GULAB JAMUN

GULAB JAMUN

This is a very popular confection but very often once it is tried to make it at home, many have been known to achieve not very perfect results. Personally I find that homemade Gulab Jamun, (like all other homedamde food)are far superior in taste than the ones available commercially. Once you get the proportions right, you can not go wrong. Here is the recipe which never fails me and I hope it will also never fail you. Many also face the problem of acquiring Khoya which is the main ingredient of this recipe. You may refer to my recipe for Khoya to prepare some at home in the easiest possible way.

INGREDIENTS

100gm Khoya (Solidified Milk)

1 tsp finely ground Cardamom Powder

One Fourth Cup Sooji (Semolina)

One Fourth Cup Milk

1 Pinch of  Bicarbonate of Soda

Ghee/Oil for deep frying

METHOD

Soak the semolina in the milk and let it stand for 1 hour. 

Take the ball of Khoya and grate it finely into large plate or bowl. Add the cardamom powder, bicarbonate of soda and the soaked semolina.

Knead these ingredients well until the consistency is that of a pastry dough

Grease your hands with a bit of oil or ghee and take small portions to roll into balls, about the size of a walnut. Make sure the balls are perfectly smooth with no cracks.

Heat the ghee/oil in a wok on extremely low heat and slide in the balls . 

Very gently agitate and move the balls around with a wooden spatula. They will eventually float to the surface of the ghee/oil. Move them around the wok continually until they are golden brown.

Once browned, remove from the oil/ghee with a slotted spoon and let all the excess oil/ghee drain out and immediately add into the warm syrup you will have prepared earlier. 

Let the Gulab Jamun stand in this syrup for a minimum duration of 2 - 4 hours. The longer they are left in the syrup before serving, the better they will absorb it. 

REMOVE FROM SYRUP AND SERVE GARNISHED WITH CRUSHED NUTS AND/OR SILVER PAPER IF DESIRED. THESE CAN BE SERVED WARM OR COLD AND CAN BE STORED IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR 4 to 5 DAYS (If they last that long).

REMOVE FROM SYRUP AND SERVE GARNISHED WITH CRUSHED NUTS AND/OR SILVER PAPER IF DESIRED. THESE CAN BE SERVED WARM OR COLD AND CAN BE STORED IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR 4 to 5 DAYS 

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR SYRUP

200 gms sugar

3 Cups of Water

A few drops of Rose Essence

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan on medium heat to first dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and let boil for a short while to make a clear syrup. Do not boil until the syrup becomes too sticky. It should be clear and runny. To check consistency, drip a bit of the syrup into a saucer and once cool enough to touch, dab a finger in and rub on your thumb. It should be just slightly sticky. Take the saucepan off the heat. Strain the syrup into a large bowl and once it has cooled down a bit, add the drops of Rose Essence.