Gulab Jamun, one of the most famous and delicious Indian sweets made from the milk solids. Traditionally, the gulab jamun is made from the milk solid known as khoya which is deep fried in oil /ghee and later soaked in cardamom/rose flavored sugar syrup.

But, nowadays, a lot of gulab jamun ready mixes are available in the market and they are equally good and make delicious gulab jamun. Though the instructions are available in every ready made mix, they are really vague and for the beginners it's difficult to make perfect gulab jamun with those instructions.

As deepavali/diwali is approaching nearby and gulab jamun is one of the common sweets that is prepared during this time, here i'm sharing all the tips that i have learned over the years for making perfect soft and juicy gulab jamun using the ready mix !

Which brand of gulab jamun is the best ?

So far, I have used MTR, GITS and Aachi brand of gulab jamun. All of them make more or less similar gulab jamun in taste and texture wise. Irrespective of the brand, if you follow the tips that i have shared here, I'm sure that you will achieve perfect gulab jamun.

How to make a perfect round gulab jamun ?

Make sure that the dough is slightly sticky.
Grease your hand with ghee while rolling the balls for smooth texture.

What's the perfect temperature of the oil or how to know the oil is ready for frying the jamun?

Add a small pinch of dough in the oil, it should take 2 to 3 seconds to rise up and float in the oil. That's the correct temperature of the oil for frying the jamun.
If the dough rises instantly, the oil is too hot, reduce the heat or add more oil to reduce the oil temperature.
If the dough takes longer than 3 seconds, then the oil is not ready, let it be in heat for a few more minutes before frying the jamun.

How to get even color on the gulab jamun?

Make sure that the oil temperature is correct.
Rotate the oil with a ladle often while frying the jamun, it helps to get the color evenly.

Why are my jamuns not cooked inside even though the outside is golden brown?

The oil temperature is too hot so the outer layer becomes brown even before the inside gets cooked
Roll the jamuns gently without applying too much pressure also helps to cook the jamun evenly.

Why is my gulab jamun not absorbing sugar syrup?

Make sure that both the jamun and sugar syrup is warm while soaking them together. It will help to absorb the syrup easily
Let the jamun soak in the syrup for at least 2 hrs for best absorption. Tastes best on the next day !
The sugar syrup needs to be thin and sticky. Don't boil the sugar syrup for a longer time.
As said earlier, don't roll the jamun tightly, it will surely affect the sugar syrup absorption.

Why is my jamun soggy instead of soft after soaking in the syrup?

Don't soak the jamun in the syrup when both syrup and jamun are super hot. It will make the jamun soggy.
Don't close the gulab jamun with a tight lid when either jamun or syrup is hot. Close it halfway or close it with a lid that has holes that will help to escape the steam and avoid the jamun becoming soggy.
Keep it in an airtight container only when it's completely cooled.

What to do with the leftover gulab jamun sugar syrup ?

The given quantity is almost perfect and doesn't have any leftovers. But in case, you have any leftover syrup, you can use it in other sweets which need sugar syrup like shahi tudka & so on.

Gulab Jamun Using Ready made Mix

Preparation Time : 2 hr | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 8
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For Jamun

Gulab Jamun Mix - 1 cup

Water - 1/4 cup(approx)

Ghee - 1 tsp

For Syrup

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedure

Measure and take the gulab jamun mix in a bowl, break the lumps with hands and then add water little by little and make a soft pliable dough.

Take a tsp of ghee in a bowl for rolling the jamun. Pinch a small piece of the jamun dough.

Grease your palm with ghee and place the dough on your palm and roll into smooth ball without applying too much pressure. Repeat the same for the remaining dough.

Now let's make the sugar syrup. Take the sugar and water in a sauce pan and put it on the heat.

Let the sugar dissolve completely and boil it for 3-4 mins or until the sugar syrup is slightly sticky.

Next add the cardamom powder & mix it well. Transfer the sugar syrup to a bowl.

Keep the sugar syrup aside. Next let's fry the jamun. Heat the oil for frying the jamun. Add the jamun one by one.

Keep the flame in low and cook the jamun till they are golden brown. Make sure to turn the jamun now and then for even cooking.

Remove the jamun from the oil and place it on the tissue paper.

Add the fried jamun into the sugar syrup. Let it soak for 2 hrs minimum before serving.

Delicious Gulab Jamun is ready !

Related : How to make Gulab Jamun with Milk Powder

Notes:

You can use any readymade jamun mix for this recipe.
Personally i like cardamom flavor more than rose flavor in gulab jamun. So i haven't used rose flavor here. But if you like rose flavor, add a few drops of rose essence in the sugar syrup.

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Thursday, October 28, 2021