Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun
Make a smooth, crack-free dough by kneading khoya or milk powder with a little flour and milk. Roll the dough into balls and deep-fry on low heat until golden. Dip in cardamom sugar syrup before serving.
Combine milk powder, baking soda, and a little refined flour with enough milk or ghee to make a soft dough. Make round smooth balls. Fry in low temperature and soak in syrup.
Gulab jamun is a classic Indian sweet consisting of soft, deep-fried milk-solid dumplings soaked in fragrant sugar syrup flavored with cardamom and rose. The name comes from Persian words for rose and berry, referring to its scent.
Traditional gulab jamun dough is made with khoya (reduced milk solids), very little flour, and a pinch of baking soda. The syrup is usually made from sugar, water, cardamom, and sometimes rose water.
Dissolve the sugar in the water (two parts sugar to one part water). Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes until the mixture is a little sticky but not yet at the hard thread stage.
Gulab jamun goes well with modern fusion creations like jamun cheesecake or a jamun tiramisu or jamun ice cream sandwiches or a warm jamun served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.
The dough for Kala Jamun is the same as regular Gulab Jamun but is fried for a longer time on low heat until it turns deep brown, resulting in a slightly caramelized, chewier texture.
To add color and flavor, add a spoon of cocoa powder to the khoya dough and fry and soak as usual. In some variations, each jamun is stuffed with a small piece of chocolate, which melts inside.
A good quality dark or semi-sweet cocoa powder will not alter the texture of the khoya dough when mixed in smoothly. A piece of milk or dark compound chocolate melts without leaking.
A rich dark compound chocolate or ganache is best for a jamun-inspired cake, as it holds its shape and complements the sweetness of the syrup-soaked jamuns that are layered or embedded in the sponge.