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Gulab Jamun Recipe

Discover the art of creating the quintessential Indian sweet, the finest gulab jamuns with khoya, accompanied by essential tips and tricks to achieve a melt-in-the-mouth softness.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian
Servings 30 Jamun
Calories 94 kcal

Ingredients
  

For Jamun

  • 300 grams Khoya / Mawa Grated
  • 3 tablespoon Maida / All-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
  • 4 tablespoon Milk or as required

Sugar Syrup

  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 2½ cups Water
  • 2 teaspoon rose water also called gulab jal.
  • 2 Cardamom pods Shell open
  • few strands Saffron
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • oil or ghee for frying

Instructions
 

Making dough

  • In a large bowl, take grated/crumbled mawa (khoya) and knead it with the heels of your palm for about 1 to 2 minutes. Then add maida (all-purpose flour), cardamom powder, and baking powder. Mix until well combined.
  • Start adding warm milk, little by little until it all comes together as a dough. Don’t add too much milk in a go or else the dough will become too soft. Also, don’t knead the dough too much. Just bring it all together to a smooth dough. Cover and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sugar syrup

  • Meanwhile, let’s make syrup. In a wide pan add sugar and water.
  • Bring it to a boil. Add cardamom pods, saffron strands, rose water, and lemon juice. Then lower the heat to medium heat and let the syrup simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Once it’s a little sticky, remove the pan from heat and set aside. Keep it aside and let it come to a warm temperature.

Forming gulab jamun balls

  • Now give a quick knead to the dough. Divide the dough into 30 equal parts and make a small ball out of all the parts. Always Work with soft hands when forming jamuns. Squeeze the ball between your palm to shape it. Form a smooth round ball with no cracks.
  • If you are not able to form a ball without cracks. Add some more milk and make the dough again.

Frying

  • Traditionally gulab jamun is fried in ghee. You can go the traditional way if you want or just fry them in flavorless oil.
  • First, heat the ghee/oil till it is medium hot, for about 5 minutes. Then reduce the flame to a low to medium and wait for a minute.
  • Then gently place 5 to 6 Jamun dough balls in the ghee. Keep the remaining dough balls covered with a clean napkin to prevent it from drying it out.
  • Once the Jamun dough balls start to have tiny light golden spots on them, then keep on rotating them with a slotted spoon in the ghee often. This way the gulab jamun will have an even golden color.
  • Make sure the ghee is not hot or cold.
  • If the ghee is on the cooler side, then the Jamun will absorb more oil and can crack or break too.
  • If the ghee is very hot, then the gulab jamun will get browned quickly with the inside portion being uncooked and raw.
  • Once they are dark brown, remove them from the oil

Adding fried balls in sugar syrup

  • Soak the gulab jamuns in warm (not hot and not cold) sugar syrup. Let it soak the syrup for 30 minutes.
  • You may decorate them with dried fruits or edible silver leaf (Chandi ka vark).
  • Served them warm or at room temperature. My favorite ways of eating gulab jamuns are with Vanilla ice cream and in thandai mousse.

Nutrition

Calories: 94kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 29mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 49IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Gulab Jamun Recipe
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