RAG Demo

Tag: Deep fried

  • Jalebi

    Jalebi likely arrived in India from West Asia, where a similar sweet called zalabiya is described in medieval Arabic cookbooks. By the fifteenth century it was well established in Indian kitchens, and today it is the quintessential halwai sweet of North India, fried in great spirals in front of the shop every morning.

    Proper jalebi is crisp on the outside, with hollow tubes filled with warm syrup that bursts when bitten. The batter is fermented, traditionally overnight, which gives a slight tang that balances the sweetness. A little saffron or food colour gives the bright orange tint, and the syrup is scented with cardamom and a touch of lemon to stop it crystallising.

    It is eaten hot for breakfast with rabri or milk in Uttar Pradesh, with poha in Indore, and as a festival sweet on Dussehra and Independence Day. It is best within minutes of frying. At home, a squeeze bottle makes piping easy, and the batter can be fermented overnight so the jalebis are ready for breakfast. The syrup should be warm but not boiling, and the jalebis should be crisp before they go in.

    At a glance

    RegionUttar Pradesh
    CuisineUttar Pradesh
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsmaida / curd / sugar / ghee / saffron

    Ingredients

    For the batter

    • 1 cup maida
    • 1 tbsp fine sooji or 1 tbsp cornflour
    • 2 tbsp sour curd
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda (only for the quick method)
    • About 3/4 cup lukewarm water
    • A pinch of turmeric or a few saffron strands for colour

    For the syrup

    • 1 1/2 cups sugar
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • A pinch of saffron
    • 1 tsp lemon juice

    For frying

    • Ghee or oil for shallow frying (about 3 cm deep)
    • A squeeze bottle or a thick cloth with a small hole

    Method

    1. Whisk maida, sooji, curd, colour and water into a smooth, thick batter, about the consistency of pancake batter that flows in a steady ribbon. Cover and leave in a warm place for 10 to 12 hours to ferment; it should be bubbly and slightly sour.
    2. For the syrup, boil sugar and water on medium until it reaches one-string consistency, about 6 to 7 minutes – a drop pressed between thumb and finger forms a single thread. Add cardamom, saffron and lemon juice. Keep it warm.
    3. Beat the fermented batter well for 2 minutes. If it has thinned, add a spoon of maida. (Quick method: add the soda now and use immediately.)
    4. Heat ghee in a wide, flat pan on medium, around 170 C. A drop of batter should rise steadily without browning instantly.
    5. Fill the squeeze bottle. Holding it just above the ghee, pipe 6 to 8 cm spirals from the centre outward, finishing with a cross stroke to hold them together.
    6. Fry 1 to 2 minutes per side, turning once, until crisp and light golden. They should feel firm, not soft.
    7. Lift out, drain for a second, and drop into the warm syrup. Soak 30 to 60 seconds, turning once, then lift out. Serve hot.

    Tips

    • Fry in small batches so the ghee temperature stays steady and every jalebi crisps evenly.
    • Too thin a batter spreads flat; too thick and it will not pipe smoothly.
    • Ghee gives the classic halwai flavour, but a neutral oil makes them crisper for longer.

    Serve with

    Hot with rabri or a glass of warm milk.

  • Chole Bhature

    Chole bhature is the breakfast of Punjabi weekends and the street food of Delhi, where stalls in Paharganj and Kamla Nagar have served it for generations. The combination travelled with Punjabi families after 1947 and quickly became a staple of North Indian food culture, sold from dawn by vendors who fry bhature to order.

    The chole are dark brown, sour and spicy, cooked with a bag of tea leaves or dried amla for colour and spiced with roasted anardana, amchur and a generous hand of chole masala. The bhature are large, puffed and chewy-soft inside, slightly tangy from yogurt-fermented dough, with crisp edges that tear apart easily.

    It is heavy food meant for a lazy late morning or a festive lunch. A plate usually comes with sliced onions, pickled green chillies, a wedge of lemon and often a glass of sweet or salted lassi, after which most people need a nap. At home the dough is usually set the night before, so the whole family can sit down to hot bhature by late morning.

