Gulab Jamun
Soft khoya dumplings fried slowly to a deep brown and soaked in a warm cardamom and rose syrup.
Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min · Total 50 min + 2 hr soak in syrup · Serves 6
Ingredients
Jamuns
- 200 g Khoya (mawa), unsweetened
- 3 tbsp Maida (plain flour)
- 1 pinch Baking soda
- 2 tbsp Milk
- Ghee or oil for frying, to taste
Syrup
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- 1 ½ cups Water
- 4 Green cardamom, crushed
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Rose water
Method
- Make the syrup. Simmer the sugar, water and cardamom until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is slightly sticky between your fingers, but not stringy. Add the lemon juice to stop it crystallising, then the rose water. Keep it warm.
- Make the dough. Rub the khoya with the heel of your hand until completely smooth and creamy. Mix in the maida and baking soda and bring together with just enough milk to make a soft, crack-free dough. Don't knead hard.
- Shape. Divide into 18 and roll each between your palms into a smooth ball without any cracks. Cracks open up and break in the oil.
- Fry slowly. Heat the ghee to low (about 140°C: a piece of dough should sink then rise slowly). Fry in batches, nudging the oil over them rather than touching them, until deep brown all over, 6 to 8 minutes per batch.
- Soak. Drop the hot jamuns straight into the warm syrup. Soak for at least 2 hours, until they swell and are soaked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips
If the oil is too hot the outside browns before the centre cooks, and the jamuns stay hard and won't absorb syrup. Fry one test jamun first and cut it open.