Every celebration is incomplete without a dessert in every part of the world. Any achievement including a promotion, a new car, a new house, graduation is accompanied by a sweet dish. Wedding functions, birthdays, engagements, and traditional festivals are filled with delicious sweets.
A detailed Gulab Jamun Recipe to follow step by step and make this authentic Pakistani and Indian Recipe at home.
The most liked sweet in Pakistan and India are ‘Gulab Jamun‘. The delectable gulab jamun is a blend of different words. The word ‘Gulab’ is derived from the Persian word ‘gol’ which means flower and ‘ab’ means water. So the word Gulab refers to rose water aromatic syrup.
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Gulab Jamun Recipe
The word Jamun is an Urdu-Hindi word for the famous fruit ‘black plum’ and it is used because of its shape and size like Gulab Jamun.
Gulab jamun is milk-based sweet, fried, and then added into sugar syrup to absorb sweetness. The delightful sensation of having it melted in your mouth and dripping out the sugar syrup is out of this world. You can find gulab jamuns in black and brown color in nearby markets easily.
It has a brown color and delicious flavor from the various solid milk and sugar blends that make it appealing to the eye. Gulab jamuns ‘Kaala Jamun’ are black and made with sugar mixed in the dough, which caramelizes into black when fried.
In Pakistan and India, people don’t make gulab jamun at home and mostly buy from expert sweet makers and vendors. However, a lot of people are trying an easy Gulab Jamun recipe to make the delicious sweet at home.
However, you must follow the recipe cautiously to make delicious and scrumptious gulab jamun at home. Though Gulab Jamuns are also found in tin packaging, making fresh gulab jamuns and having them the right way is a wonderful sensation.
Origin of Gulab Jamun
Gulab jamun is considered to have originated in India in the medieval period. However, you will be surprised to know that this sweet is originated from Persia. Gulab Jamuns are similar to an Arabic dessert ‘Luqmat-Al-Qadi’ which was tried in India in the Mughal period. Yet, this delicious sweet is not only loved in India but also in many other countries such as Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, and Mauritius.
Gulab Jamun Variations
Gulab Jamuns are mostly made with milk solids such as khoya or milk powder by making the smooth dough. They are then garnished with dry fruits such as cashews, pistachios, and almonds to add more flavor. However, there are so many variations in Gulab Jamun Recipes to try.
Khoya Gulab Jamun
Khoya gulab jamun is made with khoya making smooth dough and turning it into small balls. These balls are then fried and dipped into sugar syrup to absorb the sweetness. When they are drenched into the sweetness, you have to take them out and serve them. You can also cut them in half and add some khoya between the two pieces and serve for some extra treat.
Coconut Gulab Jamun
Gulab jamun is made with a simple recipe and then rolled into crushed coconut flakes to enhance the flavor.
Sheera Gulab Jamun
These gulab jamuns are relatively softer than regular ones. These gulab jamuns are served hot dipped in sugar syrup making them mouth melting and scrumptious.
Kaala Gulab Jamun
When you add sugar to the dough and then make its balls and fry, it gets caramelized while frying, and gulab jamuns turn blackish. These gulab jamuns are called Kaala gulab jamun.
Gulab Jamun ki Sabji
It is made in Rajasthan and the dough balls are fried but not soaked in sugar syrup. Instead, they are cooked in nuts and tomato gravy to give them a unique flavor.
What to serve with Gulab Jamuns?
Gulab jamun is a traditional dish, so you can add some traditional dishes before it to create a wonderful sensation. Here is a suggested menu to try for your next festival.
Mains: Chicken Karahi, Mutton Kunna, Egg curry, BBQ, and Paaye are some of the dishes to add to the meal.
Bread: You can serve paratha or naan with these dishes
Vegetarians: You can add some vegetable dishes for veg lovers such as Tarka daal, Palak Paneer, Dum Aalu, Baingan ka Bharta, Aalu gobhi, or Teenday ki sabzi
Appetizers: Chicken nuggets, Spring Rolls, Crackers, potato cutlets can be served as appetizers
Desserts: Kheer, Rus Malai, custard or shahi turkey along with scrumptious Gulab Jamun will make a wonderful treat
Tips to cook Gulba Jamun
Here are some helpful tips to make your gulab jamun perfectly done with delicious flavor.
- Always use ghee for frying gulab jamuns instead of oil. It makes them softer and more flavourful.
- The most important point you have to consider while making Gulab Jamun is to make a smooth and soft dough. The dough should not be too dry or too sticky. Don’t knead the dough for too long and it should not have any lumps.
- Be very careful about the temperature while frying the Gulab jamuns. Keep the heat from low to medium at the start and increase the temperature when gulab jamuns start turning golden brown. Never fry them on high flame.
- Shape your gulab jamuns in a round, cylindrical or oval shape to make them easy to fry. Always make crack-free balls to save them from breaking while frying.
