Gulab jamun recipe with milk powder
Listening gulab jamun, the first word comes to my mind is ‘Yummm’ and I think it’s same for most of the people. These are sweet milk solid dumpling dipped in rose and cardamom scented sugar syrup. The soft balls and the sugar essence in each bite will certainly leave the tongue craving for more. I’ve tested this recipe several times and finally have the one for perfectly juicy, soft gulab jamuns to share with you all. I have tried to explain completely to make gulab jamun recipe with milk powder. Lets see the recipe.
If you are looking for some Indian dessert recipes , you may like Rasmalai recipe, Mathura ke peda, Bengali chena recipe , Gulab jamun recipe with khoya and kalakand in microwave, Easy Kaju katli recipe , Full proof ragulla recipe, Besan ladoo recipe
INGREDIENTS
For the gulab jamuns
1/2 cup milk powder (Use ful fat milk powder)
1 1/2 teaspoons all purpose flour or maida
1½ teaspoons fine semolina (bareek sooji)
1 tablespoon ghee
A pinch of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons yogurt
Water as required (approx. 1 tablespoon)
A few piece of sweet Makhana/Elaichi Dana(optional)
A few blanched pistachio or almond slices for garnishing
For the sugar syrup
2 cups water
1.5 cups sugar
3-4 green cardamoms, husked & crushed or powdered
A pinch of saffron (optional)
1 tsp rose water (optional)
Step by step gulab jamun recipe with milk powder
Step 1. Preparing gulab jamun dough balls
First sieve dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (milk powder, plain flour, fine semolina and baking soda).
Mix yogurt, baking soda and ghee in a separate bowl. Then mix the dry ingredients to wet ingredients lightly to make soft sticky dough. Check the consistency of dough.
Note – Do not ever try to knead dough hard, at first start mixing to form crumbles. Then just try to gather dough together. This is how air traps in between and resulting gulab jamun are extra soft.
Now pinch small portions and put 1 piece of elaichi dana in the middle and bring the sides up around it, rolling it into a smooth ball about the size of a large walnut.(refer pics below)
Make sure there are no cracks on the surface else the ball will break when it is being cooked. Shape the rest of the dough similarly.
Note – Cracks are likely to open while frying them in oil.
Step 2. Prepare Sugar Syrup
Meanwhile to a saucepan add sugar, water and crushed cardamom pods and stir well, place on low flame. Stir well until the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens slightly, this may take 5 minutes. (No string consistencies needed). Then remove from flame and add a drop of rose essence, set aside.
Step 3. Frying the gulab Jamun
Place a frying pan on flame and pour oil to deep fry the balls.
Now after the oil heats up, (oil should not be too hot), gently slide the prepared balls into it. Do not over crowd the pan. And check that the flame is in low mode.(refer video for correct temperature)
The balls will sink to the bottom and then it will gently rise up. Slowly turn each balls with a slotted spoon, at frequent intervals to make sure that the balls brown evenly.
Remove balls from flame and place on a tissue paper to remove excess oil.
Once they turn golden brown, remove them from oil with a help of a slotted spoon and transfer them to the prepared sugar syrup.
Note- At the time you are adding gulab jamun to syrup, Syrup must be warm. This will ensure that gulab jamun suck syrup instantly.
The Gulab Jamun should rest in the sugar syrup for at least 1 hour before serving so that they absorb the sugar syrup well and become soft and melt in mouth treats.
You can serve these delicious melt in mouth Gulab Jamun warm, cold or chilled on their own, garnished with pistachio. I served them warm with a scoop of cold ice cream.
TIPS
- Temperature is crucial: Never fry the balls in hot oil, the oil must not be too hot nor too low in temperature, a medium temperature will be the best. If you fry the gulab jamun at high temperature the outer portion will brown soon, but the inner portion will remain uncooked. Also do not crowd the pan, fry them in batches.
- Make sure that you don’t over knead the dough as we don’t want the gluten to form. It should have crumbly texture. If you over mix the dough then the gluten formed will make the mixture dense and the gulab jamuns will not absorb the sugar syrup well.
