Gulab Jamun - one of India's most popular sweet, these sweet round balls are made with khoya [dried milk] and dipped in a rose and cardamom flavored sugar syrup!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 14 gulab jamun
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup finely grated khoya [dried milk] (135 grams)
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour [maida] (33 grams)
  • pinch cardamom powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1.5 tablespoons melted ghee
  • 1-2 tablespoons warm milk (as needed to knead the dough)

For the Sugar Syrup

  • 1.5 cups granulated white sugar (300 grams)
  • 2 cups water (16 oz)
  • 1.5 teaspoon rose water
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • kewra essence (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Method

  1. In a large mix together grated khoya, maida (all purpose flour), cardamom powder and baking powder. Mix until well combined.
  2. Add melted ghee to the bowl. Use your fingers to mix ghee with the khoya and maida.
  3. Start adding warm milk, little by little until it all comes together as a dough. Don’t knead the dough too much. Just bring it all together to a smooth dough. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile to wide a pan add sugar, water, cardamom powder, rose water and kewra essence (if using).
  5. Bring it to a boil. Add lemon juice. Then lower the heat and let the syrup simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Once it’s a little sticky after 5 minutes, remove pan from heat and set aside. Keep it warm.
  6. Now give a quick knead to the dough. Make a small ball out of it. Work with soft hands and squeeze the ball between your palm to shape it. Form a smooth round ball with no cracks.
  7. Repeat with the remaining dough. I got 14 balls of 15 grams each.
  8. Heat oil in wide kadai/pan on medium heat. Heat oil for 5 minutes on medium heat and then lower the heat to low-medium. Add the jamuns to the warm (not hot) oil. Fry until golden-brown. This will take few minutes, keep rotating the jamuns regularly with a spatula so that they get cooked evenly.
  9. Once they are dark brown in color, remove them from the oil.
  10. Drop the gulab jamuns in warm (not hot & not cold) sugar syrup. Let it soak the syrup for at least 30 minutes.
  11. Garnish with pistachios and serve warm or cold. You may also decorate them with edible silver leaf (chandi ka vark).

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.