Gulab jamun are soft, milk-powder dough balls fried until deep reddish-brown, then soaked in a fragrant cardamom and saffron syrup perfumed with rose water. They are pillowy and tender at the centre, with a lightly yielding surface, and arrive at the table glistening in syrup, scattered with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. A syrup-soaked milk-powder sweet.
6piece
400g
400ml
1pinch
2tsp
20g
200g
30g
0.5tsp
65ml
750ml
20g
1tsp| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 6piece | — | — | |
| 2 | | 400g | — | — | |
| 3 | | 400ml | — | — | |
| 4 | | 1pinch | — | — | |
| 5 | | 2tsp | — | — | |
| 6 | | 20g | — | — | |
| 7 | | 200g | — | — | |
| 8 | | 30g | — | — | |
| 9 | | 0.5tsp | — | — | |
| 10 | | 65ml | — | — | |
| 11 | | 750ml | — | — | |
| 12 | | 20g | — | — | |
| 13 | | 1tsp | — | — |
Add the green cardamom pods to the medium saucepan.
Green cardamom pods · 6 piece
Bruise the cardamom pods with the back of a pestle to crack them open and release their seeds.
Add the caster sugar to the saucepan with the bruised cardamom pods.
Caster sugar · 400 gPour the water into the saucepan with the caster sugar and cardamom pods.
Water · 400 mlAdd a pinch of saffron strands to the cardamom, sugar and water mixture in the saucepan.
Saffron strands · 1 pinchStir the sugar, water, cardamom and saffron mixture over a medium heat until the sugar has fully dissolved.
Bring the dissolved sugar syrup to a full rolling boil over a high heat.
Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup steadily until it has thickened slightly and is fragrant with cardamom and saffron, then fish out the cardamom pods.
Stir the rose water into the thickened sugar syrup and remove the pan from the heat.
Rose water · 2 tspSet the rose-flavoured sugar syrup aside, keeping it warm, ready for soaking the fried gulab jamun.
Add the ghee to a small microwave-safe bowl ready to melt.
Ghee · 20 g
Melt the ghee in the microwave in short bursts, stirring between each, until fully liquid.
Set the melted ghee aside to cool slightly before adding to the dough.
Add the full-fat milk powder to a large mixing bowl.
Full-fat milk powder · 200 g
Add the plain flour to the milk powder in the mixing bowl.
Plain flour · 30 gAdd the baking powder to the milk powder and flour in the bowl.
Baking powder · 0.5 tspWhisk the milk powder, flour and baking powder together until evenly combined and lump-free.
Pour the melted ghee over the dry ingredients and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the whole milk a little at a time, mixing gently after each addition, until the mixture just comes together into a soft, smooth dough — do not overwork it.
Whole milk · 65 mlCover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes so the milk powder fully hydrates and the dough firms up slightly.
Divide the rested dough into 18 equal pieces, keeping them covered so they do not dry out.
Cup each piece of dough under your palm and roll it in tight circles on the work surface until it forms a smooth, crack-free ball, then set on the plate.
Pour the neutral oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan. It should come no more than halfway up the sides.
Neutral oil · 750 ml
Heat the oil over a medium-low heat until it reaches 150–160 °C — test with a thermometer for accuracy, as too-high a temperature will brown the outsides before the centres cook through.
Carefully lower half the dough balls into the hot oil one by one and fry, turning them gently and continuously with a slotted spoon, until they are a deep, even reddish-brown all over.
Lift the fried gulab jamun out of the oil with the slotted spoon onto a plate, letting the excess oil drain for a moment.
Slide the drained fried gulab jamun into the warm rose-flavoured sugar syrup in the saucepan, turning gently to coat them.
Return the oil to 150–160 °C over a medium-low heat, ready for the second batch.
Lower the remaining dough balls into the reheated oil and fry, turning them constantly with a slotted spoon, until deeply and evenly reddish-brown all over.
Lift the second batch of fried gulab jamun out with a slotted spoon and set them on the plate to drain briefly.
Add the drained second batch to the saucepan of syrup alongside the first batch, turning everything gently so all the balls are submerged.
Leave all the gulab jamun to soak in the warm syrup for at least 30 minutes, turning them occasionally, until they have swollen and absorbed the fragrant syrup.
Pile the pistachios on the chopping board and chop them finely with a chef's knife until you have a rubble of bright-green pieces.
