Gulab jamun made with milk solids known as khoya/ mawa / kova. These soft, juicy and delicious balls are a classic dessert from Indian cuisine.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 35 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 16
  • Category: Dessert / Sweet
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 125 grams khoya (or mawa or kova - 1 heaped cup grated)
  • 2½ tbsps maida (or plain flour (can use organic flour))
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp cardamom powder (or elaichi powder)
  • 2 to 4 tbsps milk (or water as needed)
  • 2 tbsp paneer ((optional))
  • Oil (as needed for frying)
  • 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups sugar ((refined sugar is best))
  • ¾ cup water
  • tsp cardamom powder (/ elaichi powder)
  • 1 tsp rose water
  • 1½ tsp lemon juice

Method

Making sugar syrup or chasni

  1. Add sugar to a medium wide pot. Pour water and heat it. Boil the syrup till it turns sticky. The syrup should not reach 1 string consistency otherwise it may not be absorbed by the jamuns.
  2. Turn off the stove. Add rose water, cardamom powder and lemon juice.Stir and set aside to keep the syrup slightly hot.

Making dough for jamuns

  1. Add grated mawa to a mixing bowl. Add maida, cardamom powder and then baking powder to the bowl.
  2. Mix up the flour with baking powder and cardamom powder.
  3. Add milk as needed little by little and make a smooth dough. You can gently knead it but don't over knead as it may affect the texture. You must get a dough ball that is smooth with not many cracks. It should not be dry.
  4. Divide the dough to 14 to 16 parts.
  5. Take each balls in between your palms, rub it gently a few times until smooth and roll to a ball. The balls should not have cracks and must be smooth.

How to make khoya gulab jamun

  1. Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai.
  2. Check if the oil is hot by dropping a small piece of ball to the hot oil. The ball must go in and rise slowly with bubbles. This is the right time to fry the balls.
  3. Regulate the flame to medium. Begin to drop one ball at a time. Slowly add as many balls as possible. Keep stirring the oil to fry them evenly.
  4. After frying for few minutes they will firm up. Keep stirring and fry them uniformly until golden brown. If needed regulate the flame to low and medium often.
  5. Remove the balls that are done to a kitchen tissue. Continue frying and removing when ever a ball is done frying.
  6. Allow the balls to cool a bit for 3 to 5 mins. Add them to slightly hot syrup, The syrup should not be very hot. When you dip your finger you must feel the syrup is hot but not very hot.
  7. Gently rotate the gulab jamuns in the syrup and allow them to soak for 30 to 45 mins.
  8. They soak up the syrup quickly and turn soft and juicy.
  9. Serve gulab jamun with syrup.

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.