Diwali treats: Jalebi ice-cream sandwiches

Diwali is here, which means many people in the Indian community will be busy in the kitchen whipping up some delicious treats to celebrate the annual festival of lights. 

The Tocka Blog's Landi Govender decided to put a little twist - okay, it's kind of a major twist - on a traditional Indian sweetmeat. 

She is making 'Jalebi Ice-Cream Sandwiches'!

"I feel like I come up with the strangest desserts, but somehow they just work. This is one of those times. Sweet, crispy, and syrupy,  jalebi - a classic Indian sweet - has been upgraded to an ice cream sandwich with crushed pistachios and a touch of gold leaf. These hit the spot, especially in this heat!" she says. 

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Here's how to make it:

Ingredients

Jalebi batter:

125g cake flour
1/2 tsp yellow food colouring
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate if soda
16g maizena
120ml plain yogurt
120ml water – add more if needed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Vegetable oil for frying

Spiced syrup:

2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of water
5 crushed cardamom pods
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Pinch of saffron, optional

2L vanilla ice cream
Roasted and chopped pistachios
Gold leaf, optional

Method:

Spiced sugar syrup:

1. Add sugar to a non stick pot, add in water and stir.
2. Boil on medium heat until it reaches a 1 string consistency – watch my YouTube video to see how.
3. Add in lemon juice, crushed cardamom pods and saffron. Remove from heat and set aside to infuse.

Note: if your syrup crystallizes, add in a little water and place back on the heat.

Jalebi batter:

1. Add cake flour, maidens, bicarbonate of soda, food colouring to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
2. Add yogurt and mix in, add in water and whisk until the batter is smooth. The batter needs to be thick but flowing. If it needs more water, add a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the correct consistency.
3. Pour batter into a squeeze bottle, this will ensure your jalebis are uniform.

Frying:

1. Heat the oil on medium heat, check of the oil is hot enough by adding a little batter to it. It needs to rise up without browning.
2. Squeeze the bottle gently in circular motions from the centre moving out to get a pretty spirals. If your batter is too thick just add in a little water.
3. While the jalebis are Frying check up on your syrup. If it has crystallized, add in a little water and return to the heat. The syrup needs to be warm and not hot. This prevents the jalebi from getting soft.
4. Once the jalebi is done frying, add the the warm syrup. Remove after 4-5 minutes and set aside. Do this to the remaining jalebi.
5. Once the jalebi have cooled down completely, sandwich together with your favourite ice cream and sprinkle with roasted pistachios and if you’re feeling a bit extra, add in a touch of gold leaf.

Watch Landi's video below to find out how to make this delicious treat:

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Main image courtesy of The Tocka Blog