
Gulab jamun
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- plus 1 and a half hours soaking
- A little effort
- Serves 12
Ingredients
Gulab jamun
- 110g milk powder (full fat and unsweetened)
- 60g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 heaped tbsp ghee
- 85-90ml milk, room temperature
- sunflower oil, for deep-frying
Syrup
- 440g sugar
- 3 green cardamoms pods, coarsley ground with a pestle and mortar
- pinch of saffron (optional)
- 1 tsp rose water
Method
- STEP 1
Put the milk powder, flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Use a whisk to mix together, then add the ghee.
- STEP 2
Rub the ghee into the dry ingredients using your fingers, making sure the ghee is well incorporated.
- STEP 3
Pour in three-quarters of the milk and, using your hand, combine the ingredients to make a dough. Add a little more milk and continue to bring everything together until you have a slightly sticky dough – the amount of milk you require to get to this consistency may vary depending on the milk powder. Once you have a soft, tacky dough, put a lid on the bowl and set aside. Note: try not to knead the dough, as this can result in hard gulab jamuns.
- STEP 4
To make the syrup, put a wide pan on the stove. Add the sugar, cardamoms, saffron and 440ml of water, and bring to a boil. Allow the syrup to boil for 4-5 mins, mixing every couple of minutes. Turn off the heat, add the rose water and mix. Put a lid on the pan to keep the syrup hot.
- STEP 5
Grease your palms with a little ghee and divide the dough into 12 portions. Roll each one into a smooth ball. It’s important they have no creases otherwise they can break apart while being fried.
- STEP 6
Heat 7-8 cm depth of oil in a pan over a low-medium temperature. A karahi or wok is ideal but a wide, deep pan can be used alternatively.
- STEP 7
Test the temperature of the oil by adding a small piece of dough to it. It should take 10-15 seconds to rise to the top but should not turn golden. Carefully add six gulab jamuns to the oil. Once they rise to the top, fry on a low heat and use a spoon to continuously and gently stir to keep the gulab jamuns rolling in the oil.
- STEP 8
The more the gulab jamuns turn and roll, the more even the colouring will be. Fry on a low heat (approximately 130c). It should take about 7-10 mins for them to cook and turn completely golden brown. If the gulab jamuns are browning quicker than this, reduce the temperature.
- STEP 9
Once brown, use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to drain the gulab jamuns. Once completely drained, put on kitchen paper and transfer into the hot syrup. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
- STEP 10
Put a lid on the pan containing the gulab jamuns and allow them to soak in the syrup for at least 1 hr 30 mins. You can spoon the syrup over the gulab jamuns from time to time if they’re not completely submerged.
- STEP 11
Once ready, the gulab jamuns will be bigger in size and should be nice and soft. Enjoy immediately!