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A #Pakistani/#Indian #dessert made of milk solids (khoya, or mawa) deep fried and soaked in saffron or rose water infused sugar syrup.
Gulab jamun is most probably one #dessert that is widely loved and consumed in the subcontinent. We could very easily crown it as the favourite, beloved and maybe also close to a #nationaldessert if there was any (is there? if you know, fill me in also!)
It is said to have travelled from #Persia to #India during the Mughal dynasty. Around the time Shah Jahan was the emperor. The name being derived from Persian gul meaning flower and ab meaning water, hinting to rose water infused sugar syrup - and jamun hinting to the initial shape it was made in, it was similar to a purple coloured berry native to the subcontinent called #jamun (Java plum). It is also said that through the mughal invasion to India, luqmat-ul-qadi, an Arabic dessert similar to gulab jamun arrived to the land via Persian route. And over the time it was changed and adopted into this version that we all love.
During lockdown, this was one of the many things I tried my hands at making. Gulab jamun happens to be the husbands utmost favourite #mithai, so during these difficult times it was the perfect birthday gift for him.
Before I dive into the recipe I'd like to jot down a few notes/helping points for all the people making #gulabjamun for the first time.
Dough for the balls will be tacky(slightly) and soft - don't worry
Form dough balls on the palm of your hand after applying a little bit of ghee, so it doesn't stick
Balls should have no cracks else they will break when soaked in sugar syrup
Oil for frying should be on medium low flame so that gulab jamuns cook evenly and all through. High heat will cause the outer layer to cook faster than inside.
Ingredients
For Gulab jamun
For sugar syrup
Method
Grate khoya in a bowl and combine the rest of the dry ingredients in
Add in warmed ghee and combine with a spatula
Time to get your hands in!
Mix in warm milk 1 tbsp at a time and as 'kneaded' (pun intended)
Form it into a nice soft dough
You won't have to knead it too much, just a mix here and there, thats it!
Let the dough rest for 20-30 mins and while the dough sleeps we'll get into making the sheera (sugar syrup)
Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and let it come to a boil
Once boiled, lower the flame down to a simmer and add in #rose water or kewra, saffron and cardamom.
Cover it and let the aroma infuse for a few minutes and then switch off the flame. We do not want to attain string consistency else the gulabie babies will not absorb the syrup!
The reason we added lemon juice to a sweet syrup is so that the sugar does not crystallise
Now that the dough has had a nice little nap, we can now turn them into cute little balls. I like small warm gulab jamuns so I made a gazillion tiny ones out of this dough, but if you like big gulab jamuns this dough will yield approximately 15-20.
Apply a little ghee on your palms and get right into making them. Make sure there are no cracks, else the jamuns will disintegrate in the oil or in the syrup!
Let these rest for 10 minutes before frying.
Heat the pan before pouring in oil or ghee to fry. Just a tip - frying in ghee tastes waayyy better! (tee hee)
Time to fry the gulab jamuns now!
Aah, I am so excited!! Aren't you?
Flame to the vessel should be on low and the oil/ghee should be hot!
We ready? Yeah? okay then lets do this!
In go the gulab jamuns, and now we gotta stir them so that the colour comes out even and that these don't stick together or to the bottom!
Once done, transfer it to the hot syrup saucepan and let it sit for 2 - 4 hours.
what? you thought we could eat them right away?
No! I know, I thought so too. But we gotta be patient!
You can decorate these with slivered pistachio or chandi ka warq!
Enjoy! and tell me how they turn out!!
PS: If you'd like an audio version of this recipe with fun anecdotes and lame jokes you can find it in my podcasts here
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