How To Make Soft Gulab Jamun

 Gulab Jamun

Do you also crave something sweet after having a meal? Then Gulab Jamun is the perfect answer for your sweet tooth. Gulab Jamun is a traditional dessert in India which is spongy, soft and melts in your mouth perfectly. These small-sized balls are made with khoya or paneer then these are fried to perfection until golden brown in colour and then these are dipped in flavoured sugary syrup. There are obviously a lot of instant mixes available in supermarkets but it surely can’t beat the taste of homemade freshly prepared Gulab Jamuns.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE JAMUN BALLS:

• Mawa (khoya) – 1 cup (grated)
• Maida (all-purpose flour) – ½ cup
• Baking soda – 1/8 tsp
• Ghee or oil (for deep frying)

FOR SUGAR SYRUP:

• Sugar – 1 ½ cups
• Water – 2 ½ cups
• Saffron strands (kesar) – 8-10
• Green cardamoms – 3-4

PREPARATION:

FOR MAKING SUGAR SYRUP:

1. Take a deep pan and add the green cardamoms, saffron strands, sugar and water. Set the flame to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Now reduce the flame to medium and cook until the sugar syrup is a bit sticky. Remember to stir occasionally during the process. Turn off the flame.

FOR MAKING JAMUN BALLS:

1. Take a mixing bowl and add mawa, maida and baking soda.
2. Mix everything gently using a spatula.
3. You will see that the flour will easily come together and will form a dough because of the moisture present in mawa.
4. Now knead the dough until smooth. If the dough looks dry then you can add a few teaspoons of milk to the mixture little by little and knead it until soft.
5. Divide the dough into 16-18 equal portions. Grease your hands with ghee and start making smooth and crack-free balls from it. NOTE: Do not make very large size balls because when you deep fry and soak them in the sugar syrup, they will become double in size.

PROCESS:

1. Take a deep pan and heat some oil or ghee on medium flame.
2. To check if the oil is ready or not, you can take a pinch from the dough and add it to the hot oil. If it immediately comes upward without changing colour, then the oil/ghee is ready.
3. Now add the prepared dough balls to the pan. NOTE: Do not overcrowd the pan otherwise it will be difficult for you to fry them evenly and perfectly.
4. You will see the colour of the Jamuns will start turning lightly golden and will increase in size after some minutes. NOTE: Remember to fry all the Jamuns evenly because it is the key to soft and textured Gulab Jamuns.
5. Now transfer them over a kitchen napkin and let them cool down for about 4-5 minutes.
6. Before adding the balls to the sugar syrup, check if the sugar syrup is warm or not. If not then heat it for some minutes. The sugar syrup should not be too hot or too cold.
7. Now add the fried balls to the warm sugar syrup. Soak them for at least 1-2 hours before serving.
8. Soft Gulab Jamuns are ready to serve. Garnish with some pistachios, almonds or grated coconut and serve them warm or chilled!

CONCLUSION:

Gulab Jamun is a classic Indian sweet which is enjoyed at almost every festival and celebration. In Hindi, ‘Gulab’ translates to rose and ‘Jamun’ translates to berry. So basically Gulab Jamuns are berry-sized balls soaked in rose-flavoured sugar syrup. Gulab Jamuns can be made with milk powder, khoya or bread also. Khoya/mawa gulab jamun is the authentic way and it tastes amazingly delicious. It can be served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or you can also serve it chilled.