Chanar Jalebi also known as Paneer Jalebi is a very exquisite dessert from the Bengali cuisine. A very rich and delicate dessert that is perfect for the festival season.
When I was looking for a Bengali sweet recipe to make for my Blogging marathon, this recipe caught my eye and that is when it hit me that I could make the Bengali Chanar Jalebi that was given to us by Chandrani of Cuisine delights.
SNC was started by Divya Pramil of You Too Can Cook in which the Southern region and the Northern region compete against each other and in the process learn to make an authentic dish.
WHY MAKE THIS RECIPE
Chanar Jalebi or Paneer Jilebi is a famous Bengali sweet made on any occasion. This jalebi is made out of paneer or Chanar and then soaked in warm sugar syrup. The recipe is very easy to follow, but I had some trouble shaping the jalebi’s.
I did realize that this was caused because I did not strain the Paneer enough and hence there was an abundance of moisture in the paneer which caused the dough to be very sticky. I did overcome this issue and I will explain in detail how I did so.
Preparation time – 1 hr
Cooking time – 20 mins
Difficulty level – Medium
Ingredients
- Paneer – from 1 liter Milk
- Lemon juice – from 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp)
- Maida – 3 tsp
- Baking powder – ½ tsp
- Cardamom powder – ½ tsp plus ½ tsp
- Sugar – ½ cup
- Water – ¼ cup
- Milk – 2 tsp (optional)
- Oil – for deep frying
- Orange food coloring - a pinch (optional)
Procedure –
- Make the Paneer from the milk. Please refer to my detailed post here to see how to make homemade paneer.
- Once the paneer is drained enough that there is no excess liquid and yet it is slightly wet to touch, add the maida, baking powder and cardamom powder to it and knead well for about 10 to 15 mins to get smooth, soft dough.
- Meanwhile to make the sugar syrup, heat the sugar and water in a heavy bottom pan in medium heat. Once the sugar is dissolved and it boils, simmer the syrup until it reaches a sticky consistency. Now add the food coloring (optional) and the cardamom powder and then turn off the flame. Keep the syrup covered until the jalebis are ready.
- Divide the dough into 15 small balls and then roll it into thin long cylinder.
- Now shape the cylinder in the form of jalebi (spirals) and arrange them on a plate.
- Heat oil in a deep kadai and fry the jalebis in low heat to golden brown color. Drain it on paper towel.
- Immediately soak the jalebis in the warm sugar syrup. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.
- Cover the sugar syrup and let the jalebis stand in it for couple of hours.
- The jalebi would absorb almost all the syrup and it is now ready to be served. Serve it in room temperature or cold.
Expert tips
- My dough was very sticky and I could not make any balls or roll it into cylinder. This was because I did not drain the paneer enough. So make sure that the paneer is almost dry before making. Also if your dough appears too dry and cracked, add the couple of tsps of milk mentioned in the ingredients list to make it soft.
- I stuck my very wet dough in the refrigerator for couple of hours and then worked with cold dough. This way I was able to get the shape and make the jalebis. So if any of you encounter the same issue, work with cold dough. The cold stiffens the dough a bit and makes it easier to work with.
If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter
Bengali Chanar Jalebi | Paneer Jalebi
Ingredients
- 1 liter Paneer from 1 liter Milk
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice from 1 lemon about 3 tbsp
- 3 tsp Maida
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Cardamom powder
- ½ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Water
- 2 tsp Milk optional
- Oil for deep frying
- a pinch Orange food coloring optional
Instructions
- Make the Paneer from the milk. Please refer to my detailed post here to see how to make homemade paneer.
- Once the paneer is drained enough that there is no excess liquid and yet it is slightly wet to touch, add the maida, baking powder, and cardamom powder to it and knead well for about 10 to 15 mins to get smooth, soft dough.
- Meanwhile to make the sugar syrup, heat the sugar and water in a heavy bottom pan in medium heat. Once the sugar is dissolved and it boils, simmer the syrup until it reaches a sticky consistency. Now add the food coloring (optional) and the cardamom powder and then turn off the flame. Keep the syrup covered until the jalebis are ready.
