There are days when I crave Jalebis so much that I end up looking for recipes. It is virtually impossible to find one on the internet or at least one worth trying. A friend of mine has been begging me for a recipe for years now and the least I can do is let you know of the best Jalebis made in Pakistan. This one comes from the high mountains and the beautiful weather of Nathia Gali. These golden crisp Jalebis are instant heart-warmers.
If you are headed to Nathia Gali from Islamabad, it will take you about two hours on a good day. From Murree, it will take you approximately an hour. The market you’re looking for requires you to take a left towards Abbottabad instead of driving uphill to the resorts of Nathia Gali and at the end of that long roadside market is a shop named Usman Cafe.
When you’re there, look for a man named Ghani Sahab. Tell him you read about his shop on the internet and he will be more than happy to make you some fresh Jalebis. If it is winters, he might just open up my blog and show it to you. *fingers crossed*
A few foreign friends often ask: “How do they fill the Jalebi tubes with sweet syrup?” It is not magic I tell you. Contrary to my beliefs, Jalebis are not made of rice flour (as told by Ghani Sahab). They are a mixture of plain flour and skinless black gram (Mash Dal or Urad Dal). They are deep fried at the perfect temperature till golden.
