Jilebi

3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ pinch each red and yellow coloring (powders). If it is liquid color add few drops each to the syrup until it gets nice orange color. (Optional) 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons rice flour 
1 1/2 cups warm water 
1 packet yeast (1/4 ounce Fleischmann’s active dry yeast)
2 cups oil for deep frying (6 to 8 inches pan)

1 tablespoon sliced almonds for decoration (optional)


First step is to prepare syrup. In a four-quart saucepan mix sugar and water. Keep the pan on the stove on high heat and let the syrup boil for two minutes while mixing. Turn the heat down to medium low heat for five minutes. Add lemon juice. Mix red and yellow colors in a teaspoon of water; add it to the syrup. Turn heat off. If you feel the syrup in between two fingers it should be silky and not watery. If it is too watery boil the syrup little longer. Remove syrup from the stove if it is an electric stove.

Mix all purpose flour and rice flour together in medium bowl. Mix warm water and yeast in a small bowl. Add this to the flour mixture and whisk with a whisk or a fork until it becomes smooth batter.

Heat oil in a thick and flat small frying pan on medium heat. 
Pour batter in to jilebi maker or empty ketchup bottle. Close the bottle with cap. Squeeze the batter in to the hot oil through the small hole in the cap making a spiral design. If the jilebies are too thin make the hole larger by cutting the tip. Fry jilebies until light brown.
Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon. Put them in syrup. Dip them in to the syrup at once with another slotted spoon. Remove jilebies from the syrup as soon as they absorb syrup and place them in a flat tray. Repeat with remaining batter. This recipe makes about 60 jilebies.
Don’t get discouraged if first few jilebies are out of shape. Practice makes them perfect.
Shake the bottle in between batches so that jilebies do not have large bubbles.
You can keep these jilebies in the refrigerator or freezer for two or three weeks. Since there is lemon juice in the syrup, syrup in the jilebies will not be crystallize 

Variations: ½ teaspoon saffron can be used instead of colors. Soak saffron threads in tablespoon of water; crush to infuse color and add to syrup.
If you have left over batter mix it with ground red pepper, salt to taste, and crushed cumin powder and make spicy jilebies. 


Krispy Pakodies

2 cups rice flour
1 cup chana flour (graham flour)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon ajwain seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water 
3 large onions cut lengthwise. Mix ½ a teaspoon salt and keep them aside 
6 green chilies cut ¼ inch pieces (long hot or serrano peppers)
2 inches peeled and cut fresh ginger
2 stems curry leaves. (Remove leaves from the stems and break them into small pieces)
2 cups oil for deep frying.

Mix first seven ingredients and add boiling water mixing with a spoon. Let it cool for five minutes. Add salted onions, green chilies, ginger, and curry leaves. Mix with hand thoroughly. You can add salt and red pepper to your own taste at this time.

Heat oil in medium high in a medium wok or frying pan. Take a handful of the pakodi dough and drop it as small clusters in to the hot oil carefully. Fry until pakodies turn light brown. Line a cookie sheet with three layers of paper towels. Remove pakodies from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on prepared cookie sheet to drain oil. Repeat with rest of the dough: placing each batch side by side on the paper towels. If you need more room use one more cookie sheet with paper towels. This recipe serves eight if served in individual plates. Tastes good with fresh coriander chutney or any other chutney.

Variation: For soft pakodies use 2 cups chana flour and ½ cup rice flour. Use 1 and 3/4 cups cold water to mix.

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