Original Jali used to be made with milk, egg white, ground almonds, sugar and rose water. After mixing these items and kneading well, the paste is cut into various lattice like shapes and then baked in a pan on hot coals. This gave the skin a hardness which would make it very delicate (Khasta) and would break easily with slight impact. It was considered to be one of the most delicious sweets. Over a period of time, the ingredients have changed and people make it with different ingredients and styles. Not all Jalis are Nawait and this dessert has been copied by everybody and anybody and modified.

A simple jali is a one layer with the ingredients above. A warqi jali is made in two layer form with silver lining in between.

Making this dessert is quite labor intensive but the end result is a creation that looks awesome by itself and also when arranged in trays with other desserts like ashrafi and other shapes such as half moon or crescent.