Zaffrani Gulab Jamun/Saffron Flavoured Gulab Jamun and Joy From Fasting To Feasting – VIII

Growing up, somewhere I lost my sweet tooth. Now very rarely I eat sweets….that too very few of them and Gulab Jamun tops the list anytime. I just can’t tell you which way I like more to devour these sugary golden balls….because I like these gulab jamuns when served warm individually or with gajar ka halwa or when served chilled with ice cream or cheese cake.

• 1 cup crumbled Mawa
• 2 tbsp. All-purpose flour
• ¼ tbsp. Baking soda
• 2 tbsp. Saffron Milk, Check NOTES

FOR SUGAR SYRUP:

• 1 cup Sugar
• ¾ cup Water
• ½ tbsp. Cardamom powder
• Oil for deep frying
• FOR GARNISH:
• 2 tbsp. Pistachio, roughly chopped
• 1 sheet Silver leaf

PREPARATION:

• Take crumbled mawa in a bowl and add all purpose flour and baking soda to it. Lightly using your fingers mix the ingredients.
• Add saffron milk and loosely using your fingers mix the ingredients. Start adding water little by little and lightly using your fingers start mixing the ingredients, till you get smooth dough. (Don’t knead hard).
• Cover and keep this dough to rest for 10-15 minutes on kitchen counter.
• In the meantime, make sugar syrup by adding sugar and water to a thick bottom (wide mouthed) vessel. Add cardamom powder and on medium flame, stir till sugar gets dissolved.
• Cook for 10-12 minutes on low flame or till the sugar syrup lightly thickens. Turn off the flame and set aside.
• Heat oil, for deep frying the gulab jamuns. Till then, lightly knead the dough and make equal sized balls and set aside.
• Check whether the oil is hot enough for deep frying by dropping a small dough ball into the oil. If the ball sizzles and reaches the top of the oil, then oil is ready for deep frying.
• Slowly and carefully drop one by one ball into the oil. Fry on low heat by continuously stirring using a slotted ladle to get the gulab jamuns evenly cooked on all sides.
• Fry till the balls turn nice golden brown in color. Be careful not to burn them. Fry 4-5 depending on the size of the vessel.
• Take out the fried gulab jamuns on to a kitchen tissue and gently drop them into above made sugar syrup.
• Do the same with the rest of the balls. Leave gulab jamuns in sugar syrup for 4-5 hours before serving.
• Garnish with roughly chopped pistachio and silver leaf. Serve warm or chilled.
• Add love to make this sweet taste ‘Yummy’.

NOTES:

• Always remember, the sugar syrup in which you will be soaking the fried gulab jamuns has to be warm not boiling.
• Don’t knead the dough too hard and tight. Gently using your fingers, knead the dough. Soft dough will give you soft gulab jamuns.
• Be careful while frying gulab jamuns. Always fry on medium heat, few at a time, depending on the size of the vessel.