Trending: 7 varieties of Jalebi from across India you must try (2024)

Jalebi is an Indian sweet dish which is popular all over South Asia, Egypt and the Middle East. It is also known by various other names such as Jilapi, Zalabia, Zulbia and Mushabak. The word ‘jalebi’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘zulabiya’ or the Persian ‘zolbiya’. Jalebi’s recipe came to India through Persian-speaking Turkic invaders.

Jalebi is made by deep frying a batter made out of Maida, and is given a pretzel or circular shape. After that, it is soaked in sugar syrup. The dish has chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating and it could be served warm or cold. In North India, sometimes it is eaten with curd or rabri and comes with other optional flavours. With the passage of time and with its spread to various parts of India, a number of different varieties of Jalebi came up. Here is a look at some of them.

Made out of cottage cheese, this variant of Jalebi must be consumed within 24 hours, else it goes bad. It is also known as Chanar Jalebi, it is particularly found in West Bengal. Its ingredients include full cream milk, lemon juice, all-purpose flour and it is browner than its North Indian version.

Shaped like a flower, Jangri goes by various other names like imarti, amreti, omriti or jhangiri. It is said to have originated from North India and settled in South India. It is made out of ground urad dal, which makes it a healthier alternative as compared to the Jalebi.

Basically, it is thick and king size Jalebi, and hence the name Jaleba. One piece of it weighs 250 grams or more. Some of it can be prepared up to 500 grams as well! Mostly, it is fried in desi ghee and is a very popular dessert in North India.The jaleba of Gohana in Haryana is famous in particular.

Evem though it is Jalebi served with Rabri, still Rabdi Jalebi deserves a separate mention. It is well sought after sweet dish and is garnished with saffron, almonds and pistachios. It is often served as a dessert in North Indian weddings.

It is a famous sweet dish of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh and is prepared using a batter of khoya, maida and milk. It tastes best when it is topped with cold milk or malai.

Instead of using maida, it uses fermented urad dal and has a slightly sour after taste that makes it special. It is commonly prepared in parts of Bihar and Eastern UP.

It's a North Indian style preparation of jalebi and is made using urad dal flour, which requires no fermentation and can be made quickly.