Sweet like jalebi

This is a line that you can hear in many an Indian song, and yes, you guessed right, it is praising the sweetness of a girl! And while no self-conscious Indian (or other) girl would include jalebis as part of her (healthy) diet, it is, indeed, one of the most sugary, comforting Indian sweets (but only eaten piping hot, like the one Gurtaj is wolfing down in this photo. His father stood for 20 minutes at a street stall, waiting for the vendor to fry a fresh batch).

While it is eaten all over India, the jalebi is particularly popular in the North. You see jalebis being fried on the roadside, in huge black woks filled to the brim with boiling oil (the only way to get the spiral shape to perfection is to be really quick and deft in the frying - it is really an experience to watch).

I turned to good old Wikipedia for a bit of history of this delicacy and even found a recipe for those willing to try:

Jalebi is a fried sweet commonly prepared in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, thought to have originated in the north of India, probably in the state of Punjab. The Persian word for Jalebi is "Zoolbiah". It is made of deep-fried, syrup-soaked white flour batter and shaped into a large, chaotic pretzel shape, rather like the American funnel cake. Jalebis are bright orange or yellow in colour, but are also available in white. It can be served dripping warm or cold. It has a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary crunch. The sugars get partly fermented which is thought to add flavour to the dish. It is a derivative of jangiri. Another version of it is "Emarti", a red-orange in colour and sweeter in taste, made in Uttar Pradesh. Jalebis in Orissa are also sometimes made of chhena. Jalebi is one of the most popular sweets in India and is served at celebrations, especially during national holidays like Independence Day and Republic Day, in government offices, defence and other organisations. Jalebi is similar to the sweet referred to as "Zangoola", popular in the middle east.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup yoghurt
Vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil for deep frying
1 cup sugar
Few strands saffron
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
2 drops orange food colour
2 tbsps rose water
PREPARATION:
· Mix the flour, baking powder and yoghurt into a batter and keep aside for 24 hours to ferment.
· Pour batter into a ketchup dispensing bottle.
· To make sugar syrup: Melt the sugar with the rose water and boil to get a one thread consistency. To check for one thread consistency, carefully dip the tip of your index finger into the syrup, touch your finger and thumb together and genly tease apart. If one thread is formed between your finger and thumb the syrup is done.
· Turn off fire, add the saffron strands and cardamom and stir well.
· Heat the oil in a deep wok-like dish. To test for the right temperature, drop a small amount of batter into the oil. If it sizzles and rises to the top of the oil, the oil is hot enough. Keep the flame on medium at all times to ensure all round cooking of the jalebis.
· Now hold the ketchup dispenser over the hot oil and squeeze the batter into the oil into a wiggly, randomly coiled circle. Squeeze out several at a time.
· Fry till light golden and then remove and put directly into the sugar syrup.
· Allow to soak for 2-3 minutes and then remove.
· Serve warm

Forget about counting calories and enjoy!