Gulab Jamun Recipes

Steps:

• For the gulab jamun: Sift the milk powder, flour and baking soda together in a large bowl. Add the cream, lemon juice and ghee. Use your hands to make mix lightly into a stiff and slightly sticky dough. Add more cream if too dry or more flour if too wet. The dough should be smooth(ish). Try not to over knead the dough as that will make the balls dense. Cover the bowl and let it rest while you make the simple syrup.
• For the syrup: Combine the sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, cardamom seeds and saffron in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the alcohol, if using, rosewater and lemon juice, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the consistency of a light syrup, 15 to 20 minutes. If using whole cardamom, remove the pod from the water.
• Fill a large Dutch oven halfway with oil, attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot and heat over medium-high heat to 280 to 285 degrees F. (It is important that the oil be kept at this temperature, if too hot the gulab jamun balls will brown on the outside but remain uncooked inside.)
• Meanwhile, grease your hands with ghee or oil. Roll the dough into sixteen 1-tablespoon size balls (walnut-sized balls), making sure there are no cracks. (The dough will double in size when fried and will grow some more when soaked in the simple syrup.)
• Once the oil is at the right temperature, gently add one ball at a time to the hot oil, making sure there is enough space for the balls to expand in size and not stick to each other. Gently stir the balls to make sure they are not sticking to the bottom of the pot or to each other. Fry the balls, turning every minute or so, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove and transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet or plate. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.
• Put the warm gulab jamun in a glass baking dish large enough to hold all the balls with a little space around them and pour the warm syrup over them.
• It's better to make the gulab jamun 1 to 2 hours before to let them soak the syrup. I like to zap or warm the jamuns before serving, but they can be had cold or at room temperature also. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Garnish with nuts just before serving.

Steps:

• To make the syrup, heat the cardamom, sugar and 500ml water in pan, not letting the water boil before the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 10 mins, then leave to cool.
• Add the rosewater, saffron and some of its soaking water, gradually adding to give a subtle flavour. Set aside in the pan.
• To make the gulab jamun, grind the cardamom and sugar with a pestle and mortar.
• Sieve the milk powder, flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl and stir in the ground cardamom. Rub in the homemade ghee or butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add the yogurt, lemon juice and enough milk to form a soft dough - take care not to overwork the mixture.
• Oil your hands with a little sunflower oil and shape small portions of the dough into balls the size of a small walnut, about 3cm in diameter and 20g each. You should have 16 balls. Take care that the dumplings are smooth and have no cracks or folds.
• Reheat the syrup. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and cover with a lid.
• Heat the ghee in a wok or karahi to 130C. When a small piece of dough dropped into the oil turns golden in about 40 seconds, fry the balls in batches over a medium heat, moving them around until they are an even, deep brown, about 5-7 mins. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon, then drain on kitchen paper. Add to the warm syrup, leaving them to soak for 2-3 hrs or preferably overnight.
• When ready to eat, warm the gulab jamun through in a wide pan, spooning over the syrup. Serve piping hot.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine milk powder and flour in a bowl. Add butter; beat together until creamy and blended. Add just enough milk to make a firm dough. Shape dough into 18 small balls and arrange on the baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until gulab are lightly browned, 12 to 20 minutes.
• Combine confectioners' sugar, white sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until sugars dissolve and consistency is syrupy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Transfer gulab to the saucepan; let soak in the warm syrup, at least 10 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Steps:

• Combine water, sugar, cardamom, rose water, and saffron in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until consistency is syrupy, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix milk powder, flour, and baking soda in a bowl until well-combined. Slowly mix in butter and yogurt until dough comes together. Let gulab dough rest for 5 minutes. Shape into smooth balls the size of pennies.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Test the temperature of the oil by dropping in a small piece of dough. When it sits at the bottom of the pan for 1 minute before coming to the surface, the oil is ready.
• Fry 4 gulab balls at a time, stirring carefully, until dark golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes. Drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining gulab.
• Bring syrup back up to a boil and drop in fried gulab. Remove from heat and let them soak in the syrup, covered, 45 minutes to 1 hour.