Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamuns is the recipe chosen for the month of October by Srivalli at Indian Cooking Challenge .

Gulab(less) Jamun from The Yum Blog :

Makes: around 25 jamuns

Ingredients :

• Khova – 11/2 cups
• Maida – 1 cup
• Sugar – 3 cups (if you want excess syrup i.e floating jamuns increase by a cup)
• Water – 1 cup (increase if you’re increasing sugar)
• Cooking Soda – 3 pinches
• Cardamom – 4 pods
• Saffron leaves – a few
• Oil – 1 cup (for deep frying)

Method :

For Making Khova :

Check this link : http://theyumblog.wordpress.com/2008/11/20/homemade-khova/

For Making Jamuns :

1. Combine sugar and water in a flat bottomed broad pan and simmer on a low heat until sugar dissolves. Add cardamom powder and saffron leaves and remove from fire.

2. Knead khova, maida and soda and quickly shape into balls.

3. Heat oil on a medium flame. Fry the jamuns till golden brown over a low to medium flame, keeping oil temperature uniform. Oil should not smoke.

4. Drain the jamuns and soak in the warm sugar syrup.

Serve the jamuns after half an hour.

Tips:

You will achieve correct consistency for jamun syrup when 3 cups of sugar dissolves 1 cup water over low heat. Only when the syrup is ready, mix the jamun dough. Since the dough has soda, if its kept aside the jamuns will disperse while frying and will not hold well. Right temperature of oil of utmost importance to get soft jamuns.Never refrigerate jamuns. Jamuns when refrigerated will shrink and become hard. Jamuns will stay fresh for 4 days when stored in air tight containers. If you like you can add two drops of rose essence to the syrup to make it Gulab jamun.

Ps. : I tried my level best to make it to perfect shape . My son wanted Gulab Jamuns in this orange colour ....so had no other option but to add little orange food colour , which is not in the rule ....