Gulab jamun

I've finally managed to crack the recipe for gulab jamuns - one of India's most popular and loved sweets/desserts. The word gulab means rose, and jamun is the name for an Indian fruit called black plum. Dough balls made from milk solids are fried (which resemble the jamun fruit) and then added to a sugar syrup flavoured with rosewater, hence the name gulab jamun. These delicious sweets are popular all over India and often served on special occasions. 

I make my gulab jamuns with milk and yoghurt. Usually, gulab jamun are made with khoya (reduced milk solids). However, khoya is not readily available in the West, so, making these gulab jamuns with milk powder and yoghurt gives the same texture and it saves the time of making khoya from stratch for this recipe - which takes forever! I have tried making gulab jamuns from semolina (suji) as well, but they were a bit of a disaster and they just broke, so I've stuck to the milk powder and yoghurt.

Things I learnt when making the gulab jamun

• The dough needs to be slightly moist. This ensures that they have a soft texture. The first gulab jamuns I made had less yoghurt in the mixture and there were too dry, so I adjusted the quantities. 
  
  
• The oil temperature needs to be low. This ensures they brown and cook evenly. A high temperature will cook the outside quickly and the inside will still be doughy. A tough skin will also be formed, meaning they also won't soak up the sugar syrup. 
  
  
• Use a round bottom pan or a kadai for deep frying - this ensures that they fry evenly. Otherwise use a deep saucepan for frying which retains an even heat. 
  
  
• Don't overwork the dough, otherwise they won't have a fluffy texture after frying.
  
  
• I first tried forming the jamun with flour in my hands (like you would knead bread) but I found this dried out the mixture. With the last batches I switched to placing some ghee in my hands and then shaping them. This worked out much better. 

Ingredients
Makes around 10-12 gulab jamuns

For the jamun

100g (3/4 cup) milk powder 

1/2 tbsp plain flour needed to bind the mixture

Pinch salt 

1/2 tsp baking powder needed to make them fluffy

1 - 2 tbsp plain yoghurt

Oil for deep frying I used sunflower oil
Ghee for rolling the gulab jumans
Chopped pistachios optional, for garnishing

For the sugar syrup

250ml (1 cup) water 

150g (3/4 cup) sugar 

8 cardamom pods split open

1 tsp rosewater 

Pinch saffron strands

Method

Making the sugar syrup

• First make the sugar syrup. Add the water, sugar, cardamom pods, saffron and rosewater to a large saucepan and turn on the heat. Slowly bring this to the boil. Boil until the mixture has turned syrup-like and forms a string when you lift up the spoon. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid whilst you make the jamun.
  
  

Making the jamun

• For the jamun, add the milk powder, flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Mix well.
  
  
• Add the yoghurt and bring together to form a dough. Don't overmix at this stage. The plain flour is there to bind the mixture - overkneading will form gluten which will make the gulab jamun chewy.
  
  

Shaping & frying the jamun

• Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai on medium heat. When the oil is hot, lower the flame and keep the temperature of the oil on low.
  
  
• Take a small amount of the jamun mixture and use this to test the temperature. If you see bubbles forming then you know it is ready. 
  
  
• Grease your hands with a little ghee and make one jamun to test the consistency of the jamun mixture. It should be smooth with no cracks. Make small balls as the baking powder will cause them to expand during the deep frying process.
  
  
• Deep fry this 'test' jamun in the oil to see if you have the temperature and consistency right. The jamun should fry gently and turn a light golden brown. If it goes very dark within a minute, it means that the oil temperature is too high. If the jamun cracks, then it means the dough is a too dry. Add a little more yoghurt and adjust accordingly before shaping the rest. 
  
  
• Fry the jamun in batches depending on the size of your kadai or saucepan. Gently move the jamun around in the pan as they fry - this will ensure that they develop an even colour.
  
  

Soaking and serving the gulab jamun!

• When the jamun are golden brown, remove with slotted spoon and tap/shake slightly to remove any excess oil. Transfer the jamun into the warm sugar syrup. 
  
  
• Cover with a lid, and let them soak for 1 hour before serving. You can serve them straightaway when they are warm with a little sugar syrup after soaking. If you have any leftover, keep them refrigerated in the sugar syrup. To reheat, place a few in a bowl with a little of the sugar syrup and warm them in the microwave for 45 seconds - 1 minute. You can choose to garnish them with some chopped pistachios if you like!