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Wondering how to make a delicious, juicy, and crunchy dessert at home? Hence, you should have a look at my Zlabia (Easy Jalebi Recipe) which will leave your sweet craving satisfied!
What is Zlabia?
Zlabia or Zalabia is a spiral-shaped sweet made from basic ingredients like flour, sugar, starch, and yeast. And after the dough is rested, Zalabias are deep-fried in oil and dipped in a simple syrup or honey!
These crispy and sugar-coated Zalabias are truly addictive and delicious! Trust me, everyone will love such a sweet dessert and even ask for more!
Ramadan is a month when Algerians like Muslims fast for a month. In the evening after almost half a day without eating; Algerian tables are adorned with Zalabias.
The oriental sweet is famous in the Arab community as a whole, but Algerians prepare it differently. It consists of sugar, starch, and flour which is then fried in abundant oil.
Zlabia Recipe
The first thing you want to do is to prepare the syrup. The syrup will need to be cooled while we make the batter.
To Prepare Syrup, Mix sugar, water, lemon juice, and rose water in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Bring to a slow boil for approximately ten minutes, or until it starts to have a syrupy consistency. (If it gets too thick, add a little more water and stir until it reaches the right consistency).
Allow the syrup to cool off while you work on the batter.
To prepare the batter, Mix yeast, sugar, and water, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Whisk in cornstarch, flour, salt, and baking powder. The batter consistency should resemble pancake batter. Cover and place in a warm location for one hour.
After this, you mold it into shape and fry it on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Why is My zlabia Soggy?
If the batter is too thick, it will turn soft and saggy. So make sure to have a pancake batter consistency
What Do Zlabia Taste Like?
The Zalabia dough doesn’t have much of a taste to it because it’s made with (corn starch, flour, yeast, salt, and baking powder).
However, the irresistible flavor comes from the fried, crispy batter, and the rosewater-flavored syrup that it is soaked into.
Think funnel cake, minus the powdered sugar, with a hint of roses.
Storage & Reheating
You can store them in a well-sealed container or sealable storage bag at room temperature for up to 7 days. Also, you can store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for 12 days.
To reheat, put in the microwave. On high heat, reheat them for about 10-15 seconds. If they’re still somewhat cold but crispy, you can try to microwave them for additional 10 seconds.
Be Sure to Try These Other Authentic Algerian dishes!
Below is the step-by-step recipe, Enjoy!
Zlabia
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. rosewater
- 1 tsp. yeast
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp. sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup vegetable oil for frying or more as needed
Instructions
- Mix sugar, water, lemon juice, and rose water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a slow boil for approximately ten minutes, or until it starts to have a syrupy consistency.
- Allow the syrup to cool off while you work on the batter.
- Mix yeast, sugar, and water. Cover, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Mix in cornstarch, flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Cover and place in a warm location for one hour.
- Heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees F.
- Place batter in a squeeze bottle, cut the tip of the bottle if necessary.
- Squeeze batter out of the bottle, into the hot oil, forming 3″ circles resembling funnel cakes.
- Drain on paper towels. While still warm, dip the Zalabia in the syrup and allow excess to drip off.
- Continue until the batter is used up. Enjoy!
Notes
Another helpful item would be a plastic condiment squeeze bottle. You will use the bottle to squeeze out the batter into swirls as you fry them.
It's helpful to have someone help you when it's time to fry the Zalabia. While one of you fries and drains the Zalabia, the other can dip them in the syrup, while still warm, and plate them.