CHANAR JILIPI (PANEER JALEBI ) A TRADITIONAL BENGALI SWEET

                           

Chanar jilipi is a very popular and traditional  sweet in Bengal, Orissa and Bangladesh.It is made by deep-frying a paneer dough in a coil shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup.
This recipe comes out well  with homemade chena or paneer.


INGREDIENTS -

Chena-1cup
Khoya or Mewa-1/2cup (optional )
Semolina or sooji or rava-2tbsp
Maida or All Purpose Flour -1tbsp
Ghee-1tsp
Cardamom(chota elachi  or choto elach) powder-1/2 tsp
Baking Soda-1pinch

Ingredients For Making Sugar Syrup 
Water-2cups
Sugar -1.5cups
Cardamom or Chota Elachi Powder -1/2tsp

How to make Chena or Paneer 


Ingredients of Making Chena or Paneer 

2 litre  milk
 Lemon juice-1full lemon(if required, add more lemon juice )

Method Of Making Chena or Paneer 

Take a heavy bottomed vessel, add milk

bring it to  boil and keep stirring to avoid burning of milk..

Once the milk comes to boil, simmer the gas, start adding the lemon juice and keep stirring( if required,add more lemon juice) cook for few seconds until the milk solids gets separates from the whey. Switch off the heat.

Pour this curdled milk to the already lined muslin cloth over a strainer,squeeze out all the whey water then  rinse it as much as possible....if you do not rinse the chena or paneer  proper. .you will  get the smell  of lemon while having it.

Now hang the cloth covered  chena or paneer tap for 30 minutes. Then remove it from tap and place a heavy weight on chena for another 30 minutes. It will help to squeeze  more water from chena or paneer .


After 1 hr, remove the cheesecloth from the chenna or paneer.

The chenna should not have too much moisture nor be too dry.


How to Make Sugar Syrup 


Method Of Making Sugar Syrup

Add sugar and water to a pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down until it is just bubbling. Cook the syrup until  single string form .Watch the syrup carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.

The sugar syrup should reach  the  single thread stage..it means,  dip a spoon into sugar syrup,lift it out. Wait a moment and carefully pick up a drop of syrup on your finger. Then touch your finger to your thumb and pull them apart slowly to see how many strings of syrup form. For this recipe, you want a single string syrup.When your sugar syrup  is ready,remove  from heat.

                               

Method Of Making Chanar or Paneer Jalebi

Add Khoya or Mewa , Sooji or Rava or sSemolina, Ghee,Baking Soda and Maida or All Purpose Flour into Chena or Paneer.

                               

                             

 With the heels of your palms mash the chenna or paneer mix   and knead.

                                   

Keep on collecting the chenna or paneer    from the sides and continue to mash and knead.

Divide the dough into equal parts.

Roll each potion in long strips around 12 cm.
While rolling the dough, if cracks appears then moist the hand and then roll it again

Slowly wind or coil the dough as shown in the video

make two and half turn.

                         
It is very  easy  to make the shape...see my lil one was also able to do.
   
                                 

Heat oil in a kadhai and fry the coil shaped jalebi until they are golden brown.

Dip them into the warm syrup.

Keep them immersed in syrup for 3-4 hrs so,that that jilipis or jalebis can completely soak in the syrup.

Paneer jalebis should absorb most of the syrup and will swell in size.Serve the paneer jalebis warm(put in microwave and heat it for 30 seconds ) or cold.