It will be challenging to find an Indian who dislikes gulab jamun, a popular Indian dessert. Gulab jamuns are sweet balls, similar to old-fashion donuts, fried and soaked in a fragrant sugar syrup.
Traditionally, gulab jamuns are made with khoa or milk solids. However, after coming to the US, many Indians have adapted their recipes to locally found ingredients. In this recipe, khoa is substituted with milk powder and heavy whipping cream, and the results are amazing. Milk powder mixed with heavy whipping cream makes a creamy and rich khoa.
Our dear friend, Sangeeta Bhatnagar, an accomplished cook, shared this recipe with us. Sujata has fond memories of making about 150 gulab jamuns with Sangeeta for Natasha’s second birthday celebrations. Since then, we have shared this recipe with friends and family. Our family in India thinks that these gulab jamuns are better than store-bought ones in India. And that says it all!
A piece of advice – use the recommended ingredients and follow the steps without skipping any tips and tricks.
Gulab Jamuns
Ingredients
Sugar Syrup
- 3 cups sugar
- 4 cups water
- 2-3 whole cardamom pods
- pinch saffron (optional)
Gulab Jamun Dough
- 2 cups good quality milk powder (we recommend Nestle)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- heavy whipping cream as needed (about 1 ¼ cup)
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- neutral vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the sugar syrup by mixing three cups of sugar and four cups of water in a heavy-bottom pan. Add the cardamom pods and saffron, if using. Bring it to a boil and continue to simmer on medium-low heat for five minutes.
- Reduce the heat to the lowest temperature and let the syrup simmer while you fry the gulab jamuns. Let the syrup continue to simmer until all the gulab jamuns are transferred to the syrup.
- Now start preparing the gulab jamun dough. Mix all the dry ingredients. Slowly add the heavy whipping cream, as needed, to make a soft dough. Knead it well into a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the oil to a frying pan and turn the heat on to medium. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low and work on rolling the gulab jamuns.
- Roll about one-inch diameter smooth balls and fry 6-7 gulab jamuns at a time depending on the size of the frying pan on low heat until the gulab jamuns turn a rich brown color. Frying on low heat is essential, otherwise, the gulab jamuns will quickly turn brown and will remain raw inside.
- Cool the balls before adding them to the simmering syrup. Adding warm gulab jamuns to warm syrup makes the gulab jamuns too soft and they don’t hold their round shape.
- Repeat with the remaining dough until all the gulab jamuns are prepared. It is recommended to fry one batch, let it cool until the next batch is done, and then add the cooled gulab jamuns to the warm syrup. Continue this process until all balls are fried and transferred to the syrup.
- Once all the gulab jamuns are dipped in the syrup, turn the heat under the syrup off. Let the gulab jamuns soak for at least 5-6 hours or overnight. Cut one gulab jamun in half to see if the syrup is absorbed all the way through. Over soaking makes the gulab jamuns too soft.
- Serve them at room temperature or warm them up in a microwave before serving. These gulab jamuns can be stored in the refrigerator for one week.
