Here’s an easy to follow gulab jamun recipe with step-by-step instructions on how to make these Indian donuts at home.

These tempting sweets are melt in your mouth soft.

Gulab jamun are a popular Indian dessert known for its airy texture which is soaked in a delicate rose and cardamom sweet sugar syrup.

What you get is an addictive and elegant mini dessert you can serve at functions, parties, or even a small gathering of family and friends.

How are gulab jamuns made?

In summary,

Gulab jamuns are made by combining milk powder, flour, baking soda, ghee and milk to make a soft dough.

Then these Indian donut balls are fried until golden, dipped into a warm sugar syrup infused with rose water and cardamom.

Are there many versions of gulab jamuns?

Yes, there are many ways you can make gulab jamun, including bread gulab jamuns.

You can add semolina, curd to make the dough to give them extra sponginess.

But for this recipe, you are going to use everyday pantry ingredients already in your kitchen.

You can try other enhancing ingredients including making gulab jamuns the traditional way using Koya later.

Beginner’s tips on making the best gulab jamuns.

The ingredients for gulab jamun.

Milk powder

Though the main traditional ingredient is khoya(milk solids), we will be using milk powder for this gulab jamun recipe as it’s easy to find wherever you live.

Flour

• I’m using regular flour but you can substitute it with semolina which would give you a softer gulab jamun.

But for your first time in making gulab jamun, I would prefer that you use regular flour as I have used.

• Flour will give the milk powder a firmer base and hold as you fry it.

• For an even ditribution of baking soda, sift all the dry ingredients.

Ghee

will make the forming of balls easy and work as a binder.

Milk

• Use slightly warm milk.

• Adding too much will make the gulab jamun dough balls difficult to roll into balls.

• Too little, the dough will be too dry and you will not be able to roll them into balls.

• Using the correct amount of milk is imperative, for this reason only pour milk one tablespoon at a time. for me, it was 7-8 tablespoons.

Sugar syrup

• You only want the sweet syrup to reach a thin(not waterish)consistency. a thick sweet syrup will not help the gulab jamuns soak it.

• The syrup should be warm which would help the Gulab Jamun absorb the syrup easily.

• Adding lime juice will keep the sugar syrup fluid.

Making of the gulab jamuns.

Add the exact amount of ingredients mentioned.

1. Adding less or more of the ingredients(too much baking soda, too little flour, less milk) will make the gulab jamun balls break as you fry.
   
   
2. The dough should have the consistency of playdough, pliant but softer.
   
   The only way to have a softer dough is by keeping your mixing light, as in not use the same heavy hand you would use to knead bread or roti dough.
   
   
3. And keeping the mixing to a minimum.
   
   
4. Milk is what helps to form a firm but soft dough, use in tablespoons to reach a non-sticky dough consistency.
   
5. Once you’ve made the dough, cover with a cling film and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

Forming the dough balls for gulab jamun.

1. Use light movements to form the balls.
   
2. I roll my gulab jamun balls in two stages.
   

• The first stage- I make rough balls first to portion them and then form the balls without any cracks appearing.
  

At this stage, you can break and remake the balls in your hand to remove all cracks. you do this my gently pressing the ball between your palms to form a disc and the reroll it to a ball.

• 2nd stage-once I’ve rolled all the dough into balls, to make the balls firmer, I dampen my hands and then apply a little oil before forming the smooth balls without any surface cracks. only done for 15-20 seconds each.
  

Do not break them to remake them, once you roll them with oily hands.

3. Once the dough balls are made, do not leave them out for long, if you are waiting for the oil to reach the correct temperature then cover them with a kitchen towel.

Frying the gulab jam

1. Oil temperature is everything!
   
   If the oil is too hot the surface of the gulab jamun balls will fry quickly leaving the inside still raw.
   
   If the oil is not adequately heated before adding the gulab jamuns, then they will absorb the oil making them too oily and soggy.
   
   
2. Maintain low-heat and avoid the oil from smoking throughout the process, for this purpose you might have to regulate heat from low to medium and back to low again a few times.
   
   

Utensils and appliances needed.

Large bowl to mix the gulab jamun dough.

Sieve to sift the flour, milk powder and rising agent evenly

A platter or plate to keep the rolled out gulab jamun balls.

