I have update this recipe as I felt my previous recipe was too large a quantity. I also ensured there is enough detail for even novice bakers to make a success of this recipe. Please read the whole recipe and read my notes before you attempt this recipe, especially if you are not an experienced baker. These Easy Gulab Jamuns we make in South Africa are slightly different to the ones made in India, ours is not soaked in syrup, it’s dipped in for a few seconds, or for some minutes, and removed.
Easy Gulab Jamun
The traditional recipe also uses powdered milk but in South Africa I haven’t seen many recipes with this ingredient, I’ve added some in my recipe but it’s totally optional. I roll them into coconut after dipping them in the syrup but that’s a matter of personal preference, I simply love anything with coconut, I am a coconut fan…you can tell I’m Indian.
Adding Sugar
Indian sweetmeats are delicious but I feel that some of them are way too sweet, it’s something I cannot get used to. You will find that I reduce my sugar content in almost all my recipes, the sweetmeat can still taste delicious without being overly sweet. I also haven’t had any disastrous recipes due to the low sugar content, my recipes have worked well so far.
Easy to make
Gulab Jamun is a pretty easy sweetmeat to make, in fact for me it’s one of the easiest and I enjoy making them, it’s almost therapeutic. Some may find it difficult to get the shape perfect but it’s very simple. You roll a piece of dough into a ball and then just roll it in the palms of your hand and you will get that perfect oval finger shape. Your dough should be soft and slightly sticky to the touch. If your dough is too dry it will also be difficult to shape the Gulab Jamun. It is normal to have a few cracks when fried. Your ghee/oil needs to be on medium heat as the Gulab Jamun needs to cook well on the inside, if it browns too soon it will not be cooked on the inside. You may need to adjust the temperature from time to time. If it gets too hot turn the heat off completely. Allow the oil to cool down a little and start again. For the sugar syrup, I usually reduce mine until it’s slight sticky and syrupy, I keep the syrup warm on the lowest setting, this prevents the syrup from crystallizing. If it does crystallize you can add a few drop of water and re-heat it. I prefer to drop my Gulab Jamuns into the syrup, literally just coat it with the syrup and immediately remove it. You can soak yours for a little longer if you prefer softer gulab jamuns with extra syrup. The Gulab Jamun can be made to whatever size your prefer but smaller is better, it looks a lot more appealing.
Butter Ghee/Oil
I used only 1 cup of butter ghee to fry all 40 of the Gulab Jamuns. I did have butter ghee leftover in the saucepan too. Use a small saucepan to fry them, that way the dough will immerse in the ghee/oil. If you use a big pan the oil/ghee will spread out a lot more and you will obviously use more. More Diwali Treats to try: Naan Khatai Banana Puri Recipe Watermelon Burfee If you loved this, please share!
