Gulab Jamun
گلاب جامن
Gulab jamun is the best-loved mithai in Pakistan, sold in every sweet shop and served at weddings, Eid and every kind of good news. Sweet shops make it from fresh , but most homes use full-cream milk powder, which gives jamuns just as soft with far less work. This version uses milk powder, a little and an egg, the common Pakistani home style. The secret is patience at the stove: the jamuns fry on very low heat so they cook through to the centre before they brown, then soak in a warm until they swell and turn spongy.
- ⏱ Total: 50 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 30 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Make the : boil the sugar, water and cardamom in a wide for 5–7 minutes until slightly sticky between two fingers but not forming a thread. Stir in the rose water and keep it warm on the lowest heat.
In a bowl, mix the milk powder, maida and baking powder. Add the melted ghee and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like damp sand.
Add the beaten egg a little at a time and gently bring it together into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not knead hard. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Grease your palms with ghee. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces and roll each one into a smooth ball with no cracks, pressing lightly between your palms.
Heat the ghee in a over low heat until just warm. Drop in one ball as a test: it should sink, then rise slowly with gentle bubbles. If it browns at once, the ghee is too hot.
Fry the balls in batches on low heat for 8–10 minutes. Do not touch them at first; swirl the ghee with a spoon so they roll and colour evenly, until they are deep golden-brown all over.
Lift them out, let them sit for a minute, then drop them into the warm syrup. Soak for at least 1–2 hours, until they have swelled and are soft and juicy all the way through.
Serve warm or at room temperature, two or three per bowl, with a spoonful of syrup.
Kitchen notes
Low heat is everything. Hot ghee browns the outside in a minute and leaves a raw, hard centre that never soaks up the syrup.
Any crack in a ball opens up in the ghee and the jamun can split. If the dough cracks as you roll, it is too dry; add a teaspoon of milk.
The syrup should be warm, not boiling, and the jamuns warm too. Hot jamuns in cold syrup, or cold jamuns in hot syrup, stay firm or wrinkle.
The king of mithai
Gulab jamun gets its name from gulab, the rose water in its syrup, and jamun, the dark purple fruit it resembles. No Pakistani wedding, Eid or result day is complete without a box from the sweet shop, and at home it is a favourite dessert for dawats. Sweet shops roll theirs from fresh khoya; milk-powder gulab jamun became the home version because full-cream milk powder is easy to find and gives the same soft, rich result.
Slow frying is the secret
Two things decide a good gulab jamun. The first is the dough: it should be soft and slightly sticky, mixed gently and rolled into completely smooth, crack-free balls. Too much kneading or too much baking powder makes them tough or makes them burst. The second is the heat. The ghee should be only warm when the balls go in, so they cook slowly to the centre, puff up and turn a deep, even brown over eight to ten minutes. Rushing this step gives jamuns with a dark outside and a hard, raw core. After frying, the warm jamuns go into warm, light syrup. Thin syrup soaks in easily; a syrup boiled to a thread stays on the surface and leaves them dry inside.
Variations
- Kala jamun: fry a little longer until almost black, then roll in desiccated coconut after soaking.
- Stuffed: hide a few chopped pistachios and a pinch of cardamom in the centre of each ball.
- Khoya jamun: replace the milk powder and egg with 250 g grated fresh khoya and 2 tbsp maida, for the sweet-shop version.
Storing and serving
Gulab jamun keep in their syrup for up to a week in the fridge. Warm them for a few seconds before serving, or serve at room temperature. In winter they are often eaten warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of rabri.
Questions people ask
Why did my gulab jamun break apart in the ghee?
The dough was too soft or had too much baking powder, or the ghee was too hot. Add a spoon of milk powder to firm the dough, keep the baking powder to half a teaspoon, and fry on the lowest heat.
Why are they hard inside?
They browned too fast, so the centre did not cook, or the dough was kneaded too much. Fry slower and handle the dough lightly. Hard jamuns can be simmered in the syrup for 5 minutes to soften.
Can I make them without egg?
Yes. Use 4–5 tablespoons of warm milk instead, added a spoon at a time until the dough just comes together.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 345
- Protein
- 7 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
