Best Tips To Make Easy Gulab Jamuns

There is no Indian festival without dessert. Every state in India has its own special sweet dish, from Bengali rosogollas to the South Indian Rava Kesari. The besan ladoos of Gujaratis and the shufta of the Kashmiris, we all cherish each and every one of them. That being said, Gulab jamun is probably every Indian’s favorite sweet. These sweet delights are dumplings that are made of khoya, which is dried milk, deep fried and then served dipped in sugar syrup. 

In India, this delicious sweet is up for grabs at every party or get-together. If you are planning to serve only one dessert to your guests, then you can never go wrong with gulab jamun. Each piece of gulab jamun contains 150 calories.

Hence, with the festive season slowly creeping in, here are some tips to help you make the best sweet dumplings. 

How to make Gulab Jamun? 

This dessert is extremely easy to make. Khoya is the main ingredient required for making this sweet. Khoya is nothing but dried milk and you can prepare it by cooking the milk till the solids are left only. However, this is a tedious process and you can always bypass it by buying khoya from the local milk shop.

Making the dough: While preparing the dough for the Jamun, you need to make sure that it is absolutely smooth. Adding warm milk to khoya slowly and gradually helps with the process and you get the perfect soft and smooth dough. However, you do not want the dough to be too soft so that that Jamuns aren’t able to retain their shape. Thus, do not add too much baking powder or soda. Also keep in mind that over-kneading the dough will not give you the perfect jamuns that melt in your mouth. After the dough is prepared, it should be allowed to rest for about 15-20 minutes. 

While making the balls keep in mind that they cannot have a single crack on them. In case there are cracks, you need to start kneading again to get the perfect smooth texture. 

Frying the Jamuns: Rule number one is to keep the heat at medium to low. If the heat is kept at high, then the oil will heat up fast, and the gulab jamun will have burnt outsides, while the inside will remain raw. 

Heat the ghee or oil at medium heat for around 5 minutes. Then when you start dropping the balls, turn it to low to get the best results. 

You will know that your Gulab jamun are done when they turn into nice dark golden brown balls. This might take some time, as you are cooking at low heat. 

Sugar Syrup: The syrup needs to be only a little sticky. Therefore after adding water and sugar in a pan, it should be allowed to simmer for only about 5 to 6 minutes. 

The syrup might look too thin, but it will start to thicken up as it cools down. The syrup should not be too thick; otherwise the gulab jamuns won’t be able to absorb it. 

When you add the gulab jamuns to the syrup, make sure that the syrup is not too hot. A little warm is perfect. If it is too hot, then the Jamuns will lose their beautiful round shape and if it is too cold, it won’t absorb it. 

With all these tips kept in mind, there is absolutely no reason why you should not be able to make the perfect gulab jamuns.