Soft Gulab Jamun (Using Milk Powder)

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Gulab jamun is traditional indian mithai (sweet) made with milk solids, sugar and flavorings like green cardamom, saffron or rose water.

Prep Time45

Cook Time15

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

250 g milk powder I use Nido brand, use high fat milk powder suited for making mithai
2 tablespoon all purpose flour maida
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder
2 tablespoon ghee melted
3 tablespoon whole milk or as needed
Ghee or Oil for deep frying

Sift all dry ingredients (milk powder, flour & baking soda) in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the melted ghee.
Gently, using your fingers, mix the flour mixture until it resembles small crumbs.
Start adding little milk at a time and using your fingers, bring together form into a smooth dough. Don't over-knead or squish the dough. It should be non sticky. There is no need to shape the dough. Just make sure it binds together. We don’t want the gluten to form. If over mixed, the jamuns will not absorb syrup and will remain hard inside.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth & let rest for 10 minutes .This helps it absorb the moisture and become pliable.
Grease ghee on your hands and pinch 18-20 equal portions from the dough. Pro Tip - For similar size, you may weigh the dough portions using a food scale.
oll the dough portions into small balls with no cracks. Line the smooth balls on a plate & keep covered with a damp kitchen cloth to avoid them from drying.

In a large and wide heavy bottom pot, add water and sugar along with cardamom pods and lemon juice. Lemon juice prevents the crystallization of sugar upon cooling.
On low-medium heat, bring the syrup to a boil. Once sugar is dissolved, let the syrup simmer for a minute or two and then switch off the stove. We are not looking for any thread consistency here, just boil & stir once or twice till the sugar dissolves completely. It takes about 6-8 minutes on medium heat. If you see scum on top, remove it with a spoon.
Sprinkle the green cardamom powder and mix. You can add flavors like saffron strands or rose-water to the syrup.
Tip #1 - It is important to use a wide enough pot to make sugar syrup so that once you add the fried dough balls, they are in a single layer. The gulab jamun will slightly grow in size as they soak in syrup and we want enough space for that process.
Tip #2 - Make sure that your sugar syrup is not thick to begin with, else the jamuns won't be able to absorb it due to its viscosity.

Set oil or ghee for deep frying to heat up in a deep cooking pot. Make sure that the oil quantity is enough so that the gulab jamuns remain fully submerged while deep frying.
Once the oil is heated up, to check the oil temperature, add a small piece of dough to the hot oil. It should rise up quickly without sizzling. If you use a candy thermometer, heat the oil (or ghee ) to around 350-365°F.
Carefully, add the rolled jamun balls into the hot oil. Do not over crowd.
While frying, maintain a consistent oil temperature and gently turn around the jamuns to ensure even cooking. It should take about 5-7 minutes per batch. You might see some foaming in oil due to baking soda.
Once browned,using a slotted spoon remove all the excess oil and place the fried balls on paper towels for 10-15 seconds.
Once browned,using a slotted spoon remove all the excess oil.
While they are still warm, place the fried gulab jamun in the warm sugar syrup.Finish deep frying all gulab jamun and soak in syrup immediately.
Once you've added all the gulab jamun to the syrup, place the pot on a low flame for 1-2 minutes. Warming the syrup helps in better soaking. Take care not to let boil, else gulab jamuns will burst. Cover the pot and let stand undisturbed for at least 30-45 minutes.

To Make Green Cardamom Powder - Crack open the pods and use your mortar & pestle to grind the seeds into a powder.This is how cardamom is commonly used in Indian homes.
Traditionally, gulab jamuns are fried in pure ghee. I fry them in oil and add ? cup of ghee to the oil to add the rich aroma.
Make sure that the milk powder isn't smelly, freshness matters since its one of the main ingredient.
Correct temperature of oil is key in the recipe. Do not fry the gulab jamuns on very high heat.If oil is too hot, and they will brown quickly on the outside & harden but remain raw inside. In cold oil, they may absorb excess oil. Do not fry on low heat either, they will start spreading in oil.
Gulab Jamun keep well in the fridge for up to 18-20 days.Whenver you want to serve, just microwave for 8-10 seconds. They can be frozen for 3-5 months.
Please refer to the above written wrticle for additional trouble shooting tips.

Serving Ideas

Serve warm gulab jamun in bowl with few tablespoons of syrup & chopped nuts or dessicated coconut garnish. I like them slightly warm. Add a dollop of vanilla ice cream for a hot & cold dessert experience.
Rabdi Gulab Jamun is a wonderful combination. You could make small dessert jars by layering instant rabdi and gulab jamun balls. I would skip the syrup for these else these become cloying.
Serve gulab jamun with rasmalai boba drink for a festive dessert duo.
Try kesar kulfi and gulab jamun together, its delicious!