Stuffed Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is among India’s most popular desserts during a festival or major celebrations .It gets its name from two words: Gulab which means rose (for the rose flavored syrup) and Jamun which is a kind of deep purple colored  berry.traditionally it is prepared using milk solids, known as khoya  it’s  kneaded into a dough, and then shaped into small balls and deep-fried at a low temperature .The balls are then soaked in a light sugary syrup flavored with green cardamom and rose water, or saffron.

I am sharing my version recipe  of gulab jamun using milk powder stuffed with raisins

Ingredients For sugar syrup

2 cup sugar

4 cup water

1 tsp rose water

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

saffron strands(soaked)optional

For jamuns

1 cup unsweetened milk powder

1-2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour

Raisins (for stuffing)20

1/3 cup whole milk

oil for frying

Method

Place sugar,water and cardamom powder in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and watch for the sugar to dissolve. Once it’s dissolved, add saffron & boil for another minute. Turn off heat & add rose water then keep syrup aside.

In a mixing bowl, add milk powder , baking soda, all-purpose flour & mix well.Then add ghee and.milk a little at a time and mix till it forms a dough. You may not need all of the milk.When a soft, sticky dough forms, stop adding milk. Cover and let the dough stand for about 20 minutes.

After resting, the dough will be less sticky, airy and a little firmer. If it’s too loose, sprinkle a little flour. If it’s too dry, add a little milk.Knead the dough a few times more till it becomes soft .Dip your fingers in oil or ghee, divide the dough ,stuffed with raisins and roll them into balls no cracks. Dip your fingers in oil /ghee or butter to avoid sticking.

Heat enough oil to deep fry in a saucepan pan on medium-low heat. Drop a small pinch of the dough in the oil to test the temperature. The dough should sink to the bottom and then slowly rise to the top. If it sits in the bottom of the oil without bubbling, the oil is not hot enough. If the dough rises and browns too quickly, the oil is too hot.

Add  balls a few at a time and fry in oil on medium-low heat. Stir and turn the balls frequently so they brown evenly.When brown, remove from oil using a slotted spoon and drain on several layers of paper towels.Repeat with all the dough. Let fried ball.Add the ball to the sugar syrup. Stir gently so fried balls are well coated in syrup.Cover and let the gulab jamuns soak in the syrup for at least an hour before serving.

Tips :-
1) soft dough & balls without cracks,make small size ball.once soaked in syrup it became double in size.

2) while frying don’t keep on turning  balls ,once u drop in pan/kadai.let it come up on own.then do it very slowly once -twice

3)Sugar syrup neither very thick nor thin

4)If Gulab jamun doesn’t soak syrup,heat it for 2-3 min ,once u see it’s boiling a bit ,turn off heat & leave .