Imarti

North Indian flower-shaped coils of whipped black gram batter piped into hot ghee and soaked in cardamom and saffron syrup

Origin: Delhi & Northern India

From the journey of Black Gram.

Imarti is a sweet made by piping a batter of finely ground, whipped black gram through a cloth into hot ghee in a ring of small interlocking loops, so that each one comes out shaped like a flower, and then soaking it in sugar syrup scented with cardamom and saffron. It is sold by North Indian and Pakistani sweet-makers, and in South India, where it is made for Diwali, the same sweet is called jangiri. It is often confused with jalebi, and the difference is the pulse. Jalebi is made from a fermented wheat-flour batter and is thin, crisp, and tangy. Imarti is made from black gram, is not fermented, and is thicker, softer, and chewier, with a denser crust that holds more syrup. The name jangiri is widely said to honour the Mughal emperor Jahangir, and the sweet is commonly described as a creation of the Mughal kitchens. The connection is repeated everywhere and no document for it has been found; it may equally be a story attached to the name after the fact. What the sweet unmistakably shares with the Mughal court is its taste for saffron, rosewater, and syrup.

Ingredients

Batter

  • 150 g split skinless urad dal, soaked for 4 hours
  • 1 tbsp rice flour
  • 1 pinch saffron threads, soaked in 1 tbsp warm water, or a pinch of orange food colouring

Syrup

  • 300 g caster sugar
  • 200 ml water
  • 4 whole green cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 1 tsp rosewater
  • 0.5 tsp lemon juice

Frying

  • 500 g ghee or neutral oil, for frying

Method

  1. Make the syrup first: dissolve the sugar in the water with the cardamom and saffron, boil for five minutes until slightly sticky, stir in the lemon juice and rosewater, and keep it warm.
  2. Drain the urad dal and grind it with as little water as possible to a very smooth, thick paste.
  3. Add the rice flour and saffron water and beat the batter by hand for eight to ten minutes, until very light and a drop floats in water.
  4. Spoon the batter into a thick cotton cloth with a small hole about 3 mm across in its centre, or a piping bag with a small plain nozzle, and twist to close.
  5. Heat the ghee in a wide, shallow pan to about 160 °C.
  6. Pipe a small circle about 6 cm across into the ghee, then pipe a ring of small loops around it to make a flower. Fry two or three at a time over a low to moderate heat, turning once, for three to four minutes, until firm and crisp but not browned.
  7. Lift out, drain for a few seconds, and drop straight into the warm syrup for two to three minutes, turning once, then lift onto a rack.

Notes

The traditional piping cloth takes practice. A squeezy sauce bottle with a narrow nozzle is a good beginner's alternative. Imarti keeps for two days at room temperature. It softens as it stands, which many people prefer. In South India, jangiri is often made a little larger and with more loops.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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