Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun In Marathi

Approx 15 to 18 medium Gulabjamun
Time: approx 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:
250 gram Khoya (Use special Gulabjamun Khoya)
Sugar Syrup::::
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
1 and 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Other ingredients::::
Oil of Ghee to deep fry Gulabjamun
1 tbsp Maida (All purpose flour)
Milk as needed (You will need very little, may be few tsps)
Pinch of Baking Soda

Method:
1) Grate the khoya. Sprinkle all purpose flour and baking soda over grated khoya. Mix. Drizzle little milk and knead to medium consistency dough. Use very little ghee if needed. Cover the dough with a damp clean cloth.
2) Make one thread consistency sugar syrup. To make it, mix sugar and water in a deep medium pan. Boil and make one thread consistency syrup. While sugar syrup is getting ready, divide the dough into equal small balls (1 and 1/2 cm to 2 cm). Give them a smooth round shape. There should not be any cracks on the surface.
3) Heat the oil over high heat and them turn the heat to medium low. Oil temperature is a very important while frying the gulabjamun balls. To check the temperature, drop one ball in the heated oil. If it floats immediately on the oil surface and start browning, the oil is hot. So wait for couple of minutes to get the right oil temperature.
If the dough ball sits at the bottom of kadai for few seconds and rises slowly, this is the right temperature. Then, you can drop multiple jamun balls into the oil. Turn and roll them with slotted spoon to get same color at all sides. Fry them into batches. Cook them until they become reddish brown in color. Remove the first batch of fried jamun out of the oil and let them rest for couple of minutes. Then put them into hot sugar syrup. Repeat the same process for other jamun balls. One thing to remember that sugar syrup should not be boiling hot or warm. It should be in the middle.
Let the jamun soak into the sugar syrup for atleast 5 to 6 hours. For better results, soak them overnight.

Tips:
1) Some people like a nice aroma of rose to the Jamun. For that, add 1 or 2 drops of rose essence in the sugar syrup.
2) You can give little twist to the traditional recipe. While make balls out of dough, place a small piece of dry fruit (cashew, pistachio), small piece of rock sugar or a seed of cardamom in the center of the ball. Then fry them normally.
3) You can replace all purpose flour with Araroot powder or corn flour.
4) Oil temperature is very important while frying the Gulabjamun. If the oil is too hot, jamun will get reddish color immediately. however inside, they will remain uncooked. Therefore adjust the oil temperature first.
5) Sugar syrup should be one thread consistency. Thick sugar syrup is hard to absorb into the gulabjamun.