Jalebi (Zalābiya)
So crunchy and absolutely fantastic, these jalebi are a wonderful balance of sweetness, cardamom, saffron, and rose water
City/Region: Baghdad | Abbasid Caliphate
Time Period: 10th Century
Diwali goes by many different names, and is celebrated by different religions in different regions for different reasons and in different ways. Jalebi, a fried dough that’s soaked in syrup, is a sweet treat that is popular during Diwali, and jalebi also has many names, origins, and variations. This is the first known recipe for jalebi (called zalābiya) from a wonderful 10th century cookbook from the Middle East. This 1,000 year old recipe isn’t so different from modern jalebi. It takes some practice to get the consistency and technique right, but the result is a very crunchy, sweet and fragrant treat that is well worth the effort.
“Make soft dough using 1/2 ratl (1/2 pound) good quality, fine samīdh flour (high in starch and bran free), yeast, [and water]. Cover the dough and let it ferment overnight. In the following morning, knead 1/2 ratl (1/2 pound) starch with yeast dissolved in water (lībat al-khamīr), and mix it with the prepared batch of fermented dough. Knead them together, adding water bit by bit until the dough becomes very soft—similar to ‘ajīn al qatāyif (crepe batter). Add a small amount of būraq al-’ajīn (baking borax) that has been dissolved in some water. Let it rest for a short while (lahza a second).
Prepare a nut-cup for [pouring] the batter. It is made by cutting off the rounded end of a coconut, which leaves you with a cup-like shell. Pierce a [small] hole in its bottom, the width of a mīl (probe or bodkin).
Choose an iron or copper frying pan with a flat base. Pour fat, enough to cover the zalābiya [while frying]. Light the fire underneath the pan. When the fat becomes hot, scoop [with a ladle held with the right hand] some of the batter into the coconut shell, held with the left hand, and the hole blocked with a finger. Then hold the filled shell from its rim with the right hand—above the frying pan—and let the batter run through the hole into the hot fat, simultaneously moving your hand in circles to make the lattice form. You can make them like discs (mudawwar), balls (mukabbab), or squares (murabba). If your batter was done right, the moment the batter falls into the hot oil, it will puff and look like a bracelet (dumlūj) with a hollow interior.
As soon as one zalābiya is done, take it out of the fat and dip it in honey, which has been boiled and skimmed of its froth and perfumed [with rose water, musk, or camphor]. Keep the pieces drenched in the honey until they absorb enough of the syrup. Then take them out and arrange them in the dessert platter (tabaq al-halwā).
If they turn out to be good, [go ahead and] serve them. The well-made ones should feel brittle and dry to the bite, and crumble and fall apart in the mouth...
If you follow all these instructions and couple them with your discretion, your zalābiya will come out good, God willing.”
Ingredients:
Dough
- 1 cup (120 g) all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (25 g) gram flour*
- A pinch of baking soda
- A pinch of saffron threads
- A pinch of cardamom, optional but recommended
- 2 tablespoons rose water
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) yogurt
- A few drops of food coloring, optional
Syrup
- 4 cups (800 g) sugar
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) honey
- 2 cups (475 ml) water
- A large pinch of saffron
- 2 tablespoons rose water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- A pinch of cardamom, optional but recommended
*See notes below.
Instructions:
- For the dough: Soak the saffron in the rose water for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, gram flour, baking soda, and optional cardamom
- Add the water, rose water with saffron, and yogurt, and whisk until smooth. You want it to be the consistency of pancake batter. Cover the bowl and let it ferment for at least 12 hours, up to 18.
- After the batter has fermented, make the syrup.
- For the syrup: Add the sugar, honey, and water to a saucepan and stir them together. Set the saucepan over low heat, and slowly bring the mixture to a light boil. Simmer until it comes to the thread stage, 230°-234°F (110°C). A candy thermometer is helpful with this.
- Once it hits the thread stage, lower the heat and add the rose water, lemon juice, saffron, and cardamom, and stir. Let the syrup cool to 150°-160°F (65°-70°C), which is where you want to keep it for the rest of the process.
- To cook the jalebi: Check the batter and make sure that there are a few bubbles on top. It won’t rise like a bread dough, but there should be some activity. Also check the consistency and add a little bit more water or flour to adjust it until it’s somewhere between a pancake batter and a cake batter. Thin enough to flow, but not too thick to come out of a 5mm opening. Transfer the batter to either a squeeze bottle or a piping bag that has that 5mm opening.
- Heat an inch or two of oil to 275°F (135°C) in a large, shallow pan. Dispense a constant stream of batter to form a spiral in the oil, then cross it into the center of the spiral so it doesn’t come apart. This will take some practice to get the batter, oil temperature, and shape right. Once some jalebi are formed in the oil, turn the heat up and bring the oil to 330°-350°F (165°-176°C). Fry them for about 1 minute on one side, flip and fry for another minute on the other side.
- As soon as the jalebi are done frying, carefully take them out of the oil and place them immediately in the hot syrup. Let them sit for about a minute in the syrup, making sure they are well-coated and that they get the chance to soak up some syrup.
- Garnish the jalebi with a bit of pistachio, and serve them forth.
Notes
- Gram flour is made from brown chickpeas, but if all you can find is flour made from white chickpeas, that will work just fine.