- Be accurate at the measurement of ingredients.
- Sugar syrup must be warm when you drop jamuns into it.
- For best result use ful fat milk powder (I used nido milk powder).
- The trick to make gulab jamuns soft and juicy, add vinegar to the dough. The acids in vinegar, when combined with baking soda, will make the jamuns airy and soft so they absorb the sugar syrup better. They will also be lighter and less dense than khoya gulab jamun.
Recipe card – Gulab jamun recipe with milk powder
- For the gulab jamuns
- 1/2 cup milk powder Use ful fat milk powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons all purpose flour or maida
- 1½ teaspoons fine semolina bareek sooji
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- A pinch of baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons yogurt
- Water as required approx. 1 tablespoon
- A few piece of sweet Makhana/Elaichi Dana optional
- A few blanched pistachio or almond slices for garnishing
- For the sugar syrup
- 2 cups water
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 3-4 green cardamoms husked & crushed or powdered
- A pinch of saffron optional
- 1 tsp rose water optional
-
Preparing gulab jamun dough balls
-
First sieve dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (milk powder, plain flour and baking soda).
-
Mix in yogurt and ghee and start to mix the ingredients lightly to make soft sticky dough. Check the consistency of dough.
-
Now pinch small portions and put 1 piece of elaichi dana in the middle and bring the sides up around it, rolling it into a smooth ball about the size of a large walnut.(refer pics below)
-
Make sure there are no cracks on the surface else the ball will break when it is being cooked. Shape the rest of the dough similarly.
-
Prepare Sugar Syrup
-
Meanwhile to a saucepan add sugar, water and crushed cardamom pods and stir well, place on low flame. Stir well until the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens slightly, this may take 5 minutes. (No string consistencies needed). Then remove from flame and add a drop of rose essence, set aside.
-
Frying the gulab Jamun
-
Place a frying pan on flame and pour oil to deep fry the balls.
-
Now after the oil heats up, (oil should not be too hot), gently slide the prepared balls into it. Do not over crowd the pan. And check that the flame is in low mode.(refer video for correct temperature)
-
The balls will sink to the bottom and then it will gently rise up. Slowly turn each balls with a slotted spoon, at frequent intervals to make sure that the balls brown evenly.
-
Remove balls from flame and place on a tissue paper to remove excess oil.
-
Once they turn golden brown, remove them from oil with a help of a slotted spoon and transfer them to the prepared sugar syrup.
Note-
At the time you are adding gulab jamun to syrup, Syrup must be warm. This will ensure that gulab jamun suck syrup instantly.
The Gulab Jamun should rest in the sugar syrup for at least 1 hour before serving so that they absorb the sugar syrup well and become soft and melt in mouth treats.
You can serve these delicious melt in mouth Gulab Jamun warm, cold or chilled on their own, garnished with pistachio. I served them warm with a scoop of cold ice cream.
TIPS
Temperature is crucial:
Never fry the balls in hot oil, the oil must not be too hot nor too low in temperature, a medium temperature will be the best. If you fry the gulab jamun at high temperature the outer portion will brown soon, but the inner portion will remain uncooked. Also do not crowd the pan, fry them in batches.
Make sure that you don’t over knead the dough as we don’t want the gluten to form. It should have crumbly texture. If you over mix the dough then the gluten formed will make the mixture dense and the gulab jamuns will not absorb the sugar syrup well.
Be accurate at the measurement of ingredients.
Sugar syrup must be warm when you drop jamuns into it.
For best result use ful fat milk powder (I used nido milk powder).
The trick to make gulab jamuns soft and juicy, add vinegar to the dough. The acids in vinegar, when combined with baking soda, will make the jamuns airy and soft so they absorb the sugar syrup better. They will also be lighter and less dense than khoya gulab jamun.
Susan says
Gulab Jamun is one of my favourite sweets. Thanks for sharing these step by step photos of the same. Very well done.
rachnaskitchen says
Thank you so much Susan for such a lovely comment.
Priya says
mouthwatering recipe……gulabjamun…….well presented
rachnaskitchen says
Thankyou Priya !!
