Gujarati people celebrate Dussehra festival by consuming and offering special foods in order to remind Hindus the victory of goodness over the evil. Among those foods, jalebi fafda is considered the trademark dish for both the offering and their common breakfast menu.
But behind this tradition, there are actual health benefits of jalebi fafda that makes it popular during and outside of the event. In fact, you might have to try this breakfast combination t least once in your lifetime because of how good it is. Here’s more about Health Benefits of Chole Bhature
But first, what exactly is jalebi fafda?
Jalebi fafda is actually two separate dishes. Jalebi is a sweet fried bread made from maida flour dough, shaped like a pretzel and served commonly as a dessert. On the other hand, fafda is a thin strip of fried bread, made from a mixture of gram flour, turmeric powder, hing, and black pepper.
Now, you might think it’s odd for people to eat jalebi and fafda together as one dish due to their base flavor. Furthermore, their fried cooking method makes them think this whole dish is packed of calorie, cholesterol, carb, and fat. Indeed, this dish has 290 calories, 32 grams of fat, and 56 grams of carbs per serving.
While the number doesn’t sound encouraging, jalebi fafda is still not among the worst dish to eat. For starts, the flavor between jalebi and fafda actually complement each other, which makes them so exciting to eat.
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Yes! First of all, Gujarati people commonly only eat jalebi fafda during breakfast because the amount of energy is plenty enough to last for hours. Then there’s the light and fibrous gram flour used for jalebi, effective for improving the digestive system.
Furthermore, a recent study shows that the natural sweetness and spices from jalebi fafda can relieve migraine and reduce stress. Said sweetness is also helpful to increase your concentration level during its low point. Here’s more about Benefits of Puri Bhaji
And thanks to these particular benefits, people who have danced in celebration of Dussehra for nine days are also encouraged to eat it. You can also read more about foods that help relieve migraine.
Even better, you can also improve the recipe at home
Jalebi fafda is surprisingly easy to cook, and it’s healthier for you to make some at home instead of buy them outside. Because, there are tips that can improve the health benefits of jalebi fafda if you improvise with the existing recipe. Here’s how you do it.
- Use olive oil for frying it instead of regular cooking oil
Regular cooking oil is considered the main source of trans fat among fried foods. Therefore, change the cooking oil with olive oil for frying the jalebi fafda. This can help reduce the total amount of calorie and fat by over 50 calories and 20 grams respectively. Here’s more about Health Benefits of Chole Bhature
- Eat jalebi fafda with other complementary dishes
While jalebi fafda is both delicious and beneficial by itself, several dishes can complement them and improve the health benefits as well. Because different combination yields different health benefits, it’s recommended that you try them all.
- Milk or dahi (milk curd) can further reduce migraine and relieve stress
- Fafda with papaya sambharo can incorporate inflammatory and antioxidant properties to your body.
- Besan chutney can help reduce the cholesterol rate from jalebi fafda.
All in all, jalebi fafda is a healthy source of energy, as long as you don’t overconsume it. By following the aforementioned tips above, you can enjoy all the tastiness and health benefits of jalebi fafda, both as breakfast and as a snack.