between thumb and forefinger).
10. Add saffron and cardamom.
11. Keep warm on the lowest possible heat throughout frying — the syrup must be warm (not cold) when jalebis go in.
12. Heat oil to 180°C (a drop of batter should rise immediately to the surface).
13. Pour fermented batter into a squeeze bottle or a clean cloth with a small hole.
14. Pipe the batter in concentric circles directly into the hot oil — 2–3 circles, forming a spiral 6–8 cm in diameter.
15. Fry on high heat for 1–1.5 minutes per side until the jalebi is uniformly crispy and pale orange-gold.
16. Flip once.
17. Remove with a slotted spoon.
18. Immediately drop hot fried jalebis into the warm syrup.
19. Soak for 45–60 seconds — just long enough to absorb syrup without becoming soggy.
20. Remove and serve immediately.
21. Jalebis are best eaten within 5 minutes of syrup soaking — they should be crispy on the outside, syrup-drenched inside.

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