    At a glance

    RegionPunjab
    CuisinePunjabi
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time60 minutes
    Total time90 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientschickpeas / maida / yogurt / onion / tomato

    Ingredients

    For the chole

    • 1 1/2 cups kabuli chana, soaked overnight
    • 2 black tea bags or 1 tbsp loose tea tied in muslin
    • 2 dried amla pieces (optional)
    • 1 bay leaf, 2 black cardamom
    • 3 tbsp oil
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 2 onions, finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 2 green chillies, slit
    • 2 tomatoes, pureed
    • 2 tbsp chole masala
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1 tsp anardana powder
    • 1/2 tsp amchur
    • Salt to taste
    • 1 inch ginger, julienned, and coriander to garnish

    For the bhature

    • 2 cups maida
    • 2 tbsp fine sooji (semolina)
    • 1/2 cup sour curd
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp oil, plus oil for deep frying
    • Warm water as needed

    Method

    1. Make the bhatura dough first: mix maida, sooji, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add curd and 2 tbsp oil and rub in, then knead with warm water to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Coat with oil, cover and rest 2 to 3 hours in a warm place.
    2. Drain the chana and pressure cook with 4 cups water, salt, tea bags, amla, bay leaf and black cardamom for 1 whistle on high, then 15 minutes on low. The chana should be very soft and dark. Discard the tea bags.
    3. Heat oil in a kadai on medium, add cumin, then onions. Fry 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until deep brown – this colour drives the look of the chole.
    4. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies for a minute, then the tomato puree, chole masala, chilli powder and anardana. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until oil separates.
    5. Add the chana with its cooking water, mash a few chickpeas, and simmer uncovered on low for 15 to 20 minutes until the gravy is thick and clings to the chana. Stir in amchur and garnish with ginger julienne and coriander.
    6. For the bhature, heat oil in a deep kadai to about 190 C – a pinch of dough should rise immediately with vigorous bubbles.
    7. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Oil the rolling surface and roll each into an oval about 5 mm thick; avoid flour, which burns in the oil.
    8. Slide one bhatura into the oil and gently press it down with a slotted spoon so it puffs fully, about 20 seconds. Flip and fry until light golden on both sides. Drain and serve immediately.

    Tips

    • If the oil is not hot enough, bhature absorb oil and stay flat; if too hot, they brown before puffing.
    • Rested dough should look slightly risen with a few bubbles; overnight in the fridge also works.
    • The chole improve after resting for an hour, so cook them first.

    Serve with

    Sliced onions, pickled green chillies, lemon wedges and a tall glass of lassi.

  • Pyaaz Kachori

    Pyaaz kachori belongs to Jodhpur, where sweet shops near the clock tower fry them from early morning and sell out before lunch. Unlike the dal kachori of Kota or the hing kachori of Delhi, the filling here is onion cooked down with besan, fennel and crushed coriander until it turns jammy. It is a snack built for travel and for heat, keeping well for a day because the fat in the dough and the dry filling resist going soggy.

    A good one is round, puffed and blistered, with a shell that shatters in thin layers rather than chewing like a puri. Inside, the onions are soft, sweet and sharp with green chilli and dried mango powder. The secret is patience at the stove: the kachoris go into barely warm oil and cook for twenty minutes or more, which is what builds that crackling, layered crust.

    In Rajasthan they are eaten as breakfast or tea-time food, slit open and spooned with saunth (sweet tamarind chutney) and a thin green chutney. At weddings they appear on the snack counter, and many families fry a batch for train journeys. They reheat well in an oven, which makes them practical for guests.

