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Jeri in Australia

Name: Jeri
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 20 jeris
Cuisine: Nepali
Ingredients: 1 cup plain flour, 2 tbsp yoghurt, water — fermented 12 hours (or 20 minutes with a pinch of baking soda); 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water for syrup; 1/4 tsp cardamom, few saffron strands; 1 tsp lemon juice in the syrup; Oil or ghee for frying; a squeeze bottle or cloth for piping

Crisp orange spirals soaked in syrup — Nepal's jalebi

3 restaurants serving Jeri across Australia

About Jeri

Jeri — the Nepali name for jalebi — is a bright orange spiral of fermented batter deep-fried until crisp and soaked in saffron or cardamom syrup. It is eaten hot at halwai shops, paired with swari (puri) for wedding breakfasts, and served at nearly every Nepali festival and function. In Australia, jeri appears at Nepali sweet counters, community events and catering dessert trays.

How to Make Jeri

Prep: 30 min Cook: 25 min 20 jeris ≈ 160 kcal/serving

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour, 2 tbsp yoghurt, water — fermented 12 hours (or 20 minutes with a pinch of baking soda)
2 cups sugar and 1 cup water for syrup
1/4 tsp cardamom, few saffron strands
1 tsp lemon juice in the syrup
Oil or ghee for frying; a squeeze bottle or cloth for piping

Instructions

1Whisk the fermented batter smooth — it should ribbon thickly off the spoon.
2Boil sugar and water to a one-string syrup; add cardamom, saffron and lemon; keep warm.
3Pipe spirals of batter into medium-hot oil and fry until crisp.
4Drop straight into warm syrup for 30 seconds, then lift out.
5Serve fresh — crisp outside, syrupy inside.

Recipes vary between households and restaurants — use the listings below to find Jeri made by Nepali cooks near you.