Gulab Jamun are classic Indian dessert which is enjoyed by everyone. These are delectably sweet balls delicately flavored with rose water and dunked in sugar syrup.
Mash the khoya nicely with the heels of your hands until smooth and grain free.
Add flour slowly and keep mashing until well blended and a smooth dough is formed.
Make small smooth balls from the dough.
Heat oil or ghee in a pan and when the oil is barely hot, add the balls in the oil.
Simmer the heat to medium low and fry the balls till golden brown from both the sides.
Meanwhile heat sugar, water, saffron and cardamom powder in a pan.
Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Do not over cook the syrup otherwise the sugar will crystallise.
Add rose water in the ready syrup and mix well.
Add the fried balls in the warm sugar syrup and let them soak the syrup for at least 45 minutes.
Garnish the gulab jamun with almond and pistachio slivers.
Serve cold or warm.
Notes
Make sure to buy the khoya from a trusted dealer. With festivals coming up, many local vendors adds what not to the khoya which is harmful for consuming. I either buy Milky Mist khoya or in Pune from Katraj.Knead the khoya until very smooth. This will make sure the Gulab Jamun do not crack while frying.While making the balls, slightly press the dough and then roll it into a ball to make it smooth. Do not press to much and use soft hands to roll the jamun.Make one ball and try to fry it. If it does not disintegrate, then make other balls and fry. If the ball opens up, add some more maida in the dough and knead again.The amount of maida added in the khoya depends on the quality of the khoya. If the khoya is soft, it will need more maida. So make sure to make one ball and check it before proceeding with rest of the dough.Add the balls in the ghee when it is barely warm. Then after sometime, increase the heat slightly. This will make sure the balls are fried evenly from all the sides. But do not fry the jamuns on low heat as they will become hard from outside. Medium low is the best to fry the jamun.Keep moving the balls through out frying them.Dunk the balls immediately in warm syrup as soon as they are out of the ghee. It should be warm and not hot.Make the syrup beforehand and once the balls are almost fried, heat the syrup a bit. We want to add the balls in warm syrup and also immediately as they are out from the ghee.The syrup should not be too thick otherwise it will not penetrate in the jamun.You can easily half this recipe. So if you are trying it for the first time, I recommend making a small batch and once you perfect it, then move to making it in bigger batch.