INSTANT BREAD JALEBI / JILIPI

Sweets are an integral part of the Bengalis, just as fish. One cannot imagine what revolution and innovation went in the sweet industry back home in the past few years. From the neighbourhood sweet shops to the famous ones..... each one has something unique to offer, be it in flavour, texture or taste. One has to really visit our city to get an authentic taste of our sweets, freshly served. One definitely cannot get the actual taste from the air flown tinned ones. Taste of hot Rasgullas straight from the oven is heavenly and incomparable. The tinned ones are rubbery. 

Perhaps, a lifetime is not enough to taste and be satisfied having all the varieties of our sweets. Though I belong to Kolkata, I am yet to taste some unique sweet recipes of my place. There is an interesting sweet shop in Kolkata, Hindustan Sweets, which in collaboration with the Jadavpur University introduced us to interesting sweets like Spinach Sandesh or Beetroot Sandesh. I do not remember the other varieties they offer but I really wish to visit their shop on my next visit. I have tasted sweets from different states of India, I would always vote for Kolkata's sandesh and roshogolla and the motichur ladoo from the northern India.

Ever since a friend told there is a possibility of the presence of bacteria in the tinned sweet syrups, I avoid buying them. We do have a sweet shop here that sells fresh sweets. I get them for my family at times. I also try to prepare some easy sweets at home. This Instant Bread Jalebi or Jilipi is somewhat similar to the bread gulab jamun I prepared few months back taking the idea from a number of recipes in the internet. Back home, authentically a similar looking sweet is done with home made paneer, but I tried an easier and instant one with bread and milk. This sweet requires few ingredients, yet is yum to eat. Let us prepare this soft and juicy Instant Bread Jalebi / Jilipi together.

The above picture is the original one. This is 2024, I have gotten better  in the art of sweet making. 

INGREDIENTS : [for the syrup]

Sugar : 1 small tea cup [I use less, you can add more]
Water : 3 medium tea cup
Green Cardamom : 4

INGREDIENTS : [ for the dough to prepare the sweet]
Bread : 6-8 slices

Refined Flour : 1 tbsp
Milk : 1/2 small cup
Baking Powder : 1/2 tsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Oil : 100-150 ml [the excess can be used later]

METHOD :

Cut the sides of the breads. Take the milk, bread slices, refined flour and the baking powder in a blender and blend to a paste. Transfer it to a plate and leave it for  some 6-7 minutes. This helps get rid of the dough's stickiness.

Knead the dough well for 8-9 minutes. After every 2-3 minutes of kneading, leave it for 1-2 minutes, you get a smooth dough.

Take out small portion from the dough, roll lightly between two palms and then make a ring like shape rolling it inwards.

Warm the oil in a wok and fry each side of the jalebi / jilipi till it turns brown. Fry the whole batch the same way. Take out and keep on a plate.

In a heavy bottomed vessel, take the sugar and water as mentioned for the syrup and put for boil. As it comes to a boil, add the green cardamoms. We will fry the sweets and prepare the syrup simultaneously. 

As the syrup gets thicker, drop the jalebi / jilipi in the hot syrup, one by one. Boil for 2-3 minutes and switch off the gas. Let the jilipis stand in the syrup for 20-25 minutes. 

They would fluff up while frying, further in the syrup. Serve fresh and hot drizzling some syrup over the bread jalebi / jilipi.