My back-to-the-base craze is not over and as a result, I have decided to make Chanar Jilapi welcome New Year. This Sweet requires no introduction and I don't have any special story related to Chanar Jilapi to share like I always have! So Without further delay here goes my little bit with Chanar Jilapi or Chena Jalebi (as they call it in Non-Bengali speaking states).
Chanar Jilipi aka Chanar Jilapi aka Chenna Jalebi!
Chanar Jilapi is a popular Bengali Delicacy and is the Chana-fied version of Jalebi or Jilapi. Chana ( or Chena) or Cottage Cheese is the core ingredient for making sweets in Bengal ( both West Bengal and Bangladesh) and this Jilapi/ Jalebi prepared with Chana is amazing to taste. It’s a distant cousin of Gulap Jamun ingredient-wise and a long-lost brother of Jalebi structure-wise.
Chanar Jilapi Recipe tip!
The recipe I follow to make is adapted from Amiya Thakur's "Thakurbarir Ranna-Banna" a famous Bengali Cookbook written by a lady from Rabindranath Tagore's house. A gem of a book it is! The recipe though calls for a few basic ingredients but the process is not typically simple. Especially to make the proper shape of Chanar Jilapi. It should be looked like an inside closed coil. However, After several tries, I make it presentable these days.
Chanar Jilapi Recipe
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Chanar Jilapi
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 15 Chanar Jilapi 1x
Description
Chanar Jilapi is a famous Bengali Sweet prepared with Cottage cheese or Chana aka Paneer and is also known as Paneer Jalebi
Ingredients
For Jilapi
- 2 liter Full Cream Milk
- 3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 3 Tbsp. Milk Powder
- 4 Tbsp. Milk
- 3 Tbsp. Semolina
- 2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
- ½ Tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp. Green Cardamom Powder
- few Strands Kesar / Saffron
- 200ml Refined Vegetable Oil for deep frying
- 1 Tbsp. Ghee/ Clarified Butter
For Sugar Syrup
- 200g Sugar
- 2 cup Water
- 6 Whole Green Cardamom
- few Strands Kesar/ Saffron
Instructions
- Take 2 liters of milk in a deep vessel.
- Boil the milk on a medium flame for around 15-20 minutes until the milk reduces to ⅓.
- In a small bowl take lemon juice along with ½ Cup water and mix.
- Reduce the flame Start adding lemon water to the milk and mix with a ladle.
- After sometimes the milk will curdle and green-colored water will be seen along with the curdled milk.
- Switch off the flame and strain the Chana using a strainer.
- Now take a Muslin cloth and place the entire Chana over the cloth and tie a knot with opposite edges of the cloth.
- Place the Chana covered with a cloth on a flat surface and place some weight over the Chana for around 30 minutes to separate water from the Chana.
- Take 4 Tbsp. of Warm milk in a bowl and add Semolina and mix those properly.
- Now take the Chana on a plate and start kneading with your hand to make a smooth lump-free paste.
- Then add Cardamom Powder, Saffron Strands, Milk- Semolina mixture, All Purpose Flour, and Baking Powder to the Chana and start kneading again till your hand felt oily while touching.
- Divide the mixture into 15 Ping-Pong ball-sized portions.
- Now take one Chana ball and using your hand start rolling the ball into a 5-6 inch long Cylindrical thread of equal dimension.
- Now make a knot by twisting both the edge of the thread. If you found any crack while making the knot then just softly press that portion to cover the crack.
- Following the same process prepare the rest of the Jilapis.
- We need a sugar syrup of consistency of between 1 and 2 strings.
- To prepare the syrup, take Sugar along with Water, Whole Green Cardamom, and Saffron strands in a deep vessel.
- Boil it on a medium flame for around 8-10 minutes.
- When the syrup is almost done start heating the mixture of Oil and Ghee in a Pan on medium flame.
- Start frying Jilapies on medium flame till those turn deep reddish brown in color.
- Transfer fried Jilapies immediately to the Sugar syrup and keep them soaked in Sugar syrup for around 2 hours.
- Chanar Jilapies can be served after two hours of soaking in sugar syrup. I personally prefer to serve Hot Jilapies instead of refrigerated ones.
Notes
- Adding Semolina is a must for making soft Chanar Jilapi.
- Don’t fry Chanar Jilapi on high flame.
- Don’t over-fry the Jilapies.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Sweet
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Bengali
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 50g
- Calories: 273
- Sugar: 24.1g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 15.7g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8g
- Carbohydrates: 26.7g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 7.6g
- Cholesterol: 6mg
Bengali Sweet Recipes
- Potol Mishti (also known as Halwai style Parwal Ki Mithai | Kheer Potol)
- Narkel Chapa (also known as Narkel Tokti | Bengali Coconut Sondesh)
- Komola Kheer (also known as Kheer Komola | Bengali Orange Kheer | Komlalebur Payesh)
- Kamala Bhog (also known as Kamalabhog)
- Gokul Pithe (also known as Bengali Madan Gokul Pitha)
- Khejur Gurer Rosogolla
- Two in One Sondesh; not the ice cream!
- Halwai Style Balushahi!
- Bhapa Doi (also known as Bengali Steamed Yogurt)
- Bengali Mishti Doi (also known as Laal Doi)
- Gurer Narkel Naru (also known as Bengali Narkel Naru | Coconut Fudge Ball | Nariyel ki Laddu)
- Chaler Payesh (also known as Bengali Rice Kheer)
- Doodh Sooji (also known as Mohanbhog aka Suji)
Have you tried the authentic Chanar Jilipi recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
I would love to see a picture if you are making it following my recipe. You can share here at dolonchttrj@gmail.com. You can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and share it through Instagram as well. and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
Here's the Perfect Homemade Chena Jalebi 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.
Bengali sweets says
Hi Debjani,
Thanks for the chanar gilepi recipe. One question though…when do you put milk powder listed in the ingredients list?
Thanks