Mouth-watering Chanar Jilapi at home

Chanar jilapi is a special jilapi, softer and sweeter. There is a different fanbase who likes chanar jilapi. Fresh cottage cheese prepared from cow's milk is combined with semolina and flour to make chanar Jilipi, which is then formed into a 'figure 8 knot' and deep-fried before soaking in simple syrup.

History of chanar jilapi 

The sweet dish known as chanar jilapi originated in the Bengal region of eastern India and the state of Odisha, which is well-known for its chana-based delicacies. It is well-liked in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Odisha, and other Eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Ramadan and chanar jilapi 

This sweet dish is particularly well-liked during Ramadan and is offered by most shops that sell sweets. Even some shops and restaurants launch chanar jilapi on their menus only for Ramadan month. It falls under the 'premium' section of sweets. Usually, chanar jilapi is a must when there is an iftar feast or going for iftar dawat.

Recipe 

Rather than buying chanar jilapi from the shop, you can also make it at home. Making chanar Jilipi at home requires simple ingredients and a little time and patience.

Ingredients list

1. Cow Milk 

2. Lemon Juice/White Vinegar

3. Maida

4. Semolina or Shooji

5. Baking Soda

6. Milk

7. Ghee or clarified Butter

8. Sugar and Water to make the sugar syrup

9. Green Cardamom pods to add flavour to the sugar syrup

How to make chana

After boiling the milk, gradually stir in the lemon juice. Stop adding the juice as soon as you notice that the cheese has curdled and the whey left behind is light green. Cut the heat off. Grab a thin piece of cloth. Now, fill it with the milk pan's contents. Squeeze the chana to remove any extra liquid. Allow it to stand overnight to remove the moisture.

Making chanar jilapi

1. Take the chana or cottage cheese in a mixing bowl and knead it for 8-10 minutes to make the chana or cottage cheese smooth and flexible.
2. Knead it again after adding the other ingredients, including all-purpose flour, semolina, and baking soda.
3. Add milk to the dough to make it moist and pliable to shape it into a Chanar jilapi. It ought to resemble a sticky dough.
4. To make the dough easier to handle, add a teaspoon of ghee.
5. The dough should be divided into 10 equal pieces. Roll every portion longitudinally.
6. Pull the ends together in the middle once it is about 7 cm long.
7. Pinch the ends firmly to prevent them from unfolding while frying.
8. Fry them on low heat in oil or ghee.
9. Take them out once they have turned brown, and soak them in sugar syrup.
10. Before serving, allow them to soak for about an hour.

Speciality

The biggest difference is the texture. Regular jilapi are crunchy, but chanar jilapi is soft. It is somewhat similar to gulab jamun. Also, there is a big difference in the taste, shape and flavour. The size of the chanar jilapi is bigger and thicker. Even the ingredients are different. Chanar jilapi has a different fan base. Toddlers and older people can have it easily since it is soft and firm.

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