Jangir

Syrup-soaked Pretzels

VegetarianOrigin Tamil NaduPrep 20 minutes, plus soaking and chilling timeCook 20 minutesMakes 20-30

Crisp fried lentil-and-rice pretzels soaked in a fragrant rosewater and saffron sugar syrup. They are sweet, glossy, and best enjoyed chilled.

Saffron for the syrup

0.3 gSteeped in rosewater (step 2)

Saffron · Kesar

~0.3 gpinch

spice

Keep whole to steep in the rosewater.

Everything else

Black gram · Urad Dalrinsed and drained

400 g

legume

Basmati rice · Basmati Chawal

200 g

grain

Rosewater · Gulab Jal

15 g1 tablespoon

liquid

Granulated sugar · Cheeni

1000 g

sweetener

Milk · Doodh

5 g1 teaspoon

dairy

Vegetable oil · Telfor frying

to taste

oil/fat

Method

Cover 400 g urad dal and 200 g basmati rice with water in a bowl and soak overnight.
Drain the soaked dal and rice, then grind them in a blender to a fine paste. In a small dish, combine the saffron for the syrup with 14.7 g rosewater and leave to infuse.
Place 1000 g granulated sugar and 500 ml water into a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Raise the heat to bring the syrup to a boil. Pour in 5.1 g milk, skim off any impurities that float to the top using a slotted spoon, and simmer until it reaches a two-thread consistency.
Stir the infused saffron and rosewater into the syrup, then reduce the heat to low to keep it warm.
Pour vegetable oil into a wide pan until three-quarters full and heat to 180°C (350°F).
Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a fine tip or snip a tiny corner off a plastic bag. Pipe overlapping concentric circles directly into the hot oil, frying for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp and rich red, flipping halfway through to cook evenly.
Remove the jangir from the oil with tongs and transfer immediately into the warm syrup to soak for 5 minutes.
Lift out of the syrup, transfer to a platter, and refrigerate until cold before serving.

Don't have something?

Urad dal

Whole black gram
Use equal weight. Needs longer soaking and cooking; the dark skins impart an earthy flavour and greyish-black hue unless thoroughly rubbed off.
Chana dal
Use equal weight when tempering (tadka). Provides a comparable nutty, crunchy texture in hot oil, though grains are slightly larger.
Split mung beans
Use equal weight for batters or dals. Ferments and cooks faster, producing a lighter, less sticky, and less viscous consistency.

Basmati rice

Plain boiled rice
Use 2.5 times the weight if substituting pre-cooked rice. Fold in gently at the end of the recipe; grains will be shorter and less fragrant.

Saffron

Ground turmeric
Use 15% of the saffron's weight. Replicates the bright yellow colour well, but lacks the floral, earthy depth; use sparingly to avoid bitterness.
Screwpine water or rosewater
Use a few drops combined with a tiny pinch of ground turmeric to mimic both the regal floral aroma and the golden hue.

Rosewater

Screwpine water or rosewater
If using kewra water, use 50% of the volume specified; it is intensely floral and pungent, so add drop by drop to avoid overpowering.
Ground green cardamom
Use 0.5 g ground spice for every 5 ml rosewater. Adds warm, perfumed top notes, shifting the aroma from floral to sweet spice.
Dried rose petals
Steep 1 g dried petals in 15 ml hot milk or water for 10 minutes, strain, and stir in for a subtle, natural floral note.

Granulated sugar

Jaggery
Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Milk

Whole milk
Use equal weight; provides the standard rich dairy fat and body expected in creamy Indian bases.
Single cream
Dilute 3 parts cream with 1 part water to match the weight; yields a richer, glossier gravy that resists curdling.
Plain yogurt
Whisk thoroughly and use equal weight; adds extra body and a mild pleasant acidity, best added off the heat.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oil
Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
Ghee
Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oil
Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Similar dishes

Paper Dosa

Crisp Wafer-thin Pancakes

Paper Dosa is savoury and mildly tangy instead of intensely sweet and floral.

Same: Paper Dosa shares a base batter made of urad dal and basmati rice cooked with vegetable oil.
Different: Paper Dosa uses a fermented batter seasoned with fenugreek seeds and salt cooked on a griddle, rather than being deep-fried and soaked in saffron and rosewater sugar syrup.

Masala Siyam

Fried Rice & Black Lentil Dumplings

Masala Siyam is savory and herb-and-coconut flavored, not sweet, glossy, saffron-rosewater syrup-soaked, or served chilled like this dish.

Same: Masala Siyam shares basmati rice, urad dal, and deep-frying with this dish.
Different: Masala Siyam lacks saffron, rosewater, sugar, and milk syrup, and adds mustard seed, curry leaf, onion, coconut, coriander leaf, and salt instead of soaking in syrup.

Qabooli

Rice & Dried Fruit Kedgeree

Qabooli is rich, savory, and warmly spiced with a mild tang, contrasting with the intensely sweet, floral flavor of this dish.

Same: Qabooli shares the use of basmati rice, saffron, and milk with this dish.
Different: Instead of deep-frying an urad dal batter in vegetable oil and soaking it in sugar syrup, Qabooli cooks rice in ghee with onions, yogurt, and whole spices like cardamom, clove, and cinnamon.

Mangupullu

Crispy Deep-fried Savoury Rings

It tastes savoury, nutty and crisp from cumin and sesame, while this dish is sweet and glossy with rosewater and saffron syrup.

Same: Mangupullu shares a rice-and-lentil fried dough base with this dish.
Different: It uses moong dal, gram flour, cumin, sesame, ghee and salt, and is not soaked in a sugar syrup like this dish.