Jalebis, Crunchy sweet spirals dipped in sugar syrup, adding sweetness and moistness to the crunch!

Ingredients: Plain Flour 1 cup Cardamom Powder 1/8 tsp Instant Yeast 1 tsp Corn Flour 2 tsp Oil 1 tsp Yogurt 1 Tbsp Warm Water 3/4 cup For Syrup:

Sugar 1 1/4 cups Water 1 cup Saffron pinch Lemon Juice 1 tsp Cardamom Powder 1/4 tsp Method: 1. In a mixing bowl, add Plain Flour, Cardamom Powder, Instant Yeast and Corn Flour. Mix thoroughly. 2. Add Oil, Yogurt and Water and mix well until there are no lumps. 3. In a larger bowl or pot, add very warm water and place the mixing bowl with the batter inside the larger bowl (be sure that the water does not fall into the batter). Cover the larger bowl and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes. 4. After the batter has been resting for 15 minutes, start on the syrup and start to pre-heat oil for frying the jalebi. 5. Syrup: In a heavy bottom pan, add Water, Sugar and Saffron. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat 6. Reduce flame to a low simmer and add Cardamom Powder and Lemon Juice. Mix. 7. Mix the fermented jalebi batter well and put it in a ketchup or mustard bottle with a spout (zipper bag or piping bag can be used). 8. Squeeze out the batter into the hot oil in approximately 8 small circular motions. Jalebi should about 2-3 inches in diameter. 9. Fry until the bottom side looks golden and flip once to cook the other side. 10. With tongs, remove jabebi, shake off excess oil and place directly into sugar syrup. 11. Allow jalebi to remain in the syrup for just a minute (flipping to coat both sides), shake off excess sugar syrup and place onto a plate. 12. Continue frying remaining jalebis. 13. Enjoy them hot for optimal taste or allow them to cool and store in a container with a tight fitting lid. Jalebis will remain fresh for 4-5 days unrefrigerated. NOTE: About mid way through the frying process, turn off the stove for the sugar syrup so that it does not become too thick.

Speedy Jalebis! I decided to name these 'Speedy' Jalebis because of the ease with which they are made, and the speed with which they are devoured!! LOL! Got the recipe from Rania Zohaib of foodilicious (thank you Queen Rania!!) and LOVED the results! The Jalebis were crunchy, perfectly juicy and incredibly delicious!! Definitely a keeper of a recipe! Try these out, trust me they will be gobbled so fast, it might shock you! LOL! :D Here is Rania's recipe: If you dont have SR flour ( self raising flour) you can make it yourself using: 1 cup flour 1tsp level baking powder sieve both so that they mix in well together And now the normal recipe: 1 cup SR flour 2 pinch yellow food colour cold water to mix (the batter) (I added quarter tsp of cardamom powder to this)

Sheera: 1 cup sugar glass water(for the syrup/sheera) (I added a tiny pinch of saffron and cardamom powder to this) Make the sugar syrup, let it cool completely, it should be thick, only then the jalaibi will get its taste Mix the flour, with the food colour and mix it with COLD water, it will start turning very sticky like a glue, keep mixing strongly with a whisker till the batter is very creamy but not runny. (I needed somewhere between a third to half a cup of cold water) I use the icing set which is used for cakes and fix the tinniest nozzle on it as when you drop the batter in the oil it will raise in size so better use the smallest one, now heat the oil, fill in the icing device, and go round round with it dropping it in the oil and make the form of jalaibi. Dont fry too long you will feel as the colour changes to a light brownish orange, take it out and put it directly in the syrup BUT take it immediately out after 4-5 seconds!! If it stays long it will become very soggy, to have it crunchy you have to hurry, place them on a cooling wire so that the extra syrup runs out, dont cover them they will stay crunchy 100% !!! Now enjoy and eat my share too ;-)

Profiteroles & Chocolate clairs

Profiteroles (also known as Cream Puffs) and clairs are pastries made from a dough known as Choux dough, which is piped, baked and then filled with cream and covered with chocolate. They are crispy, light and deliciousand very easy to prepare. This recipe makes approximately 12-14 eclairs or 24 profiteroles. INGREDIENTS For the Choux dough: 75gm all-purpose/plain flour 50gm butter 125ml water 2 pinches of salt tsp. sugar

2 medium eggs (at room temperature) tsp. vanilla essence For the Cream Filling: 1 cup (200ml) cream, whipped with 1 tbsp. icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla until stiff peaks and put into a piping bag. For the Chocolate Topping: 200gm chopped semi-sweet chocolate cup whipping cream 1 tsp. butter few drops vanilla (optional) Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil (edges will start bubbling slightly). Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth, then let it cool slightlyabout 5 minutes. Use as needed. If the chocolate stiffens you can microwave it for a few seconds to get it to a smooth consistency. INSTRUCTIONS First, prepare the Cream Filling and Chocolate Topping. Set aside. Grease a tray with butter and set it aside. Preheat oven to 200 C. Next, prepare the Choux. Put the flour on a tray and warm it slightly, then sieve it onto a square piece of paper. Put the water, butter, salt and sugar into a pan and bring to the boil. Make sure the butter is completely melted and the liquid is boiling. Remove from the heat and dump in all the flour in one go. Beat the mixture (even with an electric beater or a wooden spoon) until it comes together and is soft and smooth. Do not over-beat the mixture otherwise the butter will ooze out of the dough. Let it begin to cool slightly then add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time and beat vigorously until the mixture resembles cream. Put the mixture into a piping bag (three-quarter inch opening) and allow it to cool completely. Pipe 3-4 long shapes on the tray for the clairs and 2 round balls for the profiteroles. Make

sure you leave space all around as these will expand to double the original size. Bake in the middle rack for 20 minutes. Do NOT open the oven door during this time as this may cause the pastries to collapse. Once done, remove onto a wire rack and either slit the clairs or poke a hole on the ends or bottom immediately. This helps retain crispiness as it allows the steam that builds up in the hollow inside the pastry to escape. Allow them to cool completely, then fill them up by piping the cream into them and dip them in the melted chocolate (or spread some melted chocolate on top). Let the chocolate set for a few minutes and serve immediately. TIP: These pastries are best served fresh, so fill them up when you are ready to serve them otherwise they will go soft. Enjoy! A very simple, light and delicious pudding that is quick to make and perfect for a refreshing after-meal dessert.
Semolina/Sooji Pudding

INGREDIENTS 500ml whole milk 2 heaped tbsp. fine semolina/sooji 5-6 tbsp. sugar (adjust to taste) 1 tsp. vanilla essence a few drops of red food coloring 1 scoop of vanilla ice-cream (optional) crushed nuts for garnishing INSTRUCTIONS Mix the semolina in some of the milk to form a thick paste. Pour the rest of the milk into a pan, add the sugar and red food coloring (just enough to turn the milk a nice pink color). Bring to a boil and then add the semolina paste and the vanilla essence. Keep the heat on low and simmer gently whilst stirring until it thickens. This should take about 5-8 minutes to reach the consistency of custard pudding. If you prefer it thicker, simply mix some more semolina in a bit of milk and add it in, simmer some more. If you want it thinner, add a bit of milk and boil for a bit. Keep in mind that the

pudding will thicken some more as it cools in the fridge once it is done. Turn off the heat, add the scoop of vanilla ice-cream and stir until it has melted into the mixture. This adds some extra richness and flavor to the pudding. Now pour the pudding into serving bowls, garnish with nuts and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve! Enjoy! :)