Sauce pan to make the sugar syrup.

a deep frying pan with a wide mouth.

A slotted spoon.

Plate with kitchen paper towels to hold the fried gulab jamun balls.

More sweet recipes to make!

Nankhatai(ghee biscuits).

Condensed milk caramel pudding.

Pisang goreng(fried malay banana fritters)

Microwave milk toffee(condensed milk fudge)

Marie buiscuit pudding.

How to make gulab jamun.

reipe difficulty- easy

To make the sugar syrup

2 cups of water

1 and 1/2 cup sugar

4 cardamoms slightly bruised

1/4 teaspoon rose water

1 tablespoon of lime juice

To make the gulab jamuns

1 cup of milk powder

4 tablespoon of flour

2 tablespoons of ghee

1/8 teaspoon of baking soda(a pinch)

5-8 tablespoons of milk

1 and 1/2 cups of oil(coconut or vegetable oil)

Method

Please make sure to read the beginner’s tips on making gulab jamun to make the softest of gulab jamuns.

How to make the sugar syrup.

Add water(2 cups), sugar(1 and 1/2 cups), cardamom(4 bruised), rose water(1/4 tsp) into a saucepan.

Simmer the water-sugar syrup over low-medium heat for 5-8 minutes.

Slow simmer while stirring occasionally until you have a thin sugar syrup(not waterish though).

Just before you remove the pan from the stove, add lime juice(1 tbs).

Don’t leave the sugar syrup over the stove as the remaining heat will continue to thicken the syrup. (read beginner’s notes on the sugar syrup).

How to make the gulab jamun dough.

Add milk powder(1 cup), flour(4 tbsp), baking soda(1/4 tsp) on to a bowl.

Sift these dry ingredients to remove any lumps and for an even distribution of the rising agent. if possible sift twice for better results.

Add ghee(2 tbs)to the dry ingredients.

Followed by milk(7-8 tbsp) which you need to add a tablespoon at a time while mixing(NOT KNEADING)to form a dough.

Use your fingers to press and form the dough, this will helps to avoid dense heavy gulab jamuns.

Quickly form a rough dough ball, cover with cling film and set aside.

How to form the gulab jamun balls.

Take a tablespoon of the dough, place it on your palm, form a fist to quickly break out any remaining lumps.

Use both your hands to roll a quick 1″balls.

Place the quickly formed balls over a platter.

At this stage, you are just separating the dough into equal portions and giving it a shape while trying to remove any deep cracks as much as you can.

Cover to keep the gulab jamun balls from drying.

Once you’ve done the above, it’s time to form and make them firmer and shape to smooth balls.

First, lightly dampen your palms then oil and roll out the balls.

At this stage, don’t go breaking all the dough balls as you see cracks appearing, just keep making the balls doing your best to form smooth balls with the least amount of handling.

How to fry the gulab jamuns.

Once you’ve made all the balls, it’s time to fry them.

Fill a deep frying pan withoil(1 and 1/2 cup).

Place the pan over low heat and bring the oil to a low-medium heat.

To be precise on the heat, add a small piece of dough, when you see it rising to the surface and bubbles appearing around it, the oil is at a correct(low-medium)temperature to add in the gulab jamun balls.

Add the dough balls into the oil and immediately move it around using the slotted spoon until the dough floats and begins to fry.

If you are making gulab jamun for the very first time then, make one gulab jamun at a time to get a feel of how long it takes to fry the perfect golden gulab jamun and then fry in small batches.

Avoid overcrowding the frying pan with too many gulab jamuns. use a slotted spoon to turn them for an even fry.

As you fry the jamuns, occasionally wipe your slotted spoon with kitchen paper towels to avoid dough stuck on it getting onto the oil or the gulab jamuns.

make sure to keep your slotted spoon and oil-free of dough pieces sticking or floating.

Transfer to some kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Add the fried gulab jamuns to a warm(NOT HOT) syrup so they absorb the sugar syrup easily.

Once you’ve let the gulab jamun soak the syrup, avoid leaving the jamuns in a large amount of syrup, instead reduce the amount of the syrup, only leaving a little with the jamuns to avoid them getting too soggy overtime.

Each recipe on this blog has been written with great care and love to the best of my ability with you in mind.

It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

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