Indian cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Imarti

Flower-shaped rings of ground urad dal, fried until crisp and soaked in saffron-yellow sugar syrup.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 200 g urad dal (split black lentils, skinned)
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 300 g sugar
• 200 ml water
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 liter oil for frying

Instructions

1. Wash the urad dal and soak in plenty of cold water for at least 5 hours, ideally overnight, then drain and grind with at most 4 tbsp fresh water into a very fine, airy paste.
2. Stir the rice flour, salt and half the saffron into the paste and beat the batter by hand in one direction for 5 minutes until light and foamy — a drop should float on top of cold water.
3. For the syrup, bring sugar, water, the remaining saffron and the crushed cardamom seeds to a boil and reduce for 6–8 minutes to a single-thread consistency, then stir in the lemon juice and keep warm.
4. Fill the batter into a piping bag with a small round tip and heat the oil in a wide pan to 160°C — oil that is too hot will brown the outside before the center cooks through.
5. Pipe a ring of about 6 cm directly into the oil and add eight small petal loops around it, then fry the imarti for 2–3 minutes per side until golden-orange and crisp.
6. Drain the rings briefly, turn them in the warm syrup for 2–3 minutes until fully soaked, and serve lukewarm after draining on a rack.