Learn how to make traditional Jangiri recipe with step by step pictures. Deepavali special sweet Jangri recipe with lots of tips and notes to make it easily at home.
In tToday’s Deepavali series is a traditional classic sweet - Jangiri recipe! For years, I have had my eyes fixated on making it at home, but I always thought it was too challenging for some reason. This year I asked my Instagram followers for Diwali recipe requests and the most asked for this! From being on my to-do list for years, it became a reality – all thanks to the small push from you guys!
Making Jangiri at Home
Jangiri – also called as Imarti is deep-fried sugar syrup coated traditional sweet made with urad dal. While the shape of the jangri is very similar to Jalebi, there are a lot of differences between these two sweets. Jalebi is maida-based but Jangri is made from soaked urad dal. Comparatively, jalebi is easier for me – may be because I have had experience with it. I tried Jangiri twice in a single weekend to perfect the recipe and I should say that with practice, it does become easier.
Jalebi is always served warm and is crisp often sprinkled with finely chopped nuts. Jangiri on the other hand is soft and melt-in-mouth. Both are dipped in hot sugar syrup but the textures hugely vary. The flower shape of the jangri is not so easy to perfect, and I don’t claim to be an expert on it but I can share as many tips to get it right.
Traditionally a cloth with a small hole (called jangri cloth) is used to pipe jangiri into hot oil. My dad apparently has one stitched at our home but this year, I didn’t have it so I ended up using a ziplock cover with a small hole made using hot nail. This is a tip I learnt from Vahrevah chef and it was quite handy.
Tips & Important Notes to Perfect Jangiri
Jangri is a slightly technical recipe that can be hard for beginners but with these tips and important notes, it should be easy to crack the recipe at home.
- Use good quality whole urad dal. We want the batter to be fluffy and light, there are no shortcuts except for getting good ingredients.
- I made the jangiri batter using my wet grinder as well as blender. I didn’t notice any difference in the texture between the two batters. Next time I would prefer to use my blender as it was easier. Keep in mind that the batter shouldn’t get warm – so always grind in small intervals with as little water as possible.
- Urad Dal batter must be fluffy and light – once ground transfer it to a large bowl and mix it in clockwise direction (important not to change the direction once you start) for about 5-7 mins using your palm.
- Use a small nail heated to make hole in your ziplock bag. This will ensure that the hole is smaller and also the sides of the hole are sealed.
- Use a flat pan with just an inch of oil to make the jangri.
- Oil temperature should always be maintained low. When you drop batter into the oil, if it raises up immediately – oil is hot. Let it cool down before piping your jangri.
- Slow cook the jangri until they are crisp on both sides. Use a thin rod to turn them around. When the jangiris change color and get darker shade of orange, they are fried enough.
- Sugar Syrup should be one string consistency and it should be warm when you drop your prepared jangri.
- Jangiri should be dropped into the sugar syrup hot from the oil. They should soak in the sugar syrup for 2-3 mins only and they will change color by absorbing warm syrup.
- Let the jangri rest for an hour to get softer.
Storing and Serving Suggestions
Homemade Jangiri can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for over a week. It stays softer, but juicier as it rests for a few hours after making. Serve alongside your snacks during tea time or as an after meal dessert.
Check out other Deepavali sweet recipes
Homemade Jangiri with Step by Step Pictures
First soak ½ cup Whole Urad Dal in enough water for minimum 1 hour and maximum 2 hours.
Drain off the water and using a blender or wet grinder, grind the urad dal into fluffy batter. Use as little water as possible (~3tbsp) to grind the dal. If using blender, don’t run it on high speed for long duration. Instead pulse it a few times until the batter is fluffy. Remove onto a bowl.
Add a pinch of salt and two pinches of red orange food color mixed in little water to the urad dal batter.
Now using your palm, start mixing the batter in clock wise direction continuously for 5-7 mins. Scrap the edges of the bowl a few times along the way but don’t change the direction of mixing once you start.
At the end of mixing in, when a drop of batter is dropped into a bowl of water it should float on top. This means that the batter is fluffy.
Bring the batter together and keep it aside until the sugar syrup and oil are ready.
Meanwhile, heat a small nail and poke a small hole at the center of a ziplock bag.
In a pan add ¾ cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Stir well and cook until the sugar is dissolved.
When it is bubbling from the bottom, check for one string consistency. When you touch the syrup between your index and thumb fingers, it should form a thin string.
Add 2 pinches of red orange food color and ¼ teaspoon of cardamom powder. Mix well. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile heat oil in a flat pan for making Jangri. The oil should just be about 1” in the pan. Heat it on low flame and check if it is ready by dropping a tiny bit of batter, if it doesn’t raise up immediately oil is ready.
Fill the batter into the Ziplock bag, twist it at the top.
