Crispy Imarti

For Sugar Syrup (sheera)

1. Grind the green cardamoms into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle.Keep aside for later.
2. In a deep pan,combine water and sugar and let it cook for 10 minutes on a medium flame.
3. Remove from flame; add saffron strands and green cardamom powder.Mix well and keep aside.

For Imarti:

1. Drain dal and add to a food processor along withcorn flour, food colour and water.Grind into a coarse paste. Be careful of how much water you add. If the batter is runny, the imartis will not fry well.
2. Pour the imarti batter in a pastry bag with a medium sized nozzle.
3. Heat ghee in a shallow wok (kadhai) on a medium-high flame and squeeze ourthe imarti batter into hot oil directly.
4. For a more traditional design, make a big circle in clockwise direction;then make smaller circular petals in anticlockwise direction (see picture).
5. Fry both sides until crispy and light golden-brown.
6. Drain with a slotted spoon and dunk into the pre-prepared sugar syrup and letsoak.
7. Fry the rest in small batches; avoid over-crowding the pan.
8. Serve hot or cold.

Trivia

• Contrary to common misconceptions,imarti is not like jalebi. Imarti is made withsplit Bengal gram while jalebi is made with plain flour.
• In the Mughal era, jalebi was consideredto be a sweet for commoners, while imarti was thought fit for royalty and was part of the Raj Bhog (royal menu).
• Imarti is believed to be first made by a royal halwai (sweets cook) when Raja Salim as a young boy demanded something new for dessert.