- Divide the dough into 15 small balls and then roll it into a thin long cylinder.
- Now shape the cylinder in the form of jalebi (spirals) and arrange them on a plate.
- Heat oil in a deep Kadai and fry the jalebis in low heat to golden brown color. Drain it on paper towels.
- Immediately soak the jalebis in the warm sugar syrup. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.
- Cover the sugar syrup and let the jalebis stand in it for a couple of hours.
- The jalebi would absorb almost all the syrup and it is now ready to be served. Serve it at room temperature or cold.
Notes
- My dough was very sticky and I could not make any balls or roll it into the cylinder. This was because I did not drain the paneer enough. So make sure that the paneer is almost dry before making. Also if your dough appears too dry and cracked, add a couple of tsps of milk mentioned in the ingredients list to make it soft.
- I stuck my very wet dough in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and then worked with cold dough. This way I was able to get the shape and make the jalebis. So if any of you encounter the same issue, work with cold dough. The cold stiffens the dough a bit and makes it easier to work with.
Meena Selvakumaran says
wonderfully made.so tempting.
Vijayalakshmi Dharmaraj says
wow its super tempting and nice explanation akka...
Neela says
Its amazing.
Nivedhanams Sowmya says
that looks unbelievably beautiful... love the photo in the spoon (closeup) - super professionally done... should try this one soon!!!
Sowmya
Event - Authentic Indian Sweets w giveaway
Event - Kid's delight - Sweet Treats
rekhas kitchen says
OMG your pictures are temtinge a lot can not talk any more mouthwatering...
sushma says
Am just loving it seeing the yummy Jalebi.
Harini-Jaya R says
I have been trying to get myself to make these but you have now tempted beyond what I am capable of handling!! Awesome!
Srivalli says
I recently came to know abt this sweet, sounds very interesting..wonder why I dont' remember reading on this..nice pictures
Jayashree says
I wouldn't have thought that anything that looks so good would be relatively easy to make. Bookmarking this recipe to try out later.
Pavani N says
Those paneer jalebis look sooooooo good. Love the presentation and the clicks are too tempting.
Avika says
Wonderful color 🙂 very very tempting 🙂
Nupur says
such a beauty .... I just cant wait to have them .
Suma Gandlur says
Crispy and juicy; Love them.
Vidya Chandrahas says
Mouthwatering jalebis...yummy.
divya says
Super delicious !! looks so inviting !!
Priya Suresh says
Beautifully done, juicy jalebis looks extremely attractive.
Tamilarasi Sasikumar says
Looks so yum...
vaishali sabnani says
wow..simply wow..loving the recipe..and will try it as soon as I have some dinner..
Janani says
Way to go very nice Sandhya
Hema says
Such an elaborate process.. the process seems similar to gulab jamuns.. Lovely paneer jalebis!
Kanan says
wow, this recipe is new to me. Thanks for sharing. looks delicious.
thelady8home says
This is such a fab challenge, mouthwatering. And you have turned out perfect jilebis.
Divya Pramil says
Perfectly made jalebis.. Nicely explained too.. 🙂 Well done on the challnge 🙂
thelady8home says
The jalebis have come out beautiful, juicy and yummy. Love it!
Sanoli Ghosh says
Yours came out too perfect Sandhya. Yummy and super delicious jalebis.....:)
Wer SAHM says
wow this jalebi looks awesome and super clicks...
Shylaashree says
looks tempting
Priya R says
lovely jelebi and you have explained so well, i am just imagining the taste of them, looks fabulous
DivyaGCP says
Perfectly made and looks delicious.. 🙂
Jayanthi Padmanabhan says
Looks great and Thanks for the detailed explanation.
Rafeeda AR says
looks really yummy... thank you for the tips as well, it is of good help... 🙂
Akila says
Happy to follow u
Akila says
What a yummy paneer jalebis.... Very tempting... When u get one do visit mine...
Chef Mireille says
these look so good and much better than normal jalebis I see in shops
Swathi Iyer says
Delicious jalebi . Looks perfect for any occasion.
Sona S says
Jalebi looks delicious and perfect.
Asiya Omar says
Wow! Looks fantastic..