BhavnaGulab Jamun is very mouth melting sweet. Gulab Jamuns are very popular and very tempting dessert. It is a milk-solid-based South Asian sweet, particularly popular in India, Myanmar, Nepal (where it is known as lalmon), Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is also common in Mauritius and the Caribbean countries of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica. It is made mainly from milk solids, traditionally from freshly curdled milk. It is often garnished with dried nuts like almonds to enhance flavour.
In India, milk solids are prepared by heating milk over a low flame for a long time until most of the water content has evaporated. These milk solids, known as khoya in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, are kneaded into a dough, sometimes with a pinch of flour, and then shaped into small balls and deep-fried at a low temperature of about 148 °C. The balls are then soaked in a light sugary syrup flavored with green cardamom and rose water, kewra or saffron. Gulab jamun is available commercially, at South Asian restaurants or pre-prepared either in tins or as kits to be prepared at home.
As recipes get popular, we try to invent more variations. So one day I tried easiest, quickest Gulab Jamun with Bread…yes, Bread Gulab Jamun.
Now, you must have a question, how does it really taste like? Does it taste like traditional original Gulab Jamun? My honest answer is they taste great but not exactly like Gulab Jamun. I feel more like eating a Donut instead. So by all means, if you are craving for some Jamuns, go for it.
There are few more variations occur such as Kala Jamun, made with paneer(Indian cottage cheese), Shahi Gulab Jamun, also Dry Gulab Jamuns are made with Condensed milk and Semolina. So we will try to explore as much as we can in this post.
Below is the video for making traditional Gulab Jamun. If you have Milk Mawa, you will sure get the great Gulab Jamun. But when I have no mawa and make with milk powder, the end result is not as great as Jamuns made with milk mawa.
Gulab Jamun
Ingredients
For Dough:
- ½ cup milk powder or Milk Mawa
- 1 tsp all purpose flour (Maida)
- 1 tsp rawa/sooji/semolina
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ghee (Clarified butter)
- Warm milk as needed to nead the dough
For sugar syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup water or as needed
- 1 tbsp Lime/lemon juice
- 1 tsp Rose syrup (If available)
- Few strands of saffron (Kesar)
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder (Elaichi)
For Frying:
- Oil
Instructions
For dough:
- Make the dough by combining the milk powder, flours, baking soda, ghee and warm milk(All the ingredients listed under "For dough"). Divide the dough in 8-10 portions and make smooth crack free balls. Take the help of ghee, spread ghee or milk on both of your palm and make balls.
For syrup:
- Take a bowl add sugar,water to make sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency add lime juice few drops in the syrup and keep it a side.Lemon juice is to prevent crysalization so just few drops. Add rose syrup, few strands of saffron and cardamom powder and your sugra syrup is ready.
Making Gulab Jamuns:
- Heat the oil on medium and then lower the heat to low to medium. Slip in the balls into the oil from the side of the pan, one by one. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently stir oil with spetula to keep the balls from browning on just one side. After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right. Now they must be gently and constantly agitated to ensure even browning on all sides.
- If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.
- The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.
- Now, add fried gulab jamun directly into warm sugar syrup.
- Gulab Jamun needs to be soaked about 45 minutes. When done serve warm or referigerate if you like chilled gulab jamun.
Gulab Jamun from Khoya/Mawa
- 1 cup khoya (kovva)can be prepared by boiling and continuously stirring one litre of milk on medium heat till it form a thick paste.
- 5 tbsp maida (all purpose flour)
- 1/4 tsp cooking soda (soda bi carbonate)
- 1-2 tbsps of warm milk (not hot)
- Now follow the recipe just as above.
- ***If you want to use, bisquick flour, then do not add baking soda.
