Discover India in Chicago Change City
Gulab Jamun (Kala)
Image 1
0
Anupama
Sweets-Dessert,North Indian,Veggie
Half cup self-rising flour or plain flour/maida

Note: If using maida/plain flour, add 1/4 tea spoon baking 
powder and a pinch of salt.

1 cup non-fat milk powder (any brand)

100 ML cream/whipping cream 

1 tea spoon coarsely powdered cardamoms/elaichi

1/4 tea spoon saffron/kesar OR half tea spoon rose water

3 cups vegetable oilhee for frying

3 cups sugar and 2 cups water for the syrup
1. In a large cooking pot, mix sugar and water and bring it to boil. Once the syrup starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring it a few times in between. Take syrup off the stove. Add cardamoms/elaichi and saffron/kesar to the syrup and stir a couple of times. If using rose water, add rose water instead of the saffron.

2. In a bowl, mix milk powder and flour with a spoon. Pour cream all over the mix. Let it stand for 3 minutes. Now knead a soft dough with hand for about a minute. If you think you need more cream to bind the dough, add a few tea spoons of cream until a nice yet firm dough is achieved.

3. Heat oil/ghee/g in a frying pan on medium high setting.

4. Make small balls (jamuns), about 1 inch diameter, from the dough and make sure they are perfectly round and smooth all over with no cracks on the surface.

5. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium low. Pull out a very tiny bit of dough from one of the jamuns and put it in oil. It should sizzle softly and float up in 2-3 seconds. If it does, the oil is ready for frying.

6. Fry the jamuns in batches depending on the size of your pan. Don’t overcrowd the pan with jamuns. Turn the jamuns around often to ensure uniform cooking. Once they turn dark brown all over, collect them on a large spoon with holes, let the oil drain and then immerse them softly in the syrup.

I generally rest the spoon under a paper towel for a couple of seconds to make sure all oil is absorbed and then immerse them in the syrup.

7. Let the Jamuns sit in the syrup for at least 3 hours before serving.

Insturctions:

1.Make sure the syrup is very warm when you immerse the jamuns in it.
2. Fry Jamuns on low heat and move them around delicately so that it has a uniform brown color.
3. Fry Jamuns until they are a nice brown all over.
4. Let the Jamuns sit in the syrup at least for 3 hours before serving.
5. The jamuns will almost double in size after keeping them in sugar syrup.