INGREDIENTS:
For the Jamun:
*Khoya- 200 gms (Room temperature)
*Cooking soda- a pinch
*Maida- 1/2 cup
*Milk- 3 tbsp (if required)
*Oil/ ghee for deep frying
For the sugar syrup:
*Sugar- 1 1/2 cup
*Water- 1 1/2 cup
PROCEDURE:
*Take a wide plate or vessel and add khoya to it.
*Now using your palm knead the khoya to remove the small lumps in it.
*Make sure to take a small part of khoya, knead it and then take another part.
*This process usually takes 10-15 minutes, yet it's worth it cause it'll yeild soft gulab jamuns which have equally absorbed the chashni.
*You'll notice that the khoya mixture has turned sticky.
*At this stage add cooking soda and a tbsp of maida.
*Knead the dough and add spoonful at a time and knead till it turns to a smooth dough.
*Add milk if the dough turns hard. Sometimes the dough is perfect even without milk and that's fine.
*Now cover the dough with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 10-15 mins
*Meanwhile heat the water and sugar in a wide vessel.
*Let it boil for 2 mins.
*Don't let it get too thick or else the jamuns won't absorb the sugar syrup.
*We just need to boil it, no string consistency needed.
*Let it rest.
*Now let's check the dough.
*Knead the dough for 2 mins.
*Now shape the dough to small balls, I prefer smaller balls as they double up after soaking and too large jamuns may risk raw dough in the jamuns which will make it hard.
*Now cover the balls in a clean cloth.
*Heat oil in a kadhai.
*Now lower the flame and gently keep stirring the oil using a small spoon with one hand and add 4-5 jamuns with the other one.
*I learned this trick from Youtube and it works well for me, stirring the oil and adding jamuns simultaneously will prevent it from sticking to the bottom and will help it yield even brown colour.
*Don't fry the jamuns on high flame as they'll get a hard under cooked centre. Make sure to fry them in very low flame.
*As they reach the golden colour, drain and drop the jamuns directly in lukewarm syrup.
*Make sure that the syrup is lukewarm and not too hot.
*Let them rest for 2-3 hrs.
*You'll notice that they have doubled up in size.
*Gulab jamun is ready.
