Gulab Jamun 1 from Mava, Condensed Milk Solid
Gulab Jamun from Khoya
Mamta Gupta
This is one of the more popular Indian sweets. Gulab in Hindi means rose and jamun is a small, berry like Indian fruit, of dark purple...ish brown colour. As these sweets are dark in colour, like 'jamuns' and flavoured with rose essence, they are called 'gulab jamuns'. There are many versions and they are very easy to make. You can use ready gulab jamun mix of any good brand like Gits, which will give instructions to make it.
The pictures here shows a professional sweet-maker making them in bulk setting up their kitchen at the roof of my brother's house in India. This was for a communal meal organised by him at some occasion in his family.
Makes 50
Ingredients
For Gulab jamuns:
500 gm. Khoya or Mava 1 / Khoya or Mava 2. One litre milk makes approximately 180-200 gm. of khoya. It may be available ready made at your local Indian grocer
65 gm. plain flour (maida)*
A good pinch of baking powder
Fresh oil for deep frying. Do not use oil that has been used before. Old oil will make you gulab jamuns smelly. You can use ghee if you prefer.
For Syrup
3 cups granulated sugar
4 cups water
1/2 tsp. green cardamom powder
1 tsp. rose water or a few drops of rose essence
A few strands of saffron (optional)
*You can try making them with self raising flour, but then omit the baking powder.
Instructions
Making Gulab Jamun Dough:
Grate or mash khoya into a bowl.
Add flour and baking powder. Make a soft dough, kneading it until it feels smooth. You may need to add a minimum amount of water, added teaspoon by teaspoon, so that you don't end up with a gooey mess. Knead it well. Keep aside while you make the syrup. They are softer if you allow the dough to prove for half an hour or so.
Making Syrup:
Boil sugar and water until you have 1 thread consistency syrup (when a drop of syrup is stretched between your forefinger and thumb, you get a single wire)
Add cardamoms and rose essence to syrup. Keep warm on the lowest setting of your cooker/stove on a back burner.
Making Gulab Jamuns;
Make small balls by rolling about a teaspoon of dough between your greased palms. Size depends on your choice. A large marble size is nice. Do remember that they double in size when soaked in syrup.
Heat oil to low-medium hot, not smoking hot. Fry in small batches, until they are dark brown in colour. If oil is too hot, gulab jamuns will burn very quickly to dark brown on the outside and not cook inside properly.
Immerse immediately in warm syrup. They will absorb syrup and enlarge in size but remain floating in syrup. They should be soft in consistency. If too heavy, they will sink to the bottom.
Take out and place in a serving dish or a container, if you are planning to keep them for a few days. They will last for a week outside the fridge, but I tend to keep them in the fridge, in an airtight box, so they do not absorb other smells from the fridge.
Warm in a microwave for 30 seconds to a minute before serving. They can be eaten cold but are better warm (not hot).
Notes
For other methods of making gulab jamuns, see Gulab Jamun 2 and Gulab jamun 3.