Pistachios · 20 g
| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 piece | | Add the green cardamom pods to the medium saucepan.⏱ 10sResultGreen cardamom pods |
| 2 | — | | Bruise the cardamom pods with the back of a pestle to crack them open and release their seeds.⏱ 1 minResultBruised green cardamom pods |
| 3 | 400 g | | Add the caster sugar to the saucepan with the bruised cardamom pods.⏱ 20sResultBruised green cardamom pods and caster sugar |
| 4 | 400 ml | | Pour the water into the saucepan with the caster sugar and cardamom pods.⏱ 20sResultBruised green cardamom pods and caster sugar and water |
| 5 | 1 pinch | | Add a pinch of saffron strands to the cardamom, sugar and water mixture in the saucepan.⏱ 15sResultBruised green cardamom pod and caster sugar mixture |
| 6 | — | | Stir the sugar, water, cardamom and saffron mixture over a medium heat until the sugar has fully dissolved.⏱ 3 minResultDissolved sugar syrup with cardamom and saffron |
| 7 | — | | Bring the dissolved sugar syrup to a full rolling boil over a high heat.⏱ 2 minResultBrought-to-boil sugar syrup |
| 8 | — | | Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup steadily until it has thickened slightly and is fragrant with cardamom and saffron, then fish out the cardamom pods.⏱ 9 minResultThickened sugar syrup with cardamom and saffron |
| 9 | 2 tsp | | Stir the rose water into the thickened sugar syrup and remove the pan from the heat.⏱ 15sResultThickened sugar syrup with cardamom and saffron and rose water |
| 10 | — | | Set the rose-flavoured sugar syrup aside, keeping it warm, ready for soaking the fried gulab jamun.⏱ 15sResultThickened sugar syrup with cardamom and saffron and rose water |
| 11 | 20 g | | Add the ghee to a small microwave-safe bowl ready to melt.⏱ 15sResultGhee |
| 12 | — | | Melt the ghee in the microwave in short bursts, stirring between each, until fully liquid.⏱ 2 minResultMelted ghee |
| 13 | — | | Set the melted ghee aside to cool slightly before adding to the dough.⏱ 15sResultMelted gheeused in step 18 |
| 14 | 200 g | | Add the full-fat milk powder to a large mixing bowl.⏱ 15sResultFull-fat milk powder |
| 15 | 30 g | | Add the plain flour to the milk powder in the mixing bowl.⏱ 15sResultFull-fat milk powder and plain flour |
| 16 | 0.5 tsp | | Add the baking powder to the milk powder and flour in the bowl.⏱ 15sResultFull-fat milk powder and plain flour and baking powder |
| 17 | — | | Whisk the milk powder, flour and baking powder together until evenly combined and lump-free.⏱ 1 minResultEvenly combined dry mix |
| 18 | Melted gheestep 13 | | Pour the melted ghee over the dry ingredients and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.⏱ 2 minResultMelted ghee and evenly combined dry mix |
| 19 | 65 ml | | Add the whole milk a little at a time, mixing gently after each addition, until the mixture just comes together into a soft, smooth dough — do not overwork it.⏱ 3 minResultGulab jamun dough |
| 20 | — | | Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes so the milk powder fully hydrates and the dough firms up slightly.⏱ 5 minResultRested gulab jamun dough |
| 21 | — | | Divide the rested dough into 18 equal pieces, keeping them covered so they do not dry out. → Into 18 equal portions⏱ 2 minResultPortioned dough |
| 22 | Portioned doughstep 21 | | Cup each piece of dough under your palm and roll it in tight circles on the work surface until it forms a smooth, crack-free ball, then set on the plate.⏱ 5 minResultShaped gulab jamun ballsused in step 25 |
| 23 | 750 ml | | Pour the neutral oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan. It should come no more than halfway up the sides.⏱ 15sResultNeutral oil |
| 24 | — | | Heat the oil over a medium-low heat until it reaches 150–160 °C — test with a thermometer for accuracy, as too-high a temperature will brown the outsides before the centres cook through.⏱ 5 minResultHot oil |
| 25 | Shaped gulab jamun ballsstep 22 | | Carefully lower half the dough balls into the hot oil one by one and fry, turning them gently and continuously with a slotted spoon, until they are a deep, even reddish-brown all over.⏱ 9 minResultFried gulab jamun batch 1used in step 29 |
| 26 | Fried gulab jamun batch 1step 25 | | Lift the fried gulab jamun out of the oil with the slotted spoon onto a plate, letting the excess oil drain for a moment.⏱ 1 minResultFried gulab jamun batch 1used in step 28 |
| 27 | Fried gulab jamun batch 1step 26 | | Slide the drained fried gulab jamun into the warm rose-flavoured sugar syrup in the saucepan, turning gently to coat them.⏱ 15sResultFried gulab jamun batch 1 and rose-flavoured sugar syrup |
| 28 | Fried gulab jamun batch 1step 26 | | Return the oil to 150–160 °C over a medium-low heat, ready for the second batch.⏱ 2 minResultReheated hot oil |
| 29 | Fried gulab jamun batch 1step 25 | | Lower the remaining dough balls into the reheated oil and fry, turning them constantly with a slotted spoon, until deeply and evenly reddish-brown all over.⏱ 9 minResultFried gulab jamun batch 2 |
| Reheated hot oilstep 28 | |||
| 30 | Fried gulab jamun batch 2step 29 | | Lift the second batch of fried gulab jamun out with a slotted spoon and set them on the plate to drain briefly.⏱ 1 minResultFried gulab jamun batch 2 |
| 31 | Fried gulab jamun batch 2step 30 | | Add the drained second batch to the saucepan of syrup alongside the first batch, turning everything gently so all the balls are submerged.⏱ 15sResultFried gulab jamun batch 2 and fried gulab jamun batch 1 and rose-flavoured sugar syrup |
| 32 | — | | Leave all the gulab jamun to soak in the warm syrup for at least 30 minutes, turning them occasionally, until they have swollen and absorbed the fragrant syrup.⏱ 30 minResultSyrup-soaked gulab jamunused in step 34 |
| 33 | 20 g | | Pile the pistachios on the chopping board and chop them finely with a chef's knife until you have a rubble of bright-green pieces.⏱ 2 minResultChopped pistachiosused in step 35 |
| Total Time | 1 hr 18 min | ||
A batch eaten a portion at a time — about 4 portions. Serve what is wanted now and keep the rest.
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 902kcal | |
| 15g | |
| 39g | |
| 13g | |
| 128g | |
| 120g | |
| 0.9g | |
| 283mg |
Gulab jamun are soft, milk-powder dough balls fried until deep reddish-brown, then soaked in a fragrant cardamom and saffron syrup perfumed with rose water. They are pillowy and tender at the centre, with a lightly yielding surface, and arrive at the table glistening in syrup, scattered with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. A syrup-soaked milk-powder sweet.
What you’ll doYou will simmer a syrup of sugar, water, cardamom and saffron and finish it with rose water. Soft dough balls made with milk powder and ghee are fried slowly until deep reddish-brown, then soaked in the warm syrup.
