The batter leaves the snipped corner of the bag in a thin stream and lands in the hot oil as loose, uneven rings that puff and set almost at once. A few minutes later they come out light brown, drip for a moment, and sink into a pan of warm syrup tinted gold with saffron. After about a minute they come up glossy and sticky, and they go to the plate while still warm. That is jilapi, Bangladesh's spiral sweet: a batter of flour and yogurt left to ferment for most of a day, fried, and soaked in sugar syrup, so each bite is fried and sweet at once with saffron in the syrup.
Jilapi in Bangladesh
Jilapi, also written jalapi, is eaten across Bangladesh all through the year, and more of it is eaten during Ramadan. It belongs among the country's fermented foods: the batter is refined flour and doi, the local yogurt, mixed and left to stand until it turns bubbly and spongy before it ever meets the oil. That long rest is what separates a jilapi batter from a pancake mix stirred and used on the spot.
The spiral, fried and dropped into syrup, is shared with jalebi across the border in India, and where the sweet first began is not settled. The batters differ between kitchens and regions; some jalebi batters are built on gram flour, while the Bangladeshi form here is flour and yogurt alone. Amriti, which sits next to jilapi in sweet shops, is a separate sweet altogether: it is made from pulse flour and piped into a flower shape rather than a loose coil.
At home, the spiral comes out thin and a little irregular, each one slightly different from the last, with open gaps between the turns. If you are cooking your way through the food of Bangladesh, this is the sweet to make on a day when you are home for the long rest of the batter.
The name is written Jilapi or Jalapi in English, and জিলাপি in Bengali script. Searching for jalebi as well brings up the same spiral form from neighbouring kitchens, though the batter and syrup often change.
Ingredients
The batter water has no fixed measure because flour and yogurt absorb differently. Stop adding water the moment the batter drops from the spoon in a heavy fall; a runny batter spreads in the oil and loses its spiral.
Jilapi contains wheat (the flour) and milk (the yogurt). Frying in ghee instead of oil adds more milk.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl and spoon
- Small saucepan for the syrup
- Shallow, heavy pan for frying
- Sturdy food-safe piping bag, or a thick cloth with a small hole
- Kitchen scissors
- Slotted spoon
- Plain serving plate
Fill the frying pan only partway, well below the rim. Dry the pan, the spoon and your hands before the oil goes on the heat, and keep every drop of water away from it. Hold the bag above the oil with your hands clear when you pipe. Test the syrup with a spoon only; it burns skin.
A smaller hole gives thinner strands, and thin strands give the light, open spiral. Start with a tiny snip; you can always cut a little more.
Choosing and substituting
Maida is the finely milled refined wheat flour of South Asian kitchens, sold at Indian, Bangladeshi and other Asian grocers and online. Plain all-purpose flour works in its place; it absorbs water a little differently, so lean on the spoon test rather than on habit. For the yogurt, use plain and unsweetened, the closest match to doi; a sweetened or flavoured pot adds sugar and flavour the batter does not want.
Saffron is the only flavour in the syrup, so buy it from a spice shop or grocer you trust. Leaving it out gives a plain sugar syrup with a paler colour and no floral aroma. A neutral oil such as canola or rapeseed keeps the taste on the batter and syrup; ghee is the other frying fat used for jilapi and brings a buttery, dairy aroma. The main recipe keeps to these ingredients alone, with no food colouring, rosewater, lemon, baking soda or Eno, which is why the finished spirals are golden amber rather than bright orange.
Method
The batter comes first and then rests for most of the day, so mix it in the morning if you want jilapi in the afternoon. Nothing needs doing during the rest. When the batter is ready, make the syrup, then heat the oil and fry in batches, moving each batch straight from the oil into the syrup and out onto the plate.
Make the syrup before the oil goes on the heat. It then sits warm and ready when the first spirals come out, and the frying can run from batch to batch without a pause.
Wash your hands with soap and running water, and use a bowl and spoon washed in warm soapy water. Keep to the 6 to 7 hour rest. Do not taste the raw batter. Throw the batch away if it smells unpleasant rather than pleasantly sour, grows mould, shows orange or red spots, turns slimy or takes on an unexpected colour.
When it goes wrong
Most problems show up either at the spoon or in the pan, and each has a quick fix. The two that matter most are the batter's smell and the size of the hole.
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The batter clings to the spoon in a stiff lump | It needs a little more water | Add water a little at a time, stirring well after each addition, until it drops |
| The rested batter smells foul, shows mould, coloured spots or slime | The batch has spoiled | Throw it away, wash the bowl and start again |
| The syrup falls from the spoon in drops | It has not reduced enough | Boil a little longer on high heat and test again |
| The test drop sinks and stays down | The oil is not hot enough | Heat the oil longer and test again |
| Spirals stick together in the pan | They were piped too close | Pipe fewer at a time with open oil around each |
| Strands come out thick and heavy | The hole is too big | Move the batter to a fresh bag and snip a smaller hole |
Serving and variations
On the table
Jilapi goes to the plate warm, straight from the syrup, with nothing on top. The saffron syrup is the only finish it needs. Make it on a day you can serve each batch soon after it leaves the pan, because warm is how it is eaten.
Variations
- Fried in ghee. Ghee in place of neutral oil gives the spirals a buttery, dairy aroma and adds milk to the allergen list.
- Without saffron. A plain sugar syrup gives a paler spiral and a simpler sweetness with no floral note.
- Rose-scented syrup. Rose-scented syrup is another syrup used for jilapi in Bangladesh. This recipe keeps to the saffron syrup above and gives no rose amount.
- Quick versions. Some jilapi batters use Eno fruit salt and skip the long rest, with food colouring added. They are separate batters with their own measures, and the yogurt-and-rest method here stays as it is.
Frequently asked questions
Does the batter need yeast or baking soda?
No. The flour and yogurt batter rises during its long rest, and the bubbles and spongy surface show it has fermented. Adding yeast or soda changes the batter into a different recipe with its own timing.
Why are my jilapi golden instead of bright orange?
The bright orange of many sweet-shop spirals comes from food colouring. Here the colour comes from frying to light brown and from saffron in the syrup, which gives a golden amber shine.
Can I pipe with a cloth instead of a bag?
Yes. Use a thick, clean cloth with a small hole, gather it around the batter and twist the top closed, then squeeze from above just as with a bag. Hold it well above the oil so the cloth never touches it.
