Smoky jalebis

These are the fresh hot jalebis cooking just up the street from our house. I love to ride the bikes up to this place in the evening with the kids. 10 rupees gets us a big pile wrapped in newspaper. Then we have a battle to keep from eating them immediately. They stay a bit warm even through dinner, and then we devour them.

I may be imagining it, but I swear they taste better when cooked over a wood fire. I think the sugar solution has a real caramel flavor and a smokiness you don't get at the gas-fired places in town.