Gulab Jamun(with khoya) is the king of all Indian sweets. It is an Indian dessert balls filled with crumbled cottage cheese or nuts. They are dunked in a sugar syrup eaten hot or cold. Kala Jaam is the bigger brother. Both taste similar except that latter is black in color. You will fall in love with it every time you taste it.It is a must for parties and weddings. Best served hot with cold vanilla ice cream. It always makes you go weak in the knees. No wonder there are so many mixes and canned tins available. However, this recipe is for those who love to make it from scratch.
nostalgia
My love for Gulab Jamuns started with I visited Mhow cantonment. My favourite uncle was posted there in the Army cantt. I fell in love with this sweet on my bus trip to Mhow and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Hot Mawa baati sold in small terracotta pots stole my heart away. I must be around 10-12 years old.Decades later,the memory is still fresh.Just as the one I just gulped down while writing this post.
Amritsar definitely has beautiful ones . Best ones fried in Ghee especially at katra jalebiyanwala chowk. I loved watching huge woks at local sweet shops. One of them definitely was Chappan Bhog at Bhopal Madhya Pradesh. Guess the foodie in one always reminds you, of your childhood. I can never eat just one. Eat it hot when its cold outside. Eat it cold when its hot. You can never get over it. You need no season and you need no reason!
Ingredients
- Instant mawa/khoya/reduced milk
- paneer /fresh cottage cheese
- maida /plain flour
- kaju/cashew nuts
- sugar
- elaichi /cardamom powder
- water
Instructions
1.Take homemade instant mawa along with paneer and maida(plain flour)in a bowl.
2. Knead the mix to make a smooth dough and keep the stuffing ready.
3. Make round balls of the dough below and add some stuffing in between.Shape them into smooth balls.
4.Fry them in ghee/oil
5.Take out when golden brown,leave in sugar syrup.
Variations
You can make it in various ways. Most of us have eaten instant gulab jamun recipe from GITS,MTR. These days you can even get a cake with this flavor. Make Gulab jaman with milk powder and maida/Plain flour if you do not have mawa handy. Some people also make it with paneer. You can also make gluten free kala jaam without maida.
We can make this dessert in many sizes. Be it round or cylindrical. Small round ones /mini version are also called angoori jamun. These days people also make bread gulab jamuns as a fusion dessert. I am yet to try making gulab jamun with bread. I loved making Kala jamun without maida/plain flour. Both versions are tasty and decadent someday for sure.
Storage
Store them in refrigerator.
Related recipes
Gulab Jamun recipe
Ingredients
For gulab jamun:
- 1 cup mawa/khoya/reduced milk
- ¼ cup paneer /fresh cottage cheese
- ⅓ cup maida /plain flour
For stuffing:
- 2 tablespoon chopped kaju/cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon elaichi /cardamom
For sugar syrup:
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups white sugar
Instructions
- Mix the fresh mava with paneer and maida using a stand mixer for 10-15 mins.If you are mixing dough with hands it will take longer around 20-25 mins. Make a smooth dough.
- Divide the dough into small portions.
- Make a round ball and fill ½ teaspoon of stuffing in each. Ensure the balls are smooth else it will crack during frying.
- Heat oil in a kadai/saucepan
- Fry the dough balls on a slow flame,stirring slowly continuously.
- Meanwhile, heat the water and sugar in a different saucepan to get the sugar syrup.
- Transfer the balls to sugar syrup and let it cool for few hours.
- Serve hot or cold.Best served hot with vanilla ice-cream.
FAQ
Can I use milk powder to make gulab jamuns ?
Yes, you can use milk powder to make them,even the mawa we have used is made with milk powder. We suggest to make instant mawa using our recipe first and then make dessert from it.Read the recipe here
Why gulab jamuns becomes hard?
If you ratio of khoya/mawa with plain flour is not correct then there is a high chance of it to become hard.
Please share your inputs..