Take 2 cups sugar in a pan and add 1.5 cups water.
Keep this pan on stove top on a low to medium flame and stir so that the sugar begins to dissolve.
When all the sugar is dissolved, add 1/4 tsp lemon juice. The lemon juice does not allow the sugar syrup to crystallize.
Cook the sugar syrup on a low to medium flame till you get 1/2 string consistency or the syrup becomes sticky.
When the sugar syrup is cooking, you can begin frying the kala jamun. As when you add the kala jamun, the sugar syrup has to be hot. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or deep pan on a low to medium flame.
Switch off the flame and add 1/2 tsp cardamom powder and 12 to 15 strands of saffron, crushed. Also add 1 tbsp rose water.
Frying – Making Black Gulab Jamun
For testing, slid a tiny dough ball in the hot oil.
The ball should come up slowly and not quickly. This is the temperature at which we will fry the jamuns.
Keep the flame to a low and fry this small jamun till it becomes golden.
Now gently slid the kala jamun. Do not crowd and add the jamuns as per the size of the pan.
When you see faint golden spots, turn over the jamun gently.
Keep on turning them in the oil, like a gentle swirling with the slotted spoon, so that they brown evenly. When frying the jamun have to feel light and not heavy.
Fry till they turn a shade or two darker than the golden fried color.
Place them on paper towels.
Whilst they are hot, quickly add them to the sugar syrup.
Fry all the kala jamun in the same way and add them to the sugar syrup.
Cover and allow them to soak in the sugar syrup. Once the sugar syrup cools down, keep the bowl covered in the fridge.
Serve kala jamun at room temperature or chilled as a dessert or sweet.