Gulab Jamun is the most common, favorite, delicious and mouth watering Indian Sweet. In India it is made with mawa or solidified milk. It contains 25% fat content. However in the West we do not get Mawa. As a result different recipes are tried and experimented. I will give you a recipe that uses milk powder.
First we will make the texture of the mixture like Mawa before making the Gulab Jamun balls first. And then the syrup! In making Gulab Jamun there are certain fine tips that have to be followed carefully to obtain a delicious and tasty Gulab Jamun.
1 c Milk Powder 2 tsp Maida Desi Ghee For frying and shortening Baking soda, a pinch 2 tsp Cream of wheat 2-3 strains Saffron 250 g Sugar 50 ml Milk Cardamom
Mix milk powder, maida 2 tsp, and baking soda in a bowl. Add ghee. Do not melt ghee. Instead break into pieces Mix well crumbling the ghee in the milk powder. Once again you are adding 25% fat to milk powder. Soak cream of wheat in water. Squeeze all water from the cream and add to the mixture and again crumble well to obtain mixture like mawa texture Adding a few drops of milk at room temperature just to mix all ingredients. Do not make smooth dough. Keep covered with a moist cloth. Break into small portions. Flatten first between the palms first and then roll into balls (tennis ball size). You can place a few strands of saffron and a raisin inside Heat the ghee for frying. The temperature of oil is very essential. For a proper heat when you throw a piece of the dough into oil it will take time to come up. Once it does not come up immediately the temperature is right. Keep on stirring the oil with a wooden spatula. This will keep the balls rotating. Do not touch the balls instead keep rotating the oil. Fry to required consistency and set aside. When cooked on low heat balls are cooked inside and also remain soft inside. To make the sugar syrup mix two cups of sugar and two cups of water. Once sugar is immersed the quantity of water is right Add 1 tsp lime juice and allow the mixture to come to a boil. A bit of acidity prevents the syrup from crystallization. In hot syrup immerse the balls. Remove from the heat and allow soaking for one to one and a half hour before serving. Usually Gulab Jamuns are served warm. Garnish with silver paper or desiccated coconut.
Tip: Once you follow the tips you will get soft and delicious Gulab Jamuns. For making Kala Jam add a few grains for sugar to the dough and the temperature is raised somewhat to give a darker appearance. The rest of the process is same. To serve you can cut into two parts and paste fresh cream and a piece of cherry.