    At a glance

    RegionRajasthan
    CuisineRajasthani
    DietVegan
    CourseSnack
    Prep time40 minutes
    Cook time50 minutes
    Total time90 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsmaida / onion / besan / fennel seeds

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 2 cups (250 g) maida
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/3 cup (70 ml) oil or melted ghee, for moyan
    • About 1/2 cup cold water

    For the filling

    • 3 tbsp oil
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tbsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
    • 1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
    • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
    • 3 large onions (about 400 g), finely chopped
    • 2 green chillies and 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
    • 1 boiled potato, mashed
    • 4 tbsp besan
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp amchur
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    To fry

    • Oil for deep frying

    Method

    1. Rub the oil into the maida and salt with your fingertips for 3-4 minutes, until a fistful pressed together holds its shape like wet sand. This moyan is what makes the shell flaky.
    2. Add cold water a little at a time and bring together into a soft but not sticky dough without kneading hard. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes.
    3. For the filling, heat oil on medium, add cumin, fennel and coriander and let them sizzle for 20 seconds. Add asafoetida, then the onions, ginger and chillies.
    4. Cook the onions on medium for 6-8 minutes until translucent and just turning light gold at the edges, not brown. Lower the heat and add the besan; roast, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until it smells nutty.
    5. Add the powdered spices, salt and mashed potato and mix until the filling holds together in a dry lump. Stir in coriander and cool completely before using.
    6. Divide the dough into 12 balls and the filling into 12 portions. Flatten a ball into a 3-inch disc with thinner edges, place filling in the centre, pleat the edges up and pinch closed. Press gently into a 3-inch round, seam side down.
    7. Heat oil until just warm: a pinch of dough should rise slowly after 3-4 seconds. Slide in 4-5 kachoris and keep the flame at its lowest.
    8. After 8-10 minutes they will float and puff. Flip and keep frying on low, turning occasionally, for another 12-15 minutes until deep golden and crisp all over. Raise the heat for the last minute, then drain on a rack.

    Tips

    • If the oil is too hot, the shell browns fast and stays raw and chewy inside. Low heat for the full time is non-negotiable.
    • The filling must be dry and cold; wet filling steams the dough from inside and causes the kachori to burst in oil.
    • Leave one side slightly thicker when sealing and keep the sealed side down while flattening so it does not open.

    Serve with

    Sweet saunth chutney and green coriander-mint chutney, with masala chai.

  • Gulab Jamun

    Gulab jamun is served at weddings, Diwali, Eid and birthdays across India, and its name blends the Persian 'gul-ab', rose water, with jamun, the dark Indian fruit it resembles. It is generally linked to the Persian luqmat al-qadi brought to medieval India, reworked in Indian kitchens with khoya instead of dough.

    A good gulab jamun is soft right through, with no hard core, and soaked with syrup that is sweet but not cloying. The secret lies in a smooth, crack-free dough of khoya with just a little flour, and in frying slowly in ghee so the balls cook through as they brown. They are served warm, sometimes with vanilla ice cream or rabri.

    At a glance

    RegionPan-Indian
    CuisineNorth Indian
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time25 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time55 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientskhoya / maida / sugar / ghee

    Ingredients

    For the jamuns

    • 200 g soft khoya (hariyali or chikna khoya), grated
    • 3 tbsp maida
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda
    • 1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
    • 1-2 tbsp milk, as needed
    • Ghee or oil for frying

    For the syrup

    • 1 1/2 cups sugar
    • 1 1/2 cups water
    • 4 green cardamoms, crushed
    • A few saffron strands
    • 1 tsp rose water
    • 1/2 tsp lemon juice

    Method

    1. Combine the sugar, water and cardamom in a wide pan and boil for 5-6 minutes until slightly sticky between fingers but not at string stage. Add saffron, lemon juice and rose water and keep warm on the lowest heat.
    2. Mash the khoya on a plate with the heel of your palm for 3-4 minutes until smooth and free of lumps.
    3. Add maida, baking soda and cardamom, and gather into a soft dough with gentle kneading, sprinkling milk a few drops at a time. Do not over-knead.
    4. Divide into 18-20 portions and roll each between greased palms into a smooth ball with no cracks.
    5. Heat ghee in a kadhai on low heat. Test with a pinch of dough: it should rise slowly with small bubbles. Add the balls in batches without crowding.
    6. Fry on low heat for 8-10 minutes, gently swirling the oil rather than touching the balls, until they turn evenly deep golden brown.
    7. Drain and immediately drop them into the warm syrup. Soak for at least 1 hour; they will swell and soften. Serve warm.

    Tips

    • Cracks on the surface split open in the oil – roll each ball until perfectly smooth.
    • Hot oil browns the outside and leaves a raw, hard centre; low and slow is the rule.
    • If the jamuns stay hard after soaking, the dough had too much flour or the syrup was too thick.

