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gulab jamuns
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Gulab Jamun

Soft, melt-in-your mouth gulab jamuns that are the heart and soul of every desi person. Luckily, 10 minutes of effort are all that lies between you and these blissful little things.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: bangladeshi, Indian, nepali, Pakistani
Keyword: best gulab jamun, best gulab jamun recipe, gulab jamun, gulab jamun cake, gulab jamun recipe, homemade gulab jamun, indian dessert balls, recipe of gulab jamun, soft gulab jamun
Author: The Ovenist

Ingredients

FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP

  • 1 cup water
  • 1¼ cup sugar
  • ½ tablespoon Lemon juice
  • 7-8 green cardamoms
  • 1 drop kewra essence

FOR THE GULAB JAMUN

  • 1 cup dry milk powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon clarified butter/ghee
  • oil and/or clarified butter(ghee) for frying

Instructions

FOR SUGAR SYRUP

  • In a medium pot, add sugar, green cardamoms and water, and let it cook. When the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then lower flame and cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame, add kewra essence and lemon juice.

FOR GULAB JAMUN

  • Heat oil + some ghee in a wok on low flame.
  • In a bowl, add milk powder, all-purpose flour, baking powder, clarified butter/ghee and whisked egg. Mix and knead well until well incorporated. You should have a smooth shiny dough. Grease your hands with a little oil, and quickly make small balls. Balls should also be smooth and shiny.
  • Keep the flame low. Drop the balls into the oil. Don't stir till they rise to the top. Once the balls rise to the top, keep stirring carefully to ensure even browning. When golden brown, take them out of the oil using a skimmer spoon, let excess oil drip and then transfer into the sugar syrup. Let them stay in the syrup till it's time to serve.

Notes

When you make the dough balls, they should be smooth. If you see cracks on the balls, add a little milk, mix your dough again and then make balls.
The gulab jamun ingredients only need to mixed properly. Do not knead the dough, as it will build the gluten and result in harder gulab jamuns.
The sugar syrup should have a slightly sticky consistency. It should not be watery and should not be too thick.
Sugar syrup should be warm when you place the fried gulab jamuns into it.