Weekly Recipe: Jalebi

Divali is incomplete without sweet and scrumptious dishes. One of the most delicious of them is the sugar dipped, beautiful and orange Jalebis. In a country like India where umpteen varieties of sweets are available, Jalebi is a universal favorite.

Not only on Holi, Divali or any festive occasions, Jalebi is something which is included in the regular diet of all the people born with a sweet tooth. The unique shape and the lip smacking taste are the reasons why Jalebi is prepared on every festive occasion in the country. Jalebi tastes the best if served hot or along with curd.

Though preparing Jalebi is not a very tiring phenomenon, it requires a little time and patience. Here is how you can prepare this mouthwatering dish.

Ingredients

2 cups All purpose flour (maida)

11/2 tbsp. fine grained semolina or rice flour

1/4th tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp curd (plain yogurt)

11/4th cups warm water

1/2 tsp. saffron threads, slowly dryroasted and powdered

3 cups sugar

2 2/3rd cups water

1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds powder

11/2 tbsp. kewra water or rose water 

Ghee or vegetable oil for frying

Method

Mix the flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd and 3/4th cup of the water in a bowl (preferably a ceramic bowl). Mix well with a whisk. 

Mix well and then add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron  powder, and whisk until smooth. 

Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment. 

Whisk thoroughly before use. 

Prepare string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water. Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and ardamom powder.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Pour the batter in a steady stream (or coconut shell with a hole) into the kadhai to form

coils.

Make a few at a time. Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown. 

Remove from the kadhai and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.

Leave for at least 4-5 minutes so that they soak the syrup.

Take them out of syrup and serve hot.

Weekly Recipe: Cassava Pone

Sometimes, just plain boiled cassava could get boring. A delicious dessert made with cassava that is always welcomed is the cassava pone. It is so popular that it is the first dessert to sell out at bake sales. This dessert has a consistency almost like bread pudding.

The origin of this dish is somewhat lost in time, but it seems to have great bearings from our Amerindian heritage; it would be nice if any other Trinidadian who knows more about this dish could throw some light on its history. This tasty dessert does not have much sugar as you may notice, most of its sweetness comes from the provision, pumpkin and coconut. So not only does it taste great, but it is also healthy for you.


Ingredients:

Cassava Pone

2 cups peeled, shredded yucca (cassava, manioc)
1 cup coconut, shredded
1 1/4 cups sugar (or evaporated cane juice, if available)
1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
5 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola or other neutral oil)
1 cup coconut, rice, cow, or soy milk
1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions
- Peel and shred the yucca. Sometimes yucca can be found frozen, already peeled. Also, remember that yucca is poisonous if it is not cooked all the way through. You can shred it by hand with a box grater, or in a food processor with the shredder blade.
- Mix all ingredients together well in a large bowl.
- Place mixture in a well-oiled 8 x 13 baking pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
- Once it starts getting crispy golden colored on top and edges, it is almost done. Check at one hour. All ovens cook differently, so watch for the color change to gauge done-ness.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before slicing into brownie-sized wedges.