Gulab jamuns are all-time favourite with both adults and kids. It is a popular Indian dessert of fried dumplings in rose scented sugar syrup. This dessert is mostly prepared for any kind of festivities or parties. You can prepare this dessert with khoya (evaporated milk) or paneer (cottage cheese) other than the recipe I have shared here with you. This is not a quick recipe and hence now-a-days most of the shops have ready mixes available for gulab jamuns. When I am lazy I use the ready mix, which also is equally good.
Now let’s start from scratch….
Ingredients
For the jamuns:
- 1 cup milk powder
- ¼ cup All-purpose flour or maida
- ½ tsp. ghee
- a pinch of Baking soda
- 1-2 tbsp. curd
- a few blanched pistachio or almond slices for garnishing (optional)
For the sugar syrup:
- 2 cups Water
- 2 cups Sugar
- 3 to 4 green cardamoms, powdered
- A pinch of saffron, optional
- 1 tsp. Rose water, optional
Method
- For preparing the sugar solution, first mix water, sugar, cardamom and saffron.
- Keep this sugar solution on fire and cook till you get a syrup consistency. There should be no thread formation in the sugar solution.
- Stir in the rose water and keep aside.
- For preparing the jamuns, first mix the milk powder, all-purpose flour, baking soda in a bowl.
- Add oil ghee and just 1 tbsp. of yogurt. Mix and keep on adding little of the yogurt to get a soft sticky mixture.
- The dough should not be crumbly or dry. If it is then add some yogurt to make it soft.
- Make smooth small balls from the dough.
- Heat the oil and then reduce the flame to low.
- Add the rolled balls and fry them stirring often to get even colour.
- After the jamuns become golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and add them to the sugar syrup.
- Let them soak in the sugar syrup for atleast 1-2 hours.
- Gulab jamuns can be served warm or cold. If they are at room temperature, then warm in the microwave and serve gulab jamuns topped with sugar syrup.
- You can decorate them with pista or almond slices, if you want.
