RAG Demo

Tag: Fermented batter

  • 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.

  • Appam with Vegetable Stew

    Appam and stew is the classic breakfast of Kerala's Syrian Christian homes, and it is the dish served on Easter and Christmas mornings. Appam is made from a fermented batter of rice and coconut, traditionally raised with toddy, and cooked in a small round pan called an appachatti, which is swirled to give it its bowl shape.

    A good appam has a lacy, crisp, golden rim and a thick, spongy, slightly sweet centre. The stew, or ishtu, is mild and fragrant: vegetables simmered in thin coconut milk with whole spices, green chillies and ginger, and finished with thick coconut milk. Nothing is fried brown or heavily spiced, so the coconut flavour leads.

    At a glance

    RegionKerala
    CuisineKerala
    DietVegan
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time40 minutes
    Total time70 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / coconut / coconut milk / potato / carrot

    Ingredients

    For the appam batter

    • 1.5 cups raw rice (pachari), soaked 5 hours
    • 1 cup fresh grated coconut
    • 1/2 cup cooked rice
    • 1 tsp instant yeast
    • 2 tbsp sugar
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • about 1 cup water

    For the stew

    • 2 tbsp coconut oil
    • 1 inch cinnamon
    • 3 cloves
    • 3 green cardamoms
    • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
    • 1 large onion, sliced
    • 1 inch ginger, julienned
    • 3 green chillies, slit
    • 1 sprig curry leaves
    • 1 large potato, cubed
    • 1 carrot, cubed
    • 1/2 cup French beans, cut
    • 1/2 cup green peas
    • 1.5 cups thin coconut milk
    • 3/4 cup thick coconut milk
    • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

    Method

    1. Grind the soaked rice, grated coconut, cooked rice, sugar and yeast with water to a very smooth, flowing batter. Cover and ferment in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight, until doubled and bubbly. Stir in salt; the batter should be like thin pancake batter.
    2. For the stew, heat coconut oil in a pan on medium heat. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns and fry for 20 seconds.
    3. Add onion, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves and saute for 3-4 minutes until the onion is soft but not browned.
    4. Add the potato, carrot, beans and peas with the thin coconut milk and salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for 12-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
    5. Lower the heat to the minimum and stir in the thick coconut milk. Heat for 1-2 minutes until just hot; do not let it boil, or the milk will split. Switch off.
    6. To make appam, heat an appachatti on medium heat and grease lightly. Pour in a ladle of batter, lift the pan by its handles and swirl once so the batter coats the sides thinly and pools in the centre.
    7. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes until the edges are golden and crisp and the centre is set and spongy. Do not flip.
    8. Loosen with a spatula and serve straight away with the stew.

    Tips

    • The cooked rice in the batter gives appam its soft, spongy centre.
    • Thick coconut milk goes in at the very end on low heat to keep the stew creamy and white.
    • In cold weather, ferment the batter in an oven with only the light switched on.

    Serve with

    Serve the stew poured over the appam; chicken or mutton stew is the festive alternative.