For me, jalebi is one sweet that instantly triggers deep feelings of nostalgia. I grew up always eating them to celebrate our parents wedding anniversary. This jalebi recipe has rhubarb, one of my favorite ingredients. The rhubarb adds a tartness to balance the sweetness of the cardamom syrup, similar to the more typical sour-apple flavor.
We also served jalebi at our Mehndi Party (a pre-wedding celebration where the bride along with other female family members get henna tattoos painted onto their hands and feet). Jalebi always remind me of happy times.
I wanted to start 2013 with something sweet to ensure it turns out to be a good year for us. So I decided to make some jalebi. But I wanted to make them a little different.
I had frozen some fresh rhubarb stalks a few months ago and thought they would be a great addition to my jalebi. The sweet and sour combination of the rhubarb jalebi is really delicious!
I fried them in oil to keep them vegan but you can use ghee for a more authentic, buttery flavor.
Ingredients
For the Rhubarb Puree
- 3 stalks Rhubarb (sliced into 1 inch pieces (fresh or frozen))
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup water
For the Cardamom Syrup
- 1 cups sugar
- 3 cup water
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
For the Jalebi
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 cup Rhubarb puree
- 1 cup water
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 1 cups sugar
- 3 cup water
- 3 cups oil (for frying)
Instructions
Rhubarb Puree
- Toss the rhubarb, sugar and water into a saucepan over medium heat.
- Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the rhubarb softens and begins to fall apart. Stir often.
- Transfer the rhubarb to a blender or food processor and puree.
Cardamom Syrup
- Boil sugar, water and cardamom until the syrup thickens and lightly coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Keep warm on low heat until ready for the jalebi.
Jalebi
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp warm water with 1/4 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp yeast. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until lots of bubbles form.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, rhubarb puree, cardamom, salt, 1/2 cup water and the bubbly yeast. The batter should be about the consistency of pancake batter. Add a couple more tablespoons of water if the batter is too dry.
- Cover and let the batter sit for about 20 minutes.
- Heat oil on medium high heat (I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet for this) until ready to fry. Test oil by dropping a couple of drops of batter into the oil. If it sizzles and rises to the top immediately, the oil is ready.
- Meanwhile, transfer the batter to a parchment cone (they’re super easy to make) or a clean empty ketchup bottle.
- Draw swirls with the batter into the hot oil, like a funnel cake. Fry on both sides until golden and crispy.
- Drain on some paper towels for a few minutes.
- Transfer to hot sugar syrup. Let soak for about 30 seconds and transfer to a wire rack.
