Budha Halwai, Nashik: The Crispiest Jalebis in town
Snehal knew about my love for Jalebis from my marathon sessions with the dessert from our years together in our design school, when I would skip meals and simple gorge on plates full of jalebis whenever an opportunity presented itself in our mess!
So when I visited her home-town a few days back, the first thing she recommended was a visit to Buddha halwai deep in the old town of Nashik near the banks of river Godawari. I anyway wanted to walk in the ares and take pictures and I found the perfect incentive to ditch everyone and go there alone.
Everyone in the area knows about the famous Halwai but always says its just five minutes away. So after a walk of about forty-five minutes and asking numerous men and women for help I was finally in front of this iconic shop made famous by its crispy jalebis :)
The shopkeeper kept a straight face as I ordered a plate of jalebis and then took out my camera to take a a fe pictures. The guests were quite surprised and started discussing me and my big camera, so when I suddenly turned around and took their pictures they were already prepared for it and simply smile for waved. I think most thought I was a journalist and so would be featuring them in the newspaper the next day :)
Anyway when the hot and sizzling jabelis came my way, my mouth was already filled with saliva. There were only four jalebis and I already regretted not ordering two plates together! However, one bite into the first one and I knew why this place was so famous - these were some of the best and the certainly the crispiest jalebis I had ever eaten before! By the time I finished the plate I was already very full! I was so full that I had to take a walk to digest some of them right away!
In case you plan to be in Nashik and love Indian sweets, this is the place to be. At Rs 20 per plate its the best treat you can buy for yourself in the entire town!
For The Garnish
View Larger Map
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| The halwai getting the next lot ready... |
Everyone in the area knows about the famous Halwai but always says its just five minutes away. So after a walk of about forty-five minutes and asking numerous men and women for help I was finally in front of this iconic shop made famous by its crispy jalebis :)
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| The shop from outside...people queuing up to buy sweets :) |
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| The shop from inside... |
The shopkeeper kept a straight face as I ordered a plate of jalebis and then took out my camera to take a a fe pictures. The guests were quite surprised and started discussing me and my big camera, so when I suddenly turned around and took their pictures they were already prepared for it and simply smile for waved. I think most thought I was a journalist and so would be featuring them in the newspaper the next day :)
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| The other guests... |
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| My four jalebis :) |
Anyway when the hot and sizzling jabelis came my way, my mouth was already filled with saliva. There were only four jalebis and I already regretted not ordering two plates together! However, one bite into the first one and I knew why this place was so famous - these were some of the best and the certainly the crispiest jalebis I had ever eaten before! By the time I finished the plate I was already very full! I was so full that I had to take a walk to digest some of them right away!
In case you plan to be in Nashik and love Indian sweets, this is the place to be. At Rs 20 per plate its the best treat you can buy for yourself in the entire town!
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| The sizzling jalebis-in-the-making! |
What to eat?
Apart from jalebis, Buddha Halwai is also famous for gathia and dhokla. Try them both with jalebis to cut on the sugar rush that you will invariably get after eating just a plate...Jalebi recipe for home!
Here is Tarla Dalal's Jalebi recipe if you suddenly feel tempted and can't go to Nashik right away :)
Ingredients
For The Batter
For The Sugar Syrup
Other Ingredients
For The Batter
- 1/2 cup plain flour (maida)
- 1/2 tsp dry yeast
For The Sugar Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp saffron (kesar) strands
- 2 pinches saffron colour
Other Ingredients
- ghee for deep-frying
- 1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
- 1 tsp almond (badam) slivers
- 1 tsp pistachio slivers
Method
For the batter
For the sugar syrup
How to proceed
- Combine the yeast with 2 tbsp of warm water in a bowl and keep aside for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Combine this yeast mixture with the plain flour in a bowl and mix well.
- Add 2 tbsp of water if required to make a thick batter and cover and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
For the sugar syrup
- Combine the sugar and 1 cup of water in a broad non-stick pan, mix well and cook on a high flame for 5 to 7 minutes or till the sugar syrup is of 1 thread consistency.
- Combine the saffron strands, saffron colour and 2 tsp of sugar syrup in a bowl and add to the sugar syrup and mix well. Keep aside.
How to proceed
- Select a plastic bottle with a small hole in the lid and fill with the batter.
- Heat the ghee in a broad non-stick pan and press the bottle to form a coil shaped jalebi, starting from the inside to the outside.
- Deep-fry till the jalebis turn golden brown in colour from both the sides.
- Place the fried jalebis into the warm syrup. Leave for 2 minutes or till they soak the sugar syrup well and then remove from the sugar syrup.
- Serve immediately garnished with cardamom powder, almond slivers and pistachio slivers
Directions:
No car will be able to take you there, so the only way is to walk. You can simply ask people on the streets for directions, or follow the map below on your smart phones :)View Larger Map
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