Gulab Jamun |  Homemade Gulab Jamun Recipe with Fresh Khoya (Milk Solids) | Milk Dumplings with Sugar Syrup

As festive seasons are about to arrive, I have decided to share with you one of the favorite melt-in-mouth recipes of Gulab Jamun!!!

Gulab Jamun | Homemade Gulab Jamun Recipe with Fresh Khoya (Milk Solids) | Milk Dumplings with Sugar Syrup

If you are new to Indian Cuisine and Foods, then let me introduce you to Gulab Jamun. It is a popular classic Indian sweet/dessert made with Fresh Khoya/Milk Solids, All-Purpose Flour, Sugar, Cardamom Powder, Saffron, Ghee/Oil, and Rosewater. It tastes delicious, just like giving a treat to mouth and stomach. 

The name Gulab Jamun comes from two words. GULAB means Rose and JAMUN means Indian Purple berry/plum translated as Rose Berries. So, it can be referred, to as small berry/plum-sized round balls dunked in rose flavored sugar syrup. 

Traditionally it is made using Fresh Khoya (it is reduced milk to soft dough consistency). You can buy it from sweet shops or grocery stores. Knead it smooth by adding little maida and shape it into small balls. Deep fry them in ghee/oil at medium-low temperature until the solid dark red-brown color and drop them in saffron strands, cardamom powder, and rose water flavored simmering sugar syrup. 

Gulabjamun

Tips and tricks for soft and juicy Gulab Jamun:

  • I prefer making it with Fresh khoya rather than milk powder or instant pack/ready mix because it gives softness and tastes best.
  • While making dough, make sure it is soft, smooth, and crack-free. If it is hard, add little milk to it.
  • While making small balls, roll it gently until smooth and crack-free.
  • I suggest you fry Jamun balls in Ghee(clarified butter) rather than oil. It enhances tastes to the next level. A flavorless oil (like sunflower, vegetable, canola, etc.) also works if you don’t prefer eating Ghee in your diet. 
  • Fry the gulab jamun balls in medium-low heat, continuously stir and flip them to cook them evenly until even dark red-brown color. 
  • While making sugar syrup, bring it to boil and let it simmer for a minute till sticky consistency. You do not have to boil syrup up to thick (thread) consistency, else gulab jamun will not absorb the sugar syrup.
  • Keep the sugar syrup in warm or sim mode while adding the gulab jamun. If the syrup is hot, gulab jamun will break or lose its shape, and if the sugar syrup is cold, then gulab jamun will not absorb syrup (means it will remain dry from the center).
  • I suggest you be precise with the measurements of ingredients to get the perfect soft mouth melting and juicy gulab jamuns. Do not alter the recipe and ingredients. I got this recipe for you after so many trials and experiments.

People with a sweet tooth have no count on numbers while eating Gulab Jamun. The taste will linger in your mouth even after eating. The aroma itself is capable of bringing yourself in front of the plate and irresistible until you pop one into your mouth. It happens to me several times!!! 

Gulab Jamun | Homemade Gulab Jamun Recipe with Fresh Khoya (Milk Solids) | Milk Dumplings with Sugar Syrup

 

Another variant of Gulab Jamun is Kala Jamun, which is black in color. Click here for the recipe.

Gulab Jamun is popular in the food menu during occasions, parties, festivals, marriage functions, birthday celebrations, etc. You don’t have to find any reason or timing to relish with friends and family. People of every age group of people likes to eat Gulab Jamun. Therefore, It is India’s favorite and most popular sweet. If you have diabetes and a high sugar level, make sure you grab it in moderation.

Serving Suggestions:

  • Usually, Gulab Jamun does not need anything to pair up. You can serve it chilled as a stand-alone sweet dish or hot as a dessert with vanilla ice cream during a small party.
  • Enjoy them along with meals or as a dessert after meals.
  • You can garnish Gulab Jamuns with dried nuts (almond, cashew pistachio) flakes or coarse powder on top to enhance the flavor. 
  • You can also decorate it with edible silver leaf(aka Chandi vark) on top.
  • One more way to serve them is to drain gulab jamun from sugar syrup, then roll and cover it with desiccated coconut.

Storage:

You can store Gulab Jamuns in an airtight-container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks. If you want to eat them warm, microwave it for around 10-20 seconds and enjoy it.

Here is the no-fail gulab jamun video recipe using khoya:

Leftover Sugar syrup:

You can reuse the leftover chashni (sugar syrup) to make delicious recipes like Malpua, Sweet rice, Shakkarpara, Meethi Puri, Sooji sheera, Shahi Tukda, Gulgule, Sweet Appam, and Sweet Chutney/Murabba.

You may also like some more Indian Sweet Dishes :

Give this top-notch Homemade Gulab Jamun Recipe a try and let me know how it turned out. If you have any questions, please mention it in the comments section below. If you like this recipe, then share it with your friends and family, who are always looking for tried and tested foods. Please make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Subscribe to my  YouTube channel, and Like my Facebook Page to catch my latest updates. Stay healthy and Safe. Happy Cooking!!!

Here is the Recipe card of the Gulab Jamun Recipe : 

Gulab Jamun ( Khoya or Mawa Method)
 
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Prep time
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As festive seasons are about to arrive, I have decided to share with you one of the favorite melt-in-mouth recipes of Gulab Jamun!!!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 10 - 12
Ingredients
  • Unsweetened Fresh Khoya / Milk Solids - 100 gm
  • All-purpose flour / Maida - 2 tsp, as per need
  • Barik sooji - 1 tsp, optional
  • Powdered sugar - ½ tsp ( optional )
  • Cooking soda - 1 pinch ( optional )
  • Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp
  • Saffron - 8-10 strands
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Water - ¾ cup
  • Ghee for frying
  • Rosewater - 1 tsp ( optional )
Instructions ( 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml)
  1. Before starting preparations, make sure khoya / khova is at room temperature.
  2. Grate the khoya using a grater in a mixing bowl. This step is optional.
  3. Knead khoya well for 2 minutes.
  4. Add maida, sooji, powdered sugar, and a pinch of soda.
  5. Mix everything together into a soft dough.
  6. Knead well until the dough becomes nice smooth and greasy.
  7. You can see your palms are greasy and shiny.
  8. Now pinch out the marble size dough and roll them into a firm ball.
  9. Make sure there should not be any cracks on the surface.
  10. Same way, prepare all balls.
  11. Heat ghee in a Kadai for frying.
  12. Deep fry them in medium hot ghee on a small flame (You can use flavorless oil too).
  13. Fry them in small batches.
  14. Fry it until getting nice dark red color on the crust.
  15. Move the spatula in a circular motion so Gulab Jamun will move and cook from all the sides equally.
  16. If ghee/oil is too hot, Gulab Jamun will turn darker from outside and uncooked from inside.
  17. Same way, fry all Gulab Jamun and keep them aside.
  18. To prepare sugar syrup, combine sugar and water in a pan.
  19. Cook until sugar dissolved.
  20. When the syrup starts to boil, boil it for a minute and turn off the flame.
  21. Add cardamom powder and saffron strands.
  22. Add rose water ( optional ).
  23. When the sugar syrup is lukewarm, add all friend gulab jamuns.
  24. Swirl the pan well and let them nourish in syrup for 6-8 hours or overnight. It will grow bigger after soaking syrup.
  25. Enjoy them along with meals or as a dessert after meals.