The Jalebis'

The streets were jam packed, the evening namaz has just been completed marking as the end of the fast and the beginning of iftar. The shops were buzzing with people, and the food stalls were in their best speed to fulfill the demands of their fellow customers.

 As I walked through the streets I could smell the aroma of the freshly fried pakoras and the hot kebabs which were being prepared on the roadside shops and thelas where the crowd had assembled to place orders and to get a handful of these delights.  Some were busy to have the fruits’ charts while others were hydrating themselves with roohafza's (concentrated sweet syrup induced with rose essence).  It was really a grand feast that was taking place where people were just hopping around from one shop to the other eating, packing, sharing and most importantly enjoying the feast of the street foods.

I headed towards my destination making way through the crowd. Finally after crossing a couple of more ally's and a number of small food stalls I reached to my today's destination.

I have been visiting this particular shop since my very childhood. I still remember how my father would ride me through this busy bazaar on his old vespa scooter and would take me to have the utterly delicious Jalebis’ . Although there were many famous shops all around the city but this one was said to be the oldest. In those days Dad would park the scooter at the corner and I would sit on the back seat with tons of excitement as I knew I was going to explore the sweetie delight and claim yet once again that I had a sweet tooth.

The shopkeeper gave me the Jalebis’ on a leaf plate which he had been doing since my childhood days. I love to have the Jalebi as a whole and break it only when it refuses to fit into my mouth. The best feel about this sweet snack is when you break it open and the sugar syrup just oozes out of it and spreads on your entire taste buds. The combination of the crispy outer covering with the slightly thick sugar syrup makes it a classic sweet to have it in India. But I was surprised to discover that Jalebi was not an Indian cuisine rather it had its roots deep down from Iran where it’s known as Zolbiya. During Ramadan it was given to the poor and was made of the same yeast dough fried in hot oil and then dipped into a honey and rose water syrup.

Later this recipe was brought to Medieval India by Persian-speaking Turkic invaders. In 15th century India, jalebi was known as Kundalika or Jalavallika where it used to be a very famous dessert dish during the grand dinner parties of the rich merchants. Although it is a foreign recipe but it was India that gave Zolbiya its crispness, bright color and the sticky sweetness which turned it into a sensational national dessert.

During my trip to Shimla I had a different version of this Jalebi, a unique combo that is very famous in some parts of the North and the regions of Himachal Pradesh. There you would find your Jalebis’ being paired up with hot thick and creamy milk. If you would go to any halwai and order the Dudh-Jalebi they would present you with a big glass (same as the Lassi glass of Amritsar) full of hot piping thick milk and a plate full of jalebis’. All you would need to do is to break your Jalebis’ into some small pieces and pour them into the hot glass. Let them be there for a minute and then dig your spoon right at the bottom. Get a spoonful of that hot creamy milk and the milk induced jalebis’ and put it right into your mouth. I bet your eyes will get automatically shut with the delightful combo.

I also tried the Jalebi with the Rabri (sweet condensed milk) and just fell in love with them too. If you are a person on a strict diet who can only spare a single cheat day within a week then this combo will surely pump your spirits and lift your depressed hearts to diet for the coming weeks to come.

I threw my leaf plate at the bucket provided, took the paper bag in which I had packed some for the home and headed back home. On my way back I saw a group of ladies circled together with eyes filled with tears, faces as red as the Kashmiri apples and cheeks expanded to the best they can be. Their hands were busy maintaining the right balance and pressure to bring them as a whole up to their mouth and the only dialogue that uttered after equal intervals of time was “Bhaiya thora aur teekha”.

I said to myself ‘I have to had these’

Hope you too would be having some sweet experiences of your adventures with Jalebis' , if so please share them with us in the comment section provided. I would love to hear them too. Please like, comment and share the post if you find it appealing and enjoying. See you all next week with another Street Feast .