Elo Jhelo is a delightful, crunchy, and sweet Bengali snack, often made during the Durga Puja festival. I remember years ago, when Dida taught me how to make it. She said, "Dolon, let's make Elo Jhelo together!"
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Back then, Dida would make a small batch just for me, and it was enough to make me incredibly happy. I grew up eating this crunchy, sweet Elo Jhelo Nimki, though it wasn't something we had very often. Dida, my mother's mother, usually prepared it during Durga Puja.
Elo Jhelo is quite a peculiar name, isn't it? For those unfamiliar, it's a popular Bengali snack, a sweet treat that's usually made during Durga Puja. Surprisingly, I've even seen people making it during Diwali these days, even in non-Bengali homes.
Elo Jhelo; from Dida's kitchen to my kitchen!
I never imagined I'd be regularly making traditional treats at home, but now that I'm in Gurgaon and can't easily visit Kolkata, I've started recreating those Bengali flavors myself. In fact, this is how my blog, Debjanir Rannaghar, came to be.
Recipe Tips
So, I'm doing my part to keep her legacy alive. When I make Elo Jhelo, I use Dida's recipe. I watched her make it for years. The recipe is a little delicate, so you need to know what you're doing to get it just right. Although the process needs care, it's not complicated. I've included pictures to show you each step, so you can easily make it at home.
Here's how I make Elo Jhelo at Debjanir Rannaghar!
Recipe Card
Elo Jhelo
Ingredients
For Dough:
- 2 cup Maida / All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Water for Kneading, ¼ cup or less for making tight dough
- 2 teaspoon Ghee
- 200 ml Vegetable Oil for deep frying
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
For Syrup:
- 1.5 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- 4 Green Cardamom
Instructions
- Take Maida along with salt and baking powder in a deep-bottom bowl and mix properly.
- Add 1 tbsp. Ghee and 1 tbsp. Add white oil to the Maida and knead for 3-4 minutes to get a sand-like mixture.
- Add very little water while kneading and knead again for 4-5 minutes.
- We need the tight dough to make perfect “Elo Jhelo”.
- Cover the dough and give it a stand of 30 minutes.
- Take the dough and divide it into small ping pong ball-sized proportions.
- From 2 cups of Maida, we’ll get around 20 balls.
- Now take one ball and roll it with the help of a rolling pin into a small round disk of 4-5” diameter (something like a Luchi / Puri).
- Take a sharp knife and make parallel slits on the flattened disk.
- Leave a 0.5-inch gap on both edges of the disk. It should look like the picture given below.
- Now hold both sides and lightly press to join the sides as shown in the picture.
- Following the process mentioned, prepare Elo Jhelos using the remaining dough.
- Take Sufficient White oil in a wok/pan and heat the oil properly.
- The temperature of the oil plays a major role in preparing perfect Elo Jhelo.
- We don’t need extra hot Oil for preparing Elo Jhelo as we need to fry them on medium heat.
- Deep fry all the Elo Jhelos. Those have to be golden brown in color and Crisp from the inside.
- Cool down the Elo Jhelos completely.
- Take sugar and water in a deep pan and cook for 3-4 minutes at high heat to get a sticky syrup.
- We need a 2 string Sugar syrup for making Elo Jhelos.
- When you have the perfect consistency of the syrup, switch off the flame.
- Add fried Elo Jhelos in the sugar syrup and dip those in the Sugar Syrup for 15-20 seconds to coat properly.
- Take the Elo Jhelos out on a lightly greased plate and give them an hour of standing time.
- Store Elo Jhelos in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Bengali Dessert Recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Komola Kheer (Also known as Kheer Komola or Bengali Orange Kheer or Komlalebur Payesh)
- Narkeli Jam Pitha (Also known as Jam Pithe)
- Dudh Puli (Also known as Bengali Dudhpuli)
- Choshir Payesh (Also known as Bengali Choshi Kheer)
- Khejur Gurer Rosogolla (Also known as Bengali Gurer Roshogolla)
- Rosh Bora (Also known as Fritters served with Runny Sugar/ Jaggery syrup)
- Two in One Sondesh (Also known as Bengali Sondesh)
- Taler Bibikhana Pitha (Also known as Taler Pithe or Sugar Palm Cake)
- Patishapta (Also known as Bengali Patishapta Pitha)
- Kancha Golla (Also known as Bengali Kancha Golla Sondesh)
- Gujiya (Also known as Bengali Gujia)
- Chaler Payesh (Also known as Bengali Rice Kheer)
Have you tried the Perfect Elo Jhelo recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Please inform me of your experience and feel free to send a photo to dolonchttrj@gmail.com. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, X, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes or if you have any questions or recipe requests.
Here's the Elojhelo Nimlki Recipe Pin for your pinterest board
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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