Gulab Jamun is a delicious sweet made from Khoya/ Mawa and soaked in sugar syrup. It is one of those sweets which is loved and enjoyed by everyone. Whenever we hear of sweets, Gulab Jamuns always stands apart. This sweet is a must for festivals like Diwali, Dusshera or during any special occasions.
Gulab Jamun has been my all time favourite and I can gorge on them anytime. Few years back before my marriage, I tried making it from ready made mixes, and milk powder and store brought khoya. I had my share of disasters and even when I managed to make them, I was never quite satisfied since it lacked that divine taste.
After marriage, my husband insisted me to make Gulab Jamuns as they are his favourite too. I was a bit worried how to make it since my MIL is no more and so I had nobody to guide me. This is when my husband’s Nani (Maternal grandmother) came to my rescue and I took some useful tips from her. She is an absolutely great cook and I admire her cooking so much. Relying on her useful tips and learning from the past goof-ups I finally made this Gulab Jamun and guess what, it turned out absolutely perfect this time. It was so soft that it just melted in mouth, and my husband instantly fell in love with it and gulped down a few of them within a few minutes of making them. I have now tried and tested this recipe a number of times and every time it was bang on.
Here I have made the Gulab Jamuns right from the scratch, i.e. I prepared the khoya at home and I must say, nothing beats home made khoya. Here you can find the step by step procedure of making the khoya at home. Here I am posting the step by step procedure for making Gulab Jamuns.
Ingredients for Gulab Jamun:
Khoya/mawa – 2 1/2 Cups
Maida – 6-7 tbsps
Milk – 1/2 cup or as required
Water – to sprinkle
For sugar syrup:
Granulated Sugar- 2 cups
Water- 4 cups
milk- 1 tbsp
Saffron strands- a small pinch (optional)
Rose essence- 2-3 drops (optional)
For garnishing:
Pistachios (Pista)- 7-8 (cut into thin strands) (optional)
Method for making Gulab Jamuns:
- Crumble the khoya/Khowa/Mawa into small pieces. If you are using the refrigerated khoya, let it attain the room temperature and then grate them.
- Now with the help of a large spoon/small plate or simply with the base of your hand, mash the khowa very nicely so as to remove the small grains.
- The khoya turns soft and looks some-what like this after mashing the lumps.
- Add flour and baking soda and mix.
- Now carefully add milk (1 tbsp at a time) and mix.
- Knead it slightly and just gather it together so that no cracks or lumps are visible. Avoid kneading it too much.
- The dough should be soft and moist. Cover it with a muslin cloth and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the sugar syrup with water and sugar and keep it for boiling.
- When the syrup comes to a boil, add a tbsp of milk to it.
- If the sugar contains any impurities, the milk will help it rise above and you can remove the scum with a spoon. This removes the turbidity of the sugar syrup and makes it clear.
- Now add the powdered elaichi and saffron strands and let it boil for 10-15 mins on a medium flame. Switch of the flame and after few minutes, add 2-3 drops of rose essence.
- Now make equal sized balls by rolling them between your palms very gently. Make sure not to roll them tightly or the core might turn out hard. If you still notice some cracks, dab a little milk/water on your palms while rolling. The ball should have a smooth surface without any cracks. I made 40 gulab jamuns out of it as i kept the size small.
- Heat the oil/ghee in a wok. Once oil is hot enough, reduce the flame to medium/low heat and slowly drop in a few jamuns. Fry them in small batches for even cooking.
- Keep rolling them to cook in between and fry them till they attain a nice golden brown colour.
- Remove the gulab jamuns with the help of a slotted spoon.
- Transfer them into the warm sugar syrup. The balls will increase in size after 5-10 mins once they soak in the syrup.
- Gulab Jamuns can be enjoyed warm or cold. You can store it refrigerated for 5-6 days.
Useful Tips:
- Khoya should be mashed properly so that no lumps remain.
- The oil should not be smoking hot as the jamuns will get browned quickly and will remain uncooked inside.
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