    Serve with

    Warm with a little syrup, or with vanilla ice cream or rabri.

  • Punjabi Samosa

    The samosa reached India from Central Asia, carried by traders as the sambosa, and medieval court writers already describe it filled with meat and nuts. The potato version arrived only after the Portuguese brought potatoes to India, and Punjab's halwais made it the large, pyramid-shaped snack sold at every chai stall and sweet shop today.

    A proper Punjabi samosa has a thick, crisp, flaky crust with tiny blisters, flavoured with ajwain. The filling is coarsely mashed potato with peas, ginger, green chilli, crushed coriander seeds, amchur and garam masala, sometimes with a few cashews or raisins. They are eaten hot with green chutney and imli chutney, or crushed into chole for samosa chaat.

    At a glance

    RegionPunjab
    CuisinePunjabi
    DietVegan
    CourseSnack
    Prep time45 minutes
    Cook time40 minutes
    Total time85 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsmaida / potato / green peas / ajwain

    Ingredients

    For the pastry

    • 2 cups maida (about 250 g)
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 5 tbsp oil or ghee (about 60 ml)
    • About 1/2 cup cold water

    For the filling

    • 4 medium potatoes (about 500 g), boiled and peeled
    • 1/2 cup green peas, boiled
    • 2 tbsp oil
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
    • 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed (optional)
    • 1 tbsp grated ginger
    • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1 tsp amchur
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
    • 10 cashews, broken (optional)

    For frying

    • Oil for deep frying

    Method

    1. Mix the maida, ajwain and salt. Add the oil and rub it in with your fingertips for 3-4 minutes until the flour holds its shape when squeezed in a fist.
    2. Add cold water a little at a time and bring together into a stiff, tight dough without kneading too much. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
    3. For the filling, heat oil and add cumin, crushed coriander and fennel seeds. Fry for 20 seconds, then add ginger and green chillies.
    4. Add the coarsely crumbled potatoes, peas, chilli powder, amchur, garam masala, salt and cashews. Stir for 3-4 minutes on medium heat, lightly mashing. Mix in coriander and let the filling cool completely.
    5. Divide the dough into 6 balls. Roll each into a 15 cm oval about 2 mm thick and cut it in half crosswise.
    6. Wet the straight edge of a half, fold it into a cone, overlapping and pressing the seam firmly. Fill with 2 tbsp filling, leaving space at the top.
    7. Pinch a small pleat at the back, wet the open edges and press them together to seal tightly. Repeat with the rest.
    8. Heat oil to warm, not hot – a piece of dough should rise slowly after a few seconds. Fry the samosas on low heat for 12-15 minutes, then raise the heat to medium for the last 3-4 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain and serve hot.

    Tips

    • Starting in warm oil and frying slowly creates the tiny blisters; hot oil gives large bubbles and a soft crust.
    • Enough fat in the dough (the moyan) is what makes the pastry flaky and short.
    • Let the filling cool fully before shaping, or the steam softens the pastry.

    Serve with

    Green mint-coriander chutney, imli chutney and masala chai.

  • Mawa Bati

    Mawa bati is a speciality of Malwa and Nimar in Madhya Pradesh, seen at weddings and festival meals and in sweet shops around Indore and Ujjain. It resembles a large gulab jamun or kala jamun, but the dough is denser with mawa and each ball carries a hidden stuffing of dry fruits and cardamom.

    The baties are fried slowly over low heat until they turn a deep brown, almost black on the outside, then soaked in syrup. The outer layer is slightly firm and caramelised, the inside soft and grainy with khoya, and the centre crunchy with nuts. It is very rich, so one or two make a complete dessert.