- You should grease your palms while shaping the gulab jamuns to give them the perfect shape and texture.
- You can add a pinch of cornflour or baking powder while kneading the dough to avoid crumbliness during frying.
- If you are a beginner, you can fry a small ball from the dough and dip it in sugar to check if your gulab jamun is perfectly done.
FAQ
What are the ingredients for gulab jamun?
There are a lot of ingredient variations to make gulab jamuns. Milk solids are used in the dough. You can try the gulab jamun recipe condensed milk or gulab jamun recipe without milk powder instead of khoya one.
Why is gulab jamun not soaking syrup?
You can add a little vinegar or lemon juice to the sugar syrup to make it absorbable for gulab jamuns. Your syrup must be hot while adding fried gulab jamuns in it.
How to avoid crumbliness while frying?
If you add too much baking soda to the dough, your gulab jamuns will become too soft and will start breaking while frying. Always add just a pinch of baking powder or baking soda to make perfect balls.
How to make gulab jamun soft?
Make the dough smooth and soft to make your gulab jamun soft. Make crack-free balls to avoid crumbliness and roughness.
Why does gulab jamun become hard?
If you don’t use soft hands to shape the gulab jamuns, they may turn harder after frying. Don’t over knead the dough and make the dough with soft hands until well combined. Never fry them on high flame to avoid the hardness of gulab jamuns.
How to make gulab jamun from a mix?
Take 100 gm of gulab jamun ready mix and spread 3 tbsp of milk over it. Knead it well and make small balls. Fry them in ghee and add sugar syrup. Your instant gulab jamuns are ready.
Gulab Jamun Recipe step by step
To make gulab jamuns take half lb flour and a pinch of baking soda. Sift them together and add a half tin of condensed milk in it. Start kneading the dough with soft hands. Add butter to it and make a smooth dough.
Cover it with a wet cloth and keep it aside for half an hour. Make sugar syrup by adding sugar and water to a pan. Cook it on low to medium flame. Add a piece of cinnamon and cook it until the sugar dissolves in the water.
Your sugar syrup must have a runny consistency to make it easier to be absorbable by gulab jamuns. Add a few drops of rose water with lemon juice or vinegar at the last stage.
Take out the dough and start making balls with soft hands. Apply some ghee on your palms to make your balls smooth and crack-free. If the balls aren’t crack-free, they will crumble while frying or become hard after frying.
Heat the ghee on a low medium flame and start adding the balls in medium hot ghee. Fry the balls in small batches till they turn golden brown. If you fry them on high flame they will turn brown quickly but they will remain raw inside.
Take out the balls and dip them in warm sugar syrup immediately. Let them absorb the sweetness and enlarge in size. Take them out and serve in a dish. Your scrumptious sweet treat is ready.
If you want to keep them fresh for a few days, place them in an airtight box and keep them in the refrigerator. Take them out when required and warm them in the microwave before serving.
Gulab Jamun Recipe
Ingredients
Ingrediants for Dough
- 1/2 lb Self Raising Flour
- 50 gm Butter
- A pinch of bakingpowder or baking soda
- 1/2 tin Cndensed Milk
Ingredients for Sugar Syrup
- 400 gm Sugar
- 2 Cup Water
- 1 tbsp Rose Essance
- Small Cinnamon Stick
- Some drops of lemonjuice or vinegar
Instructions
Preparation of Dough
- Take flour and baking powder and siftthem together. Take a bowl and pour a half tin of condensed milk in it. Addflour gradually and keep mixing it with soft hands. Mix it well and knead.
- The dough will besticky. At this point add the butter and knead the dough.
- Your dough should not be too sticky orextra soft. Make a smooth dough and make a big ball.
- Cover the dough with a wet cloth forabout 30 minutes to rest it.
Preparation of Sugar Syrup
- Keep a pan and addsugar and water to it.
- Add a stick of cinnamon to it.
- Turn on the heat andcook on a slow flame until the sugar dissolves.
- Mix it with a woodenspoon to get the perfect texture.
- Keep the consistency runny to beabsorbable for gulab jamuns.
- Add rose essence andvinegar at the end.
Frying the balls
- Take out the clothand knead the dough again with soft hands.
- Make small balls andgrease your hands to make crack-free balls.
- Turn on the heat andadd ghee to a pan.
- Add gulab jamuns when the ghee (oil) is hot.
- Keep the flame low tomedium.
- Keep stirring theballs to cook them equally from all sides.
- Turn the heat to ahigh flame when they start taking color.
- When the balls turn golden brown, takethem out. Add the balls to warm sugar syrup.
- Leave it for half an hour and let the gulab Jamuns absorb the sugar syrup.
- Take them out and serve warm.
- Your mouth-watering gulab jamuns areready to delight you.