India’s Love Affair With Gulab Jamun Is A Cause For Enthusiastic Celebration

Gulab jamuns have foreign predecessors, but the dessert, as we know it today, is distinctly Indian. Here’s its history, recipe, and more.

Although it takes some practice and expertise to get it right, gulab jamun is a satisfying dessert to cook when you succeed. The deep fried dessert melts in the mouth on applying the slightest pressure, and its sweetness bursts into and fills your mouth. It's a mainstay of festivals and special occasions. No gathering is complete without it. Gulab jamuns are delicious on their own, while also pairing well with ice cream and other dishes, satisfying experimentalists.

There are a few options when it comes to considering the history of gulab jamuns. Some say it was created by accident by one of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s royal chefs, who was actually trying to create another dish. Both the Persian bamieh and the Turkish tulumba can be cited as predecessors of the gulab jamun, since both consist of fried dough being dipped in a sugar syrup. The Arabic luqmat-al-qadi is also similar, where fried dough balls are dipped in honey.

The name also offers some hints to its origin. ‘Gulab’ is the Persian word for rose and ‘jamun’ refers to the local fruit.

In his book The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin, Michael Krondl talks about how the Persian invaders brought a “round fritter” with them, which eventually evolved into the gulab jamun. He adds:

“The [Indian] recipe is more complex than in the Middle East, requiring a mixture of dried and fresh milk thickened with flour. But as in Iran, the mixture is fried and soaked in rosewater syrup.”

While its origin is disputed, the gulab jamun’s widespread popularity is not up for debate. Attesting to this fame is the fact that along the Maigalganj-Shahjahanpur-Lucknow National Highway 24, there is a half kilometer stretch dubbed the ‘gulab jamun highway’, which has over 100 shops selling the dessert.

It has also been adapted to suit Indian taste buds and ways of cooking and is a distinctly Indian dish. There are also regional variations to the dish, like with any popular food item. For instance, in Kolkata, there’s ledikeni. The story goes that in the 1850s, the confectioner Bhim Chandra Nag was ordered to make a special dessert for Lady Canning who was scheduled to come to India. She loved what he made, so the locals started calling it ledikeni, a mispronunciation of her name.

Another variation is the dry jamun of Kumbakonam, a temple town in Tamil Nadu. It was created and sold by Kumbakonam Murari Sweet, a family-run shop. The dry jamun has a crisp crust which is dusted with sugar and is smaller than the traditional gulab jamun.

Yet nother variation is the kala jamun, which gets its darker color and crisp texture from the addition of the extra sugar that's added to the batter and then deep fried.

Here are some of the best places to find gulab jamuns in the country, all of which should be on your travel bucket list:

• Shree Bhagatram, New Delhi
• Baljees Restaurant, Shimla
• Gurdas Ram Jalebi Wala, Amritsar
• Jhama Sweets, Mumbai
• Chingari, Pune
• Narinder Sweet House, Kasauli

Here’s a simple gulab jamun recipe so you can try making this much loved dessert yourself.

Ingredients:

• 100 gm milk powder
• ½ cup maida / flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp ghee
• Milk, as required, for kneading
• ghee or oil, as required, for frying

For the sugar syrup:

• 2 cup sugar
• 2 cup water
• 2 cardamom
• ¼ tsp kesar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp rose water

Directions:

• In a bowl, add the milk powder, maida and baking powder and mix well.
• Add 2 tbsp of ghee and mix.
• Add milk slowly and it will start to combine. Do not knead the dough.
• Cover it and let it rest.
• In the meantime, take the sugar, water, cardamoms and saffron in a pan and stir over medium heat. Keep stirring till it's sticky.
• Then turn off the heat and add one spoon lemon juice and one spoon rose water.
• Cover and set aside.
• Start making small balls with the dough. If you want to make mini gulab jamuns, make tiny balls.
• Deep fry in ghee or oil until the balls turn golden brown. Drain and transfer the balls into the hot sugar syrup.
• Cover and let it rest for 2 hours, or until the balls have absorbed the syrup and doubled in size.
• Serve warm.