Quick Home-made Khoya Gulab Jamun ( Mini Milk Cake Balls in Palm Sugar Water)

This gulab jamun recipe was adapted from http://nishamadhulika.com/en. I find the jamun recipe to be simple and easy to prepare when you don't have khoya in hand. Nisha has given us detailed explanation on how to prepare instant khoya at home using milk powder and full cream milk. I didn't follow the recipe to the exact amount given but altered here and there as my first attempt of making jamun using the same amount was a disaster. I alleviated the butter and sugar amount. A lot of people said you could never make gulab jamuns sugar water by using jaggery or palm sugar but when I made using that ingredient, I didn't even suspect the difference. Making jamuns with cooked milk is a divine pleasure it has the creamy, milky and buttery texture that simply melts in your mouth. Every bite is a great experience and definitely it makes you to devour more.

Gulab Jamun

Ingredients for making Gulab Jamun Dough (using Fernleaf, New Zealand Full Cream Milk Powder) :

Full Cream milk powder : 1 cup plus 1/8 cup

Full Cream milk or evaporated milk : 1/2 cup

Ghee or clarified butter : 1/8 cup
Whole Wheat Pastry flour : 4 1/2 tbsp
Yoghurt (Not the sour one) : 4 tsp (depends on the moisture of the mawa)
Salt : a pinch

Method : 

1. In a heated pan, add 3 tbsp to 4 tbsp clarified butter along with 1/2 cup of milk. Let it boil for 5 minutes. 

2. Then, gradually add in the milk powder, little at a time by stirring continuously.

3. Keep stirring till the milk dough comes together as a ball. While stirring you can lightly press the dough to smooth any lumps and most of the liquid must be absorbed through mixing. If you find the 1/2 cup of milk too little for 1 cup of milk powder, then you may add little milk while stirring or had you find the 1 cup of milk powder to be not enough for the 1/2 cup of milk, then add few tbsp of milk powder. This is actually to ensure the formation of a dough. 

4. This is what we call 'Instant Mawa or Khoya'. Let it cool at room temperature and later keep in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

5. You may find the mawa to be harden after keeping in the fridge. Do not have any qualm. Crumble it to breadcrumbs texture by using the tip of your fingers.

6. Now incorporate the whole wheat pastry flour to the crumbled mawa along with a pinch of salt. Little at a time mix the yoghurt. Bring the mixture to a smooth, pliable and unsticking consistency ( You have to decide the amount of yoghurt based on your mawa plus ww flour mixture). Don't knead the dough for a long time as it will make the gulab jamun chewy and hard. Sometimes, you may find cracks appear on the surface of the balls, it is because of not enough of moisture so don't hesitate to add little yoghurt.

7. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. After that, pinch a small dough and roll it gently on your palm without adding much pressure to the dough. You need to coat your palm with some ghee to help you shape the balls. 

8. You need sufficient oil for deep frying the balls. Keep the flame on very low, add only four balls at a time and fry till deep brown color. Never increase the flame or crowd the wok with lots of balls as they may crack. Drained and collected balls are laid on a plate with oil absorbent tissue.

Ingredients for making Palm Sugar Water:

Jaggery or Vellam or Palm Sugar : 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp
(I used very little amount of sugar as I have no preference for overly sweet dessert but you may add more according to your taste bud. When you add more sugar, then you have to increase the water level as we are trying to achieve not syrupy consistency but sugar water for soaking the balls)

Hot water : 1 cup

Cardamon pods : 6 (crushed)
Rose essence : a few drops

Method : 

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, add 1 cup of hot water, palm sugar and crushed cardamon pods. Boil it gently for 15 minutes. Cool the sugar water to room temperature. (If using jaggery or palm sugar then, you may need to strain impurities in the sugar water)

How to assemble the Gulab Jamun in Sugar water :

1. Use wider dish, assemble the jamuns on a shallow dish. By using a ladle, gently pour sugar water on the assembled jamuns. You may not need to use all the sugar water but only use some to drench on the jamuns. Lots of liquid will over soak them or over sweet them and they will break easily.

2. Keep it in the refrigerator. Serve gulab jamuns with vanilla ice cream.