Looking For Indian Dessert Recipes For Parties? This Is Your Guide To Making The Perfect Gulab Jamuns At Home

Gulab jamun is among the most popular Indian desserts out there. Often enjoyed warm, a delicious sugar syrup oozes out from each bite, coating the tongue and delighting the eater. While it’s fun to eat them, it's even more fun to make them yourself and then enjoy them. So here’s all the different ways you can make gulab jamuns and all the tips and tricks you need to keep in mind to get it right. Enjoy this Indian Dessert Recipes For Parties the next time you’re planning an event.

Ingredients

Using milk powder:

• 1 cup milk powder
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• a pinch of baking soda
• 1 tsp ghee
• a pinch salt
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• Oil or ghee for deep frying
• 1½ cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp cardamom Powder
• ⅛ tsp rose water
• ⅛ tsp saffron

Using sooji:

• 2 cups milk powder
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp sooji / rava
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Milk as needed
• Oil or ghee for deep frying
• Sugar - 2 cups
• Water - 3 cups
• Cardamom - 3 crushed

Using khoya:

• 1 cup khoya / mawa (unsweetened)
• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 500 grams sugar
• 1 litre water
• 4 pods cardamom, crushed

Directions

With milk powder:

• Sieve the flour, milk powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl.
• Add ghee and yoghurt to the bowl and knead it into a dough ball. Set aside.
• In a pan, add the sugar and water and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer till it gets sticky, then add the cardamom powder, saffron and rose essence. Mix thoroughly.
• Shape the dough into small balls, making sure there are no cracks in the balls.
• In a kadhai on low heat, add ghee and drop the balls in one at a time. Fry until golden brown.
• Once fried, immediately transfer to the sugar syrup, which should also be hot. Cover and let the balls soak in the syrup for about 2 hours.
• Serve warm.

With sooji:

• In a bowl, add the sooji and milk. Mix well and set aside.
• In another bowl, add the milk powder and butter. Then add the maida, baking powder and sooji mixture to the bowl, mixing well the whole time.
• Slowly add milk to the mixture and knead into a soft dough.
• In a pan, add the water and sugar and bring it to a boil. Then add the cardamom. Set aside.
• Divide the dough into small balls and deep fry until golden brown.
• Transfer the hot balls to the hot sugar syrup and let them soak for about 4 hours.
• Serve warm.

With khoya:

• In a pan, heat the milk until it comes to a boil. Let it boil for about 30 minutes and keep stirring. It will get thicker over time.
• The khoya should be smooth and level. Add the baking soda and mix well. Then add the flour and make it a soft dough. Add a few spoons of milk if needed. Set aside.
• Knead the dough and divide it into small balls. Set aside,
• Make the sugar syrup by combining the sugar and water in a pan and bringing to a boil.
• Deep fry the balls until golden brown and then immerse in the sugar syrup. Let it soak for about 4 hours.
• Serve warm.

Notes, tips and tricks:

• If your dough is too sticky, add some more flour. If it's too dry, add water.
• Be careful about how much flour you’re adding to the dough. Too much can cause the jamuns to become hard.
• When making the dough, add milk one spoon at a time. Don't add it all together. More important than the proportion of milk added is ensuring the dough is the correct consistency.
• If your dough is sufficiently soft and of the right texture, then it wont have cracks when you shape it into balls. It all depends on how good your dough is.
• Once you’ve added the dough balls to the hot oil or ghee to fry, don't stir them immediately. Let them sit as is and simmer for a few minutes and then stir. This will ensure that the balls don't break apart.
• When you’re immersing the balls in the sugar syrup, both the components should be hot. That way you can know for sure that it’s being absorbed.