Easy is a relative word and for gulab jamun this is a pretty easy recipe. But this is not one of those recipes where you can dump everything in a bowl and then bake. There is the step of making the mixture, then making the little balls and then frying and finally soaking them. While that might sound intimidating, it is easy once you get into a rhythm.
Saffron and Cardamom pods
Before getting into the recipe, let me tell you what a gulab jamun is. Think of donut holes soaked in sugar syrup which is usually flavored with rose essence (gulab is rose in Hindi). Despite being an Indian who was born and raised in the middle east, I do not like rose essence at all which is common in both Indian and Arab cuisine. So I use Saffron and cardamom instead which is pretty commonly used. This is a real sweet dessert – almost achingly sweet for some. One of my son actually prefers this before it gets soaked and says it tastes like a milky donut-hole. I agree and might try tweaking this recipe and make a lemon frosting for this. Hmm!
Ingredients:
For the jamuns
- 2 cups of milk powder
- ¾ cups of flour
- 1 cup of heavy cream or ¼ cup of melted butter and 3/4 cup of yogurt
- 1/3 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- oil – for deep frying
- For the syrup
- 4 cups of sugar
- 4-5 cups of water
- 1 tsp. lime or lemon juice
- 2 pods of cardamoms crushed (optional but highly recommended especially if you do not use the rose essence)
- 3-4 threads of saffron (optional)
Method:
Warm the water with sugar till it is all dissolved which should take about 10 minutes. Add the crushed cardamoms (or rose water or saffron) and lime juice which will prevent the syrup from crystallizing and also cut through the sweetness a little. The sugar syrup should not be too hot else the jamuns could become too soggy. If it is too cold then it does not soak the syrup and thus deflate.
Mix the rest of the ingredients for the jamun. It will be sticky but stiffens as you keep stirring. It might seem too soft and sticky initially but just keep kneading for a while and the water will get absorbed. Let it rest for 10 minutes. If it is still too sticky add a few teaspoons of flour.
Now get the assembly line ready – container with sugar syrup near the heating oil and keep the gulab dough near it. Some like to roll all the ball at once and cover it with a damp paper towel. I prefer rolling them while the previous batch is frying – that’s just my rhythm. Find a method that works for you.
Heat the oil to medium.
Roll the dough into little balls a little less than 1″ diameter. After frying and soaking they increase in size. The picture shows an uncooked ball, then a fried one and finally a soaked one.
Size increase
Do not over crowd the pan. My container could fry about 12 balls at a time but if this is the first time you are doing this make less. It should turn a golden brown and float to the top. Gently turn them to ensure they brown evenly . This cooks real quick so keep an eye on it.
Assembly line with the rolling, frying and dunking
As soon as it is done drop the gamuns into the sugar syrup.
While it soaks fry the next batch.
If the syrup container gets crowded remove the soaked ones to make room for the next batch.
It will keep outside for a day but refrigerate or even freeze after that. But it is best served warm (or at least at room temperature) so if you do choose to refrigerate it, bring it back to room temperature and then slightly warm it in the microwave in batches.
Gulab Jamun
Super Mommy - Not! 