Now to make the jangiri shape – start by making a circle and then pipe small swirls around it in circular motion.
Start piping the jangiri into hot oil carefully. Depending on the size of the fry pan, you can make 3-4. Make sure that the oil is not too hot. After one batch, you can switch off the heat and pipe the jangiris too.
Once the jangris are cooked on one side, flip them around gently using a thin rod (I used my paniyaram turner) and cook the other side too. It is important to keep the temperature of the oil low all through out.
Make sure the sugar syrup is warm, reheat it on lowest flame with a teaspoon of water if it is not. Keep checking the consistency as it cools down.
As the jangiris are cooked on both sides and are crisp, remove them from oil.
Drop them into warm sugar syrup straight from the oil. Coat them with syrup and immerse them in. In 2-3 minutes, they absorb the syrup and change to a darker color.
Remove them sugar syrup and arrange on plate to cool down.
Once at room temperature, store them in airtight container for upto a week.
Recipe Notes
- It is recommended to use whole urad dal and not split urad dal for this recipe.
- If the batter is thin or runny, you can add 1 teaspoon of rice flour. I didnt add any to mine as the batter was fluffy both with blender and wet grinder.
- The hole of the ziplock bag should be small – when the urad dal batter is dropped into hot oil, it comes out bigger. So if the hole is big – jangiris will be very large.
- If you are not able to make a flower shape, just swirl it around a few times to make mini jangiri.
- To prevent the sugar syrup from crystalizing, add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice.
Recipe Card
📖 Recipe

Jangiri | Homemade Jangiri
Equipment
- Flat Fry Pan
- Pot/Pan to make Sugar Syrup
- Blender/Wet Grinder
- Ziplock Bag
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
Jangri Batter
- ½ cup Whole Urad Dal
- 1 teaspoon Rice Flour optional only needed if the batter is runny
- Pinch of Salt
- Pinch of Red Orange Food Color
Sugar Syrup
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- Pinch of Red Orange Food Color
Instructions
- First soak ½ cup Whole Urad Dal in enough water for minimum 1 hour and maximum 2 hours.
- Drain off the water and using a blender or wet grinder, grind the urad dal into fluffy batter. Use as little water as possible (~3tbsp) to grind the dal. If using blender, don’t run it on high speed for long duration. Instead pulse it a few times until the batter is fluffy. Remove onto a bowl.
- Add a pinch of salt and two pinches of red orange food color mixed in little water to the urad dal batter.
- Now using your palm, start mixing the batter in clock wise direction continuously for 5-7 mins. Scrap the edges of the bowl a few times along the way but don’t change the direction of mixing once you start.
- At the end of mixing in, when a drop of batter is dropped into a bowl of water it should float on top. This means that the batter is fluffy.
- Bring the batter together and keep it aside until the sugar syrup and oil are ready.
- Meanwhile, heat a small nail and poke a small hole at the center of a ziplock bag.
- In a pan add ¾ cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Stir well and cook until the sugar is dissolved.
- When it is bubbling from the bottom, check for one string consistency.
- Add 2 pinches of red orange food color and ¼ teaspoon of cardamom powder. Mix well. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile heat oil in a flat pan for making Jangri. The oil should just be about 1” in the pan. Heat it on low flame and check if it is ready by dropping a tiny bit of batter, if it doesn’t raise up immediately oil is ready.
- Fill the batter into the Ziplock bag, twist it at the top.
- Now to make the jangiri shape – start by making a circle and then pipe small swirls around it in circular motion.
- Start piping the jangiri into hot oil carefully. Depending on the size of the fry pan, you can make 3-4. Make sure that the oil is not too hot. After one batch, you can switch off the heat and pipe the jangiris too.
- Once the jangris are cooked on one side, flip them around gently using a thin rod (I used my paniyaram turner) and cook the other side too. It is important to keep the temperature of the oil low all through out.
- Make sure the sugar syrup is warm, reheat it with a teaspoon of water if it is not.
- As the jangiris are cooked on both sides and are crisp, remove them from oil.
- Drop them into warm sugar syrup straight from the oil. In 2-3 minutes, they absorb the syrup and change to a darker color.
- Remove them sugar syrup and arrange on plate to cool down.
- Once at room temperature, store them in airtight container for upto a week.
Notes
- It is recommended to use whole urad dal and not split urad dal for this recipe.
- If the batter is thin or runny, you can add 1 teaspoon of rice flour. I didnt add any to mine as the batter was fluffy both with blender and wet grinder.
- The hole of the ziplock bag should be small – when the urad dal batter is dropped into hot oil, it comes out bigger. So if the hole is big – jangiris will be very large.
- If you are not able to make a flower shape, just swirl around a few times to make mini jangiri.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
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