Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun one of the all time favorite dessert in India. This classic milk solid balls comes from the Indian subcontinent and is almost made on the auspicious occasions or just when someone wants to satisfy their sweet tooth. These balls are made from khoya (mawa) and are very soft balls dipped in the sugar syrup for that sweet little burst. Would you like to satisfy your sweet tooth with this Indian Mithai?
Yield: 12 balls
Materials
For Gulab jamun balls
- 2 cups Khoya finely grated or crumbled
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour maida
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder Elaichi
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1/3 cup Milk warm add little at a time
- Ghee or Oil for frying
- 1 tbsp Almonds or Pistachios sliced to garnish
For Sugar syrup
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar white refined
- 3 cups Water
- 3 pods Green Cardamom Elaichi
- 1 pinch Saffron Kesar
- 1 tsp Rose Water
- 1 tsp Lime juice
Instructions
- Making the dough
- In a large bowl, grate or crumble the khoya. Add all-purpose flour (maida), baking powder and cardamom powder to it. Mix it well.
- Now add ghee and mix again. Add milk little at a time, so the dough starts to form. You don't want the dough to be sticky. We just want enough milk for it to come together. Don't over mix the dough. You just want it to be smooth and soft.[Note: Knead the dough properly until it soft and smooth]
- Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 30 mins.
Making sugar syrup for Gulab Jamun
- While the dough is resting, in a bowl, add sugar, water, cardamom pods and saffron.
- Bring to a boil. Then simmer for 7 minutes. Do not overcook the syrup. The sugar syrup thickens when as it cools, so it shouldn’t look too thick.
- Add lemon juice, rose water and stir well. By adding lemon juice, sugar syrup doesn’t form crystals.
Making Gulab Jamun balls
- Grease your palms with some ghee. With your hands, knead the whole dough once.
- Make small balls from the dough. Do not apply too much pressure while making the balls. When rolling to balls, make sure the balls are smooth with no cracks, else they might break when frying.
- The balls will increase in size after frying & soaking in syrup. Make equal sized balls, about 15 from this dough.
- Frying and soaking the Gulab Jamun
- Heat the ghee/oil well in a fry pan/wok before starting to fry the balls. Fry on medium-low heat. On high heat, they will get dark from the outside, but will not be cooked well from the inside.
- Add them to the syrup while the syrup is warm (not boiling hot), so they soak in all the sweetness and become soft. If syrup is too hot, the balls might break. If it is cold, then the balls will not soak the syrup well. Soak for at least 30 minutes before enjoying. Soaking for up to 2-3 hours works great too.
- Gulab Jamun's are ready to be enjoyed.
