Gulab Jamun, Milk Balls in Cardamom Syrup

If you are reading this on Facebook, slideshows and videos are often attached. Click on this live link to my blog: http://www.marilyferecipes.blogspot.com/ if you would like to get the full experience.

I first tasted gulab jamun many years ago when we first began to visit what was, back then, a rare Indian restaurant called Sultan which opened tucked away in the corner of a strip shopping center at five points on Rt. 309. Many years after that, we moved closer to that intersection. Eventually, a new shopping center opened nearby with a wonderful Indian restaurant called Greater India, where, for many years, we enjoyed the gulab jamun on the lunch buffet, or ordered it after dinner. Now that Greater India has disappeared, we are back to lunch buffets at Sultan, which moved to the same center as Greater India and is under new ownership. I love, love, love gulab jamun. To me, it is like a warm, exotically-spiced, ball of cheesecake in syrup.

My favorite cookbook of Jewish recipes, and I have quite a collection from doing research for my own cookbook/curriculum, Bubbie’s Kitchen, is The Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Gloria Kaufer Greene. When I ran across her recipe, I was inspired to try making it at home. It is the perfect dessert for Chanukah because it is both dairy and fried. It can be made ahead of time, and a jar of it tucked into the refrigerator lasts a long time, in fact, for months.


I wanted to make it more authentically, did some research on the Net, and when an Indian grocery opened nearby, I purchased mawa to use instead of the instant non-fat dry milk. There are two tricky parts to this simple recipe, getting the dough consistency right, and getting the oil temperature right. You must just be able to form the small balls with your hands; and the oil cannot be too hot, or they will not swell and turn golden; or too cold, and the balls will be greasy. These difficulties can be surmounted with a little trial and error.

Gulab Jamun, Milk Balls in Cardamom Syrup

Syrup

• 3 cups cold water
• 3 cups sugar
• 12 whole cardamom pods
• juice of one fresh lemon, orange blossom water, or rose water, to taste

Milk Balls

• 1-1/2 cups instant nonfat dry milk powder or mawa
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup cold water
• peanut or vegetable oil for frying

Put water, sugar and cardamom into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir only at the beginning until the sugar just begins to dissolve.

Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice, or add orange blossom or rose water to taste. Let cool to room temperature.

Mix together milk powder or mawa, flour and baking soda. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, or mash in with a fork until the mixture has the texture of fine crumbs. Stir in the water, a little at a time, until the mixture is still a bit tacky but comes away from the sides of the bowl. You can add a bit more water, or a bit more flour just until the dough comes together and can be handled.

Place enough oil in a deep skillet or wok so that the oil is about 1-1/2 inches deep and heat to about 350°F. Make sure oil does not overheat!

Form the dough (I use a tiny ice-cream scoop) into balls that are 1/2 inch to 3/4 inches in diameter.

Carefully drop several balls into hot oil. No not overcrowd the pan. They should quickly puff to almost twice their original size. (If everything is right, this is a very satisfying process to watch.) Rotate the balls frequently with a slotted spoon or spider for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are golden brown. If they brown too quickly, your oil is too hot.

Drain finished balls briefly on paper towels or on the rack that attaches to some woks. While still warm, drop the balls into the syrup and let them soak for at least 3 to 4 hours at room temperature before serving or refrigerating. The balls should remain stored in the syrup.

Serve balls with some of their syrup, warmed gently in saucepan or microwave. This dessert can be stored, ideally, in a glass mason-type jar, in the refrigerator, for up to two months, and warmed as needed. Leave the cardamom pods in the syrup to continue to flavor the balls, but do not include them when serving.

Makes about 36 balls in syrup.