    At a glance

    RegionMadhya Pradesh
    CuisineMalwa
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time40 minutes
    Total time70 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientskhoya / maida / sugar / dry fruits

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 250 g soft khoya (mawa), grated
    • 50 g chhena or paneer, crumbled
    • 3 tbsp maida
    • 1 tbsp fine semolina
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tbsp milk, if needed
    • Ghee or oil for frying

    For the stuffing

    • 2 tbsp chopped almonds and pistachios
    • 1 tbsp chopped cashews
    • 1 tsp raisins
    • 1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
    • A few saffron strands
    • 1 tsp powdered sugar

    For the syrup

    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 1/2 cups water
    • 4 green cardamoms, crushed
    • 1 tsp rose water

    Method

    1. Boil the sugar and water with cardamom for 6-7 minutes until slightly sticky but not at one-string consistency. Add rose water and keep warm.
    2. Mix the stuffing ingredients in a small bowl.
    3. Mash the khoya and chhena together with the heel of your hand for 5 minutes until smooth. Add maida, semolina and baking soda and knead gently into a soft, crack-free dough, adding a little milk if needed.
    4. Divide the dough into 12 portions. Flatten each in your palm, place 1/2 tsp stuffing in the centre, seal and roll into a smooth ball or oval with no cracks.
    5. Heat ghee in a kadhai on low heat; it should be warm, not hot. Add the balls and fry very slowly, moving them constantly, for 12-15 minutes until deep dark brown all over.
    6. Lift the baties out and drop them into the warm syrup. Soak for at least 2 hours, ideally longer.
    7. Serve warm or at room temperature, halved to show the stuffing.

    Tips

    • Cracks in the balls will open in the oil – knead until the dough is completely smooth.
    • Frying slowly on low heat is essential; high heat browns the outside while the centre stays raw.
    • The syrup should be warm, not boiling, when the baties go in, or they shrink.

    Serve with

    Warm, with a spoon of syrup, after a dal bafla meal.

  • Dhuska

    Dhuska is the signature breakfast of Jharkhand, sold hot from roadside kadhais in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad, and made at home for festivals and Sunday mornings. It belongs to the Adivasi and Sadan food traditions of the Chota Nagpur plateau, where rice and pulses are the everyday staples. A plate of two costs very little at a street stall.

    Rice and chana dal, sometimes with a little urad dal, are soaked and ground into a thick, slightly coarse batter, then ladled into hot oil where they puff into golden, thick discs. The outside is crisp, the centre soft and spongy. Dhuska is almost always eaten with a spicy aloo or kala chana curry, or with ghugni and green chutney.

    At a glance

    RegionJharkhand
    CuisineJharkhandi
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / chana dal / urad dal / green chilli

    Ingredients

    For the batter

    • 1 cup rice (any short or medium grain)
    • 1/2 cup chana dal
    • 2 tbsp urad dal
    • 1 inch ginger
    • 3 green chillies
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
    • A pinch of baking soda (optional)
    • Oil for deep frying

    For the aloo curry

    • 3 potatoes, boiled and cubed
    • 2 tbsp mustard oil
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 tomato, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1 tsp coriander powder
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 1/2 cups water
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. Rinse the rice, chana dal and urad dal and soak them together in water for 6 hours or overnight.
    2. Drain and grind with ginger, green chillies and garlic, adding as little water as possible, to a thick, slightly coarse batter like idli batter.
    3. Stir in cumin, turmeric, salt and coriander. The batter should drop thickly from a spoon. Rest for 15 minutes; add baking soda just before frying if you want them fluffier.
    4. For the curry, heat mustard oil, splutter cumin, then fry the onion for 5 minutes until golden. Add tomato and the powdered spices and cook for 4 minutes until soft.
    5. Add potatoes, salt and water, lightly mash a few pieces, and simmer for 8-10 minutes until thick. Finish with garam masala.
    6. Heat oil for deep frying on medium-high. Pour a ladleful of batter gently into the oil; it should sink and rise immediately.
    7. Spoon hot oil over the top so it puffs, fry for 2 minutes, flip and fry another 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Drain and serve hot with the curry.

    Tips

    • A batter that is too thin spreads and absorbs oil; add a spoon of rice flour to thicken it.
    • Fry one at a time until you get the hang of the ladle movement – pour from close to the oil to avoid splashes.
    • Ghugni (spiced dried peas) is the other classic accompaniment.

    Serve with

    Spicy aloo curry or ghugni with coriander chutney.