Imarti, also called as Jhangri, is a dessert introduced to the Indian subcontinent by Mughal cooks. It is generally made from urad flour, shaped out in a circular flower pattern, fried and then soaked in sugar syrup. It is different from Jalebi, as jalebis are thinner and much sweeter than Imarti. Saffron is used for color and flavor in Imarti. The most famous Imartis come from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. They are also quite popular in south India.

It is said that the dish originated in the Mughal kitchens ar Fatehpur Sikri. Prince Salim, aka Jehangir was very fond of sweets. One of the days, he got bored of eating the regular sweets put together by the Mughal cooks like laddoo, kheer, etc, and demanded that he wanted to have something new. This put the cooks in a dilemma as to what to do, creating a new dish is no easy task, and this is what the crown prince had demanded. Finally, one cook remembered a sweet similar to Imarti he had had in Persia (known as Zulbiya). The cook decided to add in a twist and added the Indian urad dal and deep fried it in oil, and then soaked it in sugar syrup. Thus originated the famous imarti or jhangri from the Mughal kitchens.

I myself prefer to have it with anything,  they are a great dessert, but my best is to have it with a plate of hot undhiyu. What do you like to have it with? I had some great Imartis at the Sattvik Food Festival organized in Ahmedabad. Fried and soaked freshly in front of you, this is a delicacy I could hardly resist.