Imarti is known by different names across India. Amarti, Jhangiri, or Jaangiri are a few vernacular names of this super crispy dessert. It is very similar to Jalebi. But, Imarti is supposed to be thicker and sweeter than jalebi. They have a crunchy exterior and a rather soft, juicy, and chewy interior. We in our family like them a little thinner and crispier. Almost like a Jalebi. This recipe is my take on Imarti. So, let us get making this super crispy and juicy Imarti recipe.

These Imartis are

Crispy
Juicy
Syrupy goddess
A dessert to impress

Batter for our super crispy and juicy imarti

Let talk about the batter for these Super crispy and juicy Imarti.

Urad dal is the key ingredient in Imarti. Soaking it right is very crucial. if you soak it too much, the dal will absorb too much water and on blending, it will yield very thin batter. So never soak dal for too long. What I mean to say is that overnight soaking is not appropriate or Imarti.

The main problem that often happens with batter is breaking while piping.

If the batter is too thick it will not be pipeable. If the Urad dal is not blended smooth and fine, and the batter remains coarse, it will easily break while piping.

Sometimes we end up adding too much water while blending. Resulting in a thin batter. The thin batter will yield flat Imartis. You can troubleshoot it by adding a tablespoon of rice flour.

Rice flour is added to make the Imarti crispier. You can also use corn starch instead of rice flour or omit it.

The blended dal batter should be beaten well using a circular motion of hands. Just like Dahi Bhalla batter, we need to aerate the Imarti batter. It needs to be beaten well for 5-7 minutes. If you are making it for the first time, I suggest you do the drop test.

Drop test

Put a small drop of batter in a small bowl of cold water. If the batter drop floats, the batter is well aerated and ready to pipe.

The resting of batter post aeration is also crucial. Give it a rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour before piping. It causes fermentation in the batter and makes it airy.

Piping these Super crispy and juicy Imarti

Following tools can be used to pipe the imartis:

Piping Cloth: Nothing is better than a piping cloth to pipe perfect Imartis. It is a thick cloth with a hole used by professionals to pipe Imartis.
Squeeze bottle: Shaping is very convenient with a squeeze bottle. But, the hole of a squeeze bottle might be thin for Imarti. And there is no possible way to increase the thickness of Imartis in that case. Also, in a squeeze bottle, the batter left in the bottle towards the end is difficult to squeeze out. A lot of batters is wasted that way.
Piping bag: Contrary to a Squeeze bottle you can make a hole of the desired size in a piping bag. Also, there is no wastage of batter. So, I like to use a sturdy piping bag for making Imarti.

Shaping these intricate Imartis

Shaping Imarti is another challenge. If you have made jalebis, you will not have much trouble with it.

All we have to understand is that the oil should not be very hot, else the batter will move a lot in the oil while shaping and we will not be able to seal the pattern.

Start by making two concentric circles. By the time you approach the end of the second circle, start making mini swirls, on the previous circles taking them as a base. Try to make close and consistent swirls. It does take a little practice.

Do not get disheartened if they all are not that round and regular. I have made it numerous times and I am still a work in progress.

I don’t care about the shape, as long as it tastes good. And trust me, the shape does not make much difference. Well, unless you have a crowd to impress !!

Food color is often added to Imarti for that characteristic orange color. But it is optional. I would suggest you not use color if making at home for the first time. This way you can gauge the doneness of the Imartis while frying. The colored batter makes it difficult to see if they are over fried and turning brown.

With colored batter, it takes a batch or two to develop judgment of doneness.

Syrup for the juicy Imarti

The sugar syrup should be almost one string consistency, and it should be hot while dipping the Imartis. Dipping hot Imartis directly into the syrup ensures perfect absorption of syrup. If the syrup is thicker, the Imarti will not absorb the syrup well.

Add some lime juice to prevent the crystallization of sugar in the syrup or on the Imarti surface when it gets cold.

Instead of lime juice, you can use 1-2 teaspoon corn syrup to stop crystallization in the syrup.

Flavoring the Imartis

I have used cardamom and rose water. They are most commonly used to flavors in Imarti.

Choose your flavoring of choice. Saffron and kewra water also make Imarti taste better.

Do give these Super crispy and juicy imarti recipe a try and let me know what you think.

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Super crispy and juicy imarti

Known by different names across India, Imarti, Amarti, Jhangiri, or Jaangiri are crispy and juicy dessert. It is very similar to Jalebi. But, Imarti is thicker and sweeter than jalebi. But I like them thinner and crispier, with a little lesser syrup.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Keyword crispy imarti, Imarti recipe, juicy Imarti

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Resting time 2 45

Servings 6 people

Calories 448kcal

Author Meenakshi

Ingredients

1 cup Urad dal soaked
2 tablespoon Rice flour
2 teaspoon Rosewater
2-3 drops Orange Food color optional
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
1 teaspoon Lime juice
Oil for frying

Instructions

Soak Urad dal for 1-2 hours in water.
Put the dal in a blender jar with rice flour. Add 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water.
Blend till a smooth paste is formed. Add more water if needed. But add little at a time.
When a smooth batter is formed, transfer the batter to a big bowl.
Add food color and beat the batter to make it airy using a circular motion of your hands. Give it a good 5-7 minutes.
Let it rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes.
In the meantime prepare the sugar syrup by adding 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water.
Bring it to a boil. If the sugar syrup is dirty, add a tablespoon of milk and bring it to a boil again. Now remove the dirt accumulated at the top with a ladle. Repeat until a clear syrup is obtained.
Now add cardamom powder and rose water.
Keep simmering till the syrup attains one string consistency. At this stage add lemon juice, mix and turn off the flame.
Heat oil to fry the Imarti. Keep the flame on low to medium heat.
Pour the batter into a piping bag and cut depending upon the thickness you want in your Imarti.
Shape Imarti by first making two circles clockwise and then making small swirls over them in an anticlockwise fashion.
Pipe 4-5 Imartis at a time. Similarly, make all imartis in small batches.
Fry them well on both sides.
Remove from oil and dip in the hot syrup. Let it soak syrup for 3-4 minutes.
Drain excess syrup and place them on a plate.
Repeat till the batter is finished.
Serve hot with chilled Rabri or as it is.

Notes

Blend using as little water as possible. Add little water at a time.
Use ice-cold water for blending. It reduces the sliminess of Urad dal.
If the batter is too thin or runny, adjust the consistency by adding a tablespoon of corn starch or rice flour.
Always test a little bit of batter before piping. It a good idea to test the batter by adding to the hot oil beforehand, to avoid any future mess.
The oil should not be very hot, else the Imartis will become super crispy and turn brown very quickly. Also, shaping becomes tricky in very hot oil as batter moves a lot.
Fry Imartis on medium-low heat for the best texture.
Make sure that the syrup is hot to ensure maximum absorption.

Imarti: Super crispy and juicy recipe