Soaked in syrup, these warm balls of goodness are India’s most popular dessert and now you can make them in the comfort of your home!
Ready to make the Indian version of donuts? Of course you are! Gulab jamuns are one of my favorite desserts, mainly because of how rare they are in our house! We make it once a year and finish it in less than a week 😢
Behind the Name
Time for a little bit of history! The word “gulab” is derived from the Persian words gol (flower) and āb (water), these refer to the rose-water scented syrup. “Jamun” is the Hindi word for an Indian fruit with a similar size and shape, commonly known as black plum.
Pretty interesting, huh? Now, let’s make my favorite type of donuts!
On to the good stuff
Let’s start with the syrup! In a large pan, combine the water, sugar, cardamom pods, lemon juice and bring to a boil. Allow the syrup to boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and set the syrup aside.
Onwards to the gulab jamun! In a bowl, mix together the milk powder, flour, and baking soda. Add in the butter and mix to form a coarse crumb. Next, add the milk to make a soft, sticky dough. If the dough is dry, add a little more milk to soften. Let the dough sit for a few minutes.
It’s important to measure the exact amount of ALL the ingredients. For instance: too much baking powder will result in the gulab jamuns cracking/breaking while frying.
Thoroughly grease your palms with butter and knead the dough. Using a teaspoon, divide the dough and form into round balls.
In a frying pan, heat at least 1-inch of oil over medium heat. To test the readiness of the oil, place a small piece of dough into the frying pan—the oil should sizzle and the dough should take a minute to rise to the surface. If the oil doesn’t sizzle, it’s not hot enough, and if the dough rises too fast, the oil is too hot.
Place the gulab jamuns into the hot oil. Be careful not to crowd them— the balls should expand to double their original size in the oil. Fry them on medium heat for about seven minutes until dark brown, turning the balls over for even browning.
Allow the gulab jamuns to cool for a few minutes before placing them into the hot syrup. It’ll be hard to be patient, but trust me, you want to soak them for about half an hour before diving in.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm!
Gulab Jamun
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 1¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cup water
- 4 cardamom pods
- ½ tsp lemon juice
For the gulab jamun
- 2 cups milk powder
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk room-temperature
- ⅛ tsp baking soda*
Instructions
Start by making the syrup
- In a large pan, combine the water, sugar, cardamom pods, lemon juice and bring to a boil. Allow the syrup to boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and set the syrup aside.
Now for the gulab jamun
- In a bowl, mix together the milk powder, flour, and baking soda. Add in the butter and mix to form a coarse crumb.
- Add the milk to make a soft, sticky dough. If the dough is dry, add a little more milk to soften. Let the dough sit for a few minutes.
- Thoroughly grease your palms with butter and knead the dough. Using a teaspoon, divide the dough and form into round balls.
- In a frying pan, heat at least 1-inch of oil over medium heat.** Place the gulab jamuns into the hot oil. Be careful not to crowd them— the balls should expand to double their original size.
- Fry the gulab jamuns on medium heat for about seven minutes until dark brown, turning the balls over for even browning. Let cool a few minutes before placing them into the hot syrup.
- Allow them to soak for about half an hour. Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm!
