Gulab Jamun Recipe | How To Make Gulab Jamun (With Khoya/Mawa)
Gulab Jamun | Gulab Jaman recipe with khoya. Step-by-step recipe with pictures to make soft, melt-in-the-mouth, homemade Gulab Jamun from scratch!
Servings 16 gulab jamuns
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
For the gulab jamun dough
- 200 grams khoya/mawa, measured and grated or crumbled, approx 1.75 cups loosely packed grated mawa
- 40 grams all-purpose flour (maida), approx 4 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 4-5 tbsp warm milk/water, or as required
For the sugar syrup
- 400 grams / approx 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2.5 cups water
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4-5 cardamom pods or 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 to 2 tsp rose water or few strands of saffron
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- If using frozen mawa, bring it to room temperature. Grate the block of mawa and transfer to a shallow bowl/plate.
- Knead the mawa with the heels of your palm for 1-2 minutes. Then add sifted flour, along with cardamom powder, and baking powder.
- Mix the ingredients well using your fingertips. Then add milk, a tablespoon at a time, and knead gently just until the dough comes together with minimal cracks. {Do not add too much milk in a go, or else the dough will become too soft and sticky. If that happens, add more flour and knead until the dough is nice and soft. Do not overwork the dough}. If using homemade mawa, you may not need the milk or water at all to knead, as homemade mawa is moist enough, and the flour will absorb the excess moisture.
- Cover the dough with a clean kitchen napkin and set it aside for 15 minutes.
Prepare the chasni or sugar syrup
- While the dough is resting, prepare the sugar syrup. Add water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.You may add some crushed cardamom pods now instead of adding the powder later. Bring it to a rolling boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sugar syrup simmer for 7-8 minutes.
- Next, add lemon juice, gulab jal (rose water) or saffron along with cardamom powder. Mix well and switch off the heat. The sugar syrup consistency for gulab jamun should be sticky, there is no need for a one string consistency. Remove the pan off the heat and set aside.
Making crack-free jamuns
- Divide the mixture into 16 equal portions, about 1 tbsp each. You can make as big or small sized jamuns as you'd like.
- Grease your palms with oil. Take a portion and squeeze it between your palm, then make a crack-free, smooth ball by rolling it lightly between your palms. If it forms cracks, add little milk/water to the dough. If it's too sticky add a teaspoon or more of flour to the dough.
- Prepare the remaining balls in the same way, keep covered with a clean, damp cloth to prevent it from drying out and forming a crust.
Frying the jamuns
- Heat oil or ghee (enough to cover up the jamuns completely) in a heavy bottomed kadai on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then lower the heat. (I use a gas range oven with electric coils and the heat was maintained between 2-3 throughout the frying process) To check if oil is the right temperature and the consistency of the dough is perfect, drop a small piece of dough.-If it sizzles and comes up too quickly, the oil is overheated. It will result in hard gulab jamuns that will remain uncooked from within.-If it stays at the bottom of the kadai for more than a minute, the oil is not hot enough.-If it stays down for a few seconds, then sizzles and comes up slowly, it is the right temperature. The oil is ready to be used for frying the gulab jamun.-If the dough does not disintegrate while frying, it is perfect, and you can proceed with frying the jamuns. If they crack, add more flour to bind.
- Slip 4-5 balls in the oil, they will sink to the bottom of the kadai. Do not try to move them, they should rise on their own. Once they rise and begin to float, keep rotating the jamuns with a slotted spoon so that they cook evenly from within and have a uniform golden brown color or dark brown (as per your preference)on the outside. The jamuns will expand slightly on frying. A well-fried gulab jamun takes anywhere between 8-10 minutes or even a little longer depending on the size.
Dunk the jamuns in warm sugar syrup
- If the sugar syrup has turned cold, heat it just until it is warm. Drain off excess oil using a slotted spoon and transfer the fried jamuns to the sugar syrup. Continue frying and transferring the remaining jamuns to the warm sugar syrup, in a sufficiently large bowl with enough space as the jamuns will expand further in the syrup.
- Let it soak for a minimum of 30 minutes to 2-3 hours. I transferred everything into a deep bowl so that the jamuns were completely immersed in the syrup. You may reheat it before serving if you like to have them warm or serve it cold. It tastes amazing either way!
Notes
- Lemon juice is added to prevent the crystallization of the sugar, so do not skip it.
- You may also make stuffed gulab jamuns, by filling the center with a mixture of khoya and chopped nuts.
- Gulab Jamun storage | How long does gulab jamun last- These will keep well in an airtight container for about 2 days at room temperature and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. You may freeze them up to 3 months.