While we all love desi desserts, gulab jamun is one dessert that hits different. If you agree with this, you are in the right place. Whether there is an occasion or you are simply in the mood for some desi dessert, gulab jamun is just the perfect sweet escape. And with the upcoming festivities, you might want to brush up on your dessert-making skills. So, let’s head straight into this super easy and indulgent recipe for gulab jamun.

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Ingredients:

For sugar syrup:

1 and 1/2 cups of sugar

2-3 crushed cardamom pods

1 and 1/2 cups of water

A dash of rose water

For the dough:

1 cup of milk powder

1/4th cup + 1 tbsp maida

A pinch of soda

1 tbsp ghee

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp yogurt

Oil or ghee for frying

Method:

For this gulab jamun recipe, we will be using milk powder instead of khoya, since it is not easily available everywhere. So, using milk powder is a great alternative to keep the consistency and richness of the gulab jamun intact.

1. Making the sugar syrup:

To make the sugar syrup, take sugar, cardamom pods, and water, and bring it to boil. Make sure it only gets sticky and doesn’t reach a stringy consistency. You can take a spoon of the syrup on a plate and touch it once it is a little cool to check. If you think it is not at the right consistency, add a little more water and mix well over the heat till you reach the right consistency. Then, take the syrup off the heat, add a dash of rose water, cover, and set it aside.

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2. Making the dough:

To make the dough, put all your dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and don’t use extra soda as it will crumble the dough. Now, sieve all the dry ingredients into another bowl, add 1 tsp ghee, and mix everything again. Then, take 2 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp yogurt, combine it well, and pour it slowly into the dry ingredients, mixing properly. Don’t knead the dough, just mix it gently. If it feels too dry, add a little more milk. Once you have mixed it well, grease your fingers slightly with oil and mix again till the dough becomes a little stiff. Balance the consistency by sprinkling a little plain flour if it is too sticky.

Once your dough is ready, divide it equally and make balls out of it without any cracks in them. Be gentle with the dough and don’t press or knead too hard. Meanwhile, keep the syrup to heat up but don’t make it too hot.

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3. Making the Gulab jamun:

Take a deep frying pan, add oil or ghee into it, and let it heat up, but it shouldn’t be boiling hot. To check the temperature, put a tiny ball of dough into the oil, and if it comes up slowly without turning brown quickly, you are good to go. Next, take the balls, slide them in, and fry them for about a minute or two till they become slightly brown. Keep flipping and don’t add all the balls in together because when they fry, they will expand.

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Once the dough balls are cooked and get a golden brown colour, take them out and strain them well. Now put these into the hot sugar syrup and let them soak for about 3 hours. Remember that the fried balls should not have excess oil before putting them into the syrup. Also, the syrup should be hot but not steaming hot.

Check after 3 hours to see if the syrup has been soaked in properly. If it has, take the gulab jamuns out in a plate. You can garnish them lightly with crushed nuts before serving. Sounds delicious, right? Go ahead and make a practice batch with this super easy recipe for gulab jamun.

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