Gulab jamun
गुलाब जामुन: soft balls of kneaded khoya fried deep brown in ghee and left to soak in warm rose, cardamom and saffron syrup
IndianNo Diwali sweet box, wedding thali or birthday party in India feels complete without a gulab jamun or two. This is the classic halwai version made with khoya, milk reduced to a dense crumbly solid, kneaded with a little flour and fried slowly in ghee until the outside is deep mahogany and the inside cooked through. Soaked in light syrup scented with rose and cardamom, the balls swell and become soft and spongy, with a faint caramel milkiness. Serve them warm on their own, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of rabri. Buy soft, unsweetened khoya (mawa) for this; dry, hard khoya makes dense jamuns. Chef's tip: fry one test ball first; if it cracks, knead in a teaspoon of milk, and if it spreads, add a pinch more flour.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 14 oz sugar
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 4 green cardamom podslightly crushed
- 1 tsp rose water
- 1 pinch saffron strands (optional)
For the jamuns
- 7 oz soft khoya (mawa)grated
- 1 oz plain flour (maida)
- 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbsp milkas needed
- 2 cups ghee, for deep-fryingor half ghee, half oil
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Boil 14 oz sugar and 1 ¾ cups water in a wide pan over a medium heat for 6–7 minutes, until slightly sticky between your fingers but not forming a thread. Add 4 green cardamom pods and 1 pinch saffron strands, take off the heat and stir in 1 tsp rose water. Keep warm.
8 minStep 2: Knead 7 oz soft khoya (mawa) with the heel of your hand on a plate for 4–5 minutes until smooth, with no grains.
Step 3: Add 1 oz plain flour (maida) and 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda and gather into a soft dough, adding 2 tbsp milk a teaspoon at a time only if it feels dry. Don't overwork it once the flour goes in.
Step 4: Divide into 12 and roll each between your palms into a smooth ball with no cracks. Common mistake: cracks on the surface; they open up in the hot ghee and the jamuns split or soak up fat.
Step 5: Heat 2 cups ghee, for deep-frying in a kadhai over a low heat to about 275°F. A ball should sink and rise slowly with tiny bubbles. Fry 6 at a time, swirling the ghee rather than the balls, for 8–10 minutes until evenly deep brown.
20 minStep 6: Drain for a minute, then drop the hot jamuns into the warm syrup. Hot jamuns in boiling syrup collapse; cold syrup won't soak in.
Step 7: Leave to soak for at least 2 hours, until they have swollen and are soft right through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gulab jamun take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of green cardamom pods?
- A pinch of ground cardamom per 2 pods.
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