A popular Indian dessert of fried dumplings in rose scented sugar syrup.
Gulab Jamun! Just the name tempts many of us 😉 I know many would be drooling looking at it! This has been the most favorite sweet for many. Popular sweet recipe liked by almost everyone. I have never seen anyone saying No to gulab jamuns. You can make this classic Indian dessert on any occasion and can make it even if there is no occasion. You can make jamuns using readymade mix, khoya or just milk powder. You can make khoya from scratch or just get it from some Indian store. I have tried using readymade mix and also using khoya or milk powder. All are equally good. The one I made today is using milk powder, yogurt, salt and water. I have tried even using MTR gulab jamun mix and its good :)! Usually I always take step-by-step pictures, I have some old step by step pictures too for these jamuns, may be I will add them later to it if requested. Its simple to do ! looks complex, but easy to make and comes perfect if we make them with some time and patience. Gulab means rose and jamuns are deep coloured berries. gulab means rose and jamuns are deep purple colored berries available in india. all you need is milk powder, yogurt, sugar and water to make a basic gulab jamun at home.
If you get the right consistency in the gulab jamun dough, you will never buy in the stores. I have mentioned some tips and suggestions, which might help.
- If you are making this with readymade mix, just mix it with milk till you get the right consistency, (not dry crumble but stickly soft)
- For sugar solution, on cooling if the sugar syrup crystallizes, then just add two or three tablespoons of water and warm the syrup again. It will be back to the syrup consistency.
- Apply some oil on your palms and make smalls balls from the dough. It may double the size after soaking in water, so be careful to make them small sized.
- There should be no cracks on the dough balls. They should be smooth, If there are cracks, then just add some 1 oe 2 tbsp of yogurt/milk and continue making the balls.
- Do cover them and keep aside for ten minutes before frying them. it makes a great difference.
- Do not make the jamun dough hard, it should be soft or else the syrup will not go inside after soaking.
- When you fry them, when the oil becomes medium hot, lower the flam, add a small in the oil, it should slowly rise to the top from bottom. If it rises instantly, then the oil is too hot to fry which is not good. One jamun should get fried for about 6 -8 mins, its that slow for a perfect jamun.
- If jamun cracks while frying, then add 1 or 2 tspof flour to the dough and form the balls again.
- Don’t crowd the pan when deep frying, it might make the oil totally zero hot. Jamun might look dark when you take out from oil, but its perfect when you soak them as you see.
- Use a wooden spatula to rotate the oil after adding the jamuns without touching them, so that they are evenly gold.
Gulab jamuns can be served warm or cold. You can always warm them in microwave when serving. It can be stored for 5 -7 days in refrigerator.
- For the sugar syrup:
- Water – 3 cups
- Sugar – 2.5 Cups
- Cardamom powder – 2 tsp
- Saffron – a pinch
- Rose water – 1 tsp
For the Gulab Jamuns: - Milk Powder – 1½ cup
- All purpose flour – ½ cup
- Oil/ Ghee – 1 tsp
- Baking soda – a pinch
- Salt – a pinch
- Yogurt – 2 tbsp
- To prepare the sugar syrup:
- Mix water, sugar, cardamom and saffron in a pan, heat it till you get a syrup consistency. There should not be any thread formation, as it might form crystals later. usually it takes around 8 – 10 mins for that consistency in medium flame.
- Add the rose water and keep it aside.
To prepare the jamuns: - Mix the milk powder, baking soda, salt, all purpose flour, oil/ghee, yogurt in a bowl. Mix and keep on adding little of the yogurt to get a soft sticky mixture. If the mixture is dry or crumble, add some yogurt. Keep it covered for ten minutes and keep aside.
- Make small smooth balls from the dough after ten minutes.
- Heat the oil and reduce the flame to low. Add the balls and keep fry them. Use a wooden ladle and without touching the jamuns, just rotate the oil.
- When they become nice and dark golden in color, remove it from oil (with no oil totally) and add them to the sugar syrup.
- Let them soak for atleast 2 hours.
2. If you want , you can fry the jamuns in 50:50 Oil and ghee.
