Jangri recipe | Indian Diwali sweet recipes - Raks Kitchen (2024)

Jangri recipe, also known as imarti is an Indian dessert with lentils dunked in sugar syrup. Perfect for special occasions like Diwali.

Learn how to make jangri perfectly with these fine details even beginners can succeed!

Check out my other Diwali recipes where you can browse 100 plus sweets and snacks.

I don’t know when I started liking Jangri, but I love it like anything. That too, rose flavoured means I just love that divine smell.

My mom and I have tried one or two times back at home, before marriage,but never succeeded.

Recently when my mom visited to my place, she bought from Adyar ananda bhavan, the mini jangris.

But that rose flavor was missing. As now a days, in sweet shops they use ghee for frying, mostly the ghee smell is dominating. Then my mom suggested trying of my own.

I searched in Youtube for videos for better understanding. I have always had in back of my mind to try this classic sweet.

But you know, I was scared to try, if it doesn't comes out well.But when I saw Vah chef’s video, it gave me a lot of confidence and as my mom was with me we decided to try it out.

I got a overall idea from the video and made one day!! To our surprise it was not bad at all and we all were satisfied-that includes my husband(who is not fond of jangris), and my son, who loves it just like me 😇.

It was very easy for me to make jangri, this is the fourth time I am making. But you know very difficult to take pics.

Gazillion times I had to wash hands and take pics…😂.But its okay,its for my future reference and for you all,so I can forget about it 😀.

And I am assuring you all, that it will come out well if tried with interest…Not very complicated!! Do try it once and let me know😎.

Top tips

• Urad dal - Use good quality of urad dal. Whole white (without skin) urad dal gives best result. Udhayam or 24 mantra Organic works well for me. (Not sponsored) But make sure to use fresh stock.
• Batter consistency - it should not be watery. It should be firm as well as fluffy. With tiny micro bubbles in it, so that you feel it light like a foam.

What happens if your batter consistency is not right?

If it is too watery or you add more water than needed, it becomes brittle and too crispy. It will drink oil and you will taste it like oil flavor more.

How to fix it? - try adding not more than 1 or 2 tablespoons of rice flour and mix batter with your hands well.

Not enough water and batter is too thick and feels like paste? The result will be your jangri won't absorb syrup and taste like urad dal.

How to fix it? Sprinkle little water say 1 tablespoon or 2 and mix batter with your hands as if you are beating it. In few minutes it should become fluffy and light.

Syrup consistency - Half string consistency is perfect for Jangri. This is thicker than we do for gulab jamun (next stage).

Here's how to check it - if you check in between your fingers, a string forms clearly but breaks.

If a string forms and does not break, it is one string consistency. This will be hard for jangri to absorb, as well as too sweet. You may want to dilute and boil again.

Sugar syrup is too watery means the jangri will not be sweet enough as well as it will affect the firm texture.

My notes

• Oil temperature should be medium, so heat it first, then put the flame to low to bring down the temperature. Then start to make jangri. You should regulate the heat as you proceed.
• If it is fuming hot, the jangri will turn brown. If not enough heat, it bloats and drink oil.
• Use flat bottomed pan for this, do not recommend curve kadai.
• Practice to draw the pattern before you do directly in oil. If you are not comfortable with it, just draw random swirls just like you get in shops as 'Mini jangris'.
• Though wet grinder gives perfect results of batter, you can also use mixie for grinding.
• Use ice water for grinding. Always add little by little not all at once.
• If using mixie for grinding, use ice cubes, which gives fluffy results.
• You can also keep the urad dal in fridge after an hour of soaking. This gives fluffiest results. Fluffy batter = perfect jangri.
• Adding salt, lemon juice will balance the taste, No, it won't be tasting odd 🙂
• Use natural food color and flavor (pure rose water AKA panneer) as much as possible to avoid harmful chemicals.

Method

Batter

1. Soak urad dal for 2 hrs and grind with very little water as we do for grinding vadas.

2. The batter should be fluffy and smooth. Mix a pinch of salt, food colour and rice flour(if desired) and mix well.

Hope you can see how fluffy my batter is yet not thick like paste. That's how it should be.

Sugar syrup

1. Heat the sugar with water and after it starts boiling, let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Let flame be medium once it starts thicening. Do not boil in high flame.

2. Half string consistency will be right for this, just when a string starts to form is enough(ilam kambi padham).

3. Add lemon juice, food colour and lastly essenceand mix well. Switch off the stove.

4. Take a zip lock cover and make a hole with a thin nail as shown in the picture. The hole should be very tiny.

You can use cloth as well, but make sure the hole is tiny, otherwise jangri may not look good.

Make Jangri

1. Fill half the cover with the batter and first practice doing in a plate. Draw two circle as shown and over it,draw small swirl like circles over it. Just practice 2-3 times you will get it right.
2. Mine is also not perfect see? 😉 But you will get it right.

3. Then heat a broad, flat bottomed pan with oil. Once oil is hot, keep the flame in low.

4. The oil should not be fuming, just medium heat. Start drawing jangris in the oil, repeat the same to make few per batch depending on pan size.

5. Once the jangris gets cooked and becomes light, turn over and cook till crisp.

Then take out carefully and transfer to the sugar syrup.

I used chopsticks for this, which works out very well. You can use the one they use for turning paniyaram.

6. Dunk the fried jangris in hot sugar syrup for 2 minutes or until you fry two batches. Take out and keep in another plate and repeat with other jangris as you fry.

Ready to enjoy!!! This is like my long time dream come true. I am satisfied with the taste. So if you too carve for jangris, please do try at home and let me know…

Recipe card