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gulab jamun

Instant gulab jamun with milk powder
4.75 from 4 votes
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Ingredients

  • Milk powder - 1/2 cup
  • Maida - 2 tbsp
  • Baking soda - 1/8 tsp
  • Milk - 2 tbsp
  • Thick Curd - 1/2 tsp
  • ghee - 1 tbsp
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Water - 1 cup
  • Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Saffron - pinch
  • Oil/ghee - for deep frying

Instructions

  • Take 1/2 cup milk powder, 2 tablespoons maida, and 1/8 teaspoon baking soda in a wide bowl
  • Mix it well with your hands and make sure all the dry ingredients are combined well
  • Add milk, ghee, and curd, and mix gently
  • Avoid adding more milk. If required, add few drops (I just added the mentioned quantity). Initially, the mixture might look slightly sticky. Do not overmix or knead the mixture; just lightly mix it. Overly mixed Jamun turns dense and will not soak well in sugar syrup
  • Cover the dough with a damp cloth and rest till we make the sugar syrup
  • In a deep vessel, take 1 cup of sugar,  1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder, and 1 cup of water, and mix well
  • Turn on the stove to medium flame and cook for 7-9 minutes until the sugar syrup boils well. Sugar syrup turns slightly sticky. Turn off the stove before one string consistency
  • Turn off the stove and move the pan aside
  • Grease your palm with oil or ghee (I used ghee) and pinch a small portion of the dough
  • Gently roll into a crack-free ball. If you feel the dough cracks, add a few drops of milk and gently knead (I didn’t add milk)
  • Always make a smaller-sized ball, as the Jamun doubles its size after deep frying and soaking in sugar syrup
  • After rolling all the Jamun, cover it with a damp  cloth
  • In a wide, deep vessel, add oil or ghee and heat the oil on a medium flame
  • When the oil is medium hot, pinch a small portion of the dough and drop it into the hot oil. If it starts floating upward immediately without changing its color, the oil is at the right temperature and ready for deep frying.
  • Slowly drop 4-5 Jamun, or according to the size of the pan, from the sides of the pan
  • Jamun starts floating without changing color
  • Carefully  flip and cook evenly
  • Cook till the Jamuns are deep-fried and turn golden brown
  • Transfer them to an oil filter to absorb excess oil
  • Maintain the oil temperature throughout the frying process by adjusting the flame between low- medium for even cooking
  • As we fry the remaining batches, turn on the sugar syrup to the lowest flame and let it get warm. Make sure the sugar syrup is not boiling
  • After the sugar syrup turns warm and add the deep-fried Jamun into the syrup and let it soak
  • Gently add the syrup over all the Jamun to make sure all the Jamun are well soaked
  • Add rose essence and mix gently
  • Soak for at least 4 hours. After the Jamun is well soaked, it will increase its size. Serve it with carrot halwa or vanilla ice cream

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Notes

  1. To optimize the time, I first heated the oil deep during low flame and they started making Jamun. Make sure oil is not too hot also after rolling all the Jamun increase the flame to fry
  2. Overcooked sugar syrup turns hard so watch out while making syrup. If you overcooked sugar syrup by mistake add little water and cook to get the right consistency
  3. Do not over mix Jamun, it will turn dense and won't soak properly in the syrup
  4. Always add the exact amount of baking soda. Excess soda will make the Jamun over crispy and less soda will make Jamun chewy
  5. Add rose petal or rose essence to the syrup for extra flavor
  6. When the oil is medium hot, pinch a small portion of the dough and drop it into the hot oil, if it starts floating upward immediately without changing its color the oil is at the right temperature and ready for deep frying
  7. If the Jamun start floating upward immediately and turns brown then the oil is too hot. We have to cool the oil so turn off the stove for some time and heat again to the right temperature
  8. if the Jamun doesn’t come floating at all then the oil is not hot enough and needs to be heated a little bit more.
  9. While frying Jamun be sure not to crowd them. As we fry they will increase in size, so provide them enough space in the pan
  10. Smooth and crack free kneading result in glossy Jamun
  11. Always cook the Jamun on low - medium flame
  12. Continuously rotate/flip the Jamun for even cooking
  13. Avoid one string consistency. The syrup has to be watery for the Jamun to soak well
  14. The amount of milk to use depends on the milk powder or mawa. You might need more milk while making the dough. Always adds milk in very few quantities (few drops)
  15. We have to add milk and avoid water
  16. Ensure the sugar syrup is sticky. If it is below the sticky stage then the Jamun will turn soggy, may break, and not remain firm in shape.
  17. If you cook sugar syrup to one string consistency then Jamun won't soak well
  18. Adding lemon juice is optional I have never added it and still, my Jamun turns good
  19. Add rose essence after turning off the stove
  20. Please note that this gulab jamun recipe may not work with low-fat milk powder.
  21. I have used everyday regular milk powder from Nestle.
  22. Avoid using a cast iron pot for the syrup. Most times the sugar syrup turns very thick & crystallizes after cooling down since it gets cooked even after turning off.
  23. If you want to double recipe, double all the ingredients but use little less than 1/4 teaspoon baking soda that will yield in the best jamun texture.
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