Jeena says
Classic….. loved every bit if this post. Gulab Jamun is my fav.. and this is awesome and tempting…great one
manisha. says
hello its delicious……
rachnaskitchen says
Thanks !!
Samiha says
How much vinegar should i add to the dough??
rachnaskitchen says
Hi,
I have not used vinegar in the recipe.
Thanks
Set rolins says
Yummy its great i loved it…..thanks for sharing this i have tried in my home and it was tasty …
rachnaskitchen says
Thanks for trying it and glad to know that it came out delicious for you.
Neha says
I loved this recipe, i m surely going to try it soon, Just wanted to know Why Elaichi dana is used in balls????
rachnaskitchen says
Hi Neha,
I have stuffed elaichi dana just to avoid the formation of solid centre and also it helps to make soft textured gulab jaumns. Try it and I hope it comes out delicious for you.
Zainab says
Hi,
I tried them but the jamuns were quite hard and tgey did not absorb the sugar syrup as well. Any suggestions ??
rachnaskitchen says
Hi Zainab,
I have reviewed the recipe and also made video showing the full description. Follow it and try again. Definitely you will be successful this time.
Thanks
Ranju says
hi dear , tried the gulab jamuns recipe, i put all the ingredients exactly same . but when tried to knead the dough before adding water , it was quite dry . not like yours . may be yogurt was less . but i put 1 & 1/2 tea spoon . or may be soda was not enough only a pinch was less. so i had to add water more then one table spoon . but it was still bit hard and dry . i fry exactly like you. the size was bit increase while frying . but when i put inside the syrup it stays the same no size increase . the taste was ok , inside part was cooked but the out layer is very very hard hard . so what mistake i must have done , can you explain.
thanks will appreciate .
rachnaskitchen says
Hi Ranju,
Thanks for trying the recipe. Remember few points before making gulab jamuns
First when dough was hard, try to match the consistency by adding yogurt. Also you can increase the ghee little bit. Because if the dough is hard, gulab jamun will definitely become hard.
Second, quantity of soda was correct. Then rest the dough for 10 to 15 minutes.
Third, Fry the gulab jamun on very very low heat while stirring continuously and always add to warm syrup. Because cold syrup will not penetrate warm gulab jamun.
Hope these points would help you.
Ranju says
Ok thanks dear for useful tips. I Will try again .
shivani kataria says
hi ….i tried making gulab jamuns at home twice….
at first time, they tasted okk but they were hard from outside …
second time , i doubled each ingredient to increase the quantity …they were not hard from outside but did not absorb sugar syrup although I added vinegar with baking soda to make them airy..
plz advice me a method to make them airy from inside. .
thank you?
rachnaskitchen says
Hi Shivani,
Some times recipes becomes tricky specially when it come to traditional Indian sweets. About the recipe, first when gulab jamuns turned out hard from outside, they may be overcooked or milk powder quantity is inaccurate. Second thing is that never press dough while shaping and also dough doesn’t require kneading. Just bring all ingredient together to smooth it out.
Also a quick tip – to absorb sugar syrup, sugar syrup temperature should be like if you dip your finger in syrup you can bear the heat.It means it should nearly less than hot.
I hope you will make tasty gulab jamuns. The last thing I want ask that which milk powder you are using. Always be sure that you use full fat milk powder like nido.
Thanks
shivani kataria says
thankss for your valuable guidance. …
i will surely make it again by remembering your given tips…
i have been using NESTLE milk powder ..
i will now surely use full fat milk powder..
i also tried your recipe of samosas n ras malai …. they were…delicious. .
once again thanks for your delicious recipes…
Asma says
Hello,
This looks yummy. I have a few questions; you didn’t mention putting in the semolina and cornflour, also if I were to add vinegar to the dough (like you state in your tips section) how much should I be putting in? Thanks!
rachnaskitchen says
Hi Asma,
Thanks for visiting, I have updated the recipe.
I have not tried to add vinegar to my gulab jamun dough yet. I read in a recipe published in a newspaper which had this tip. So I thought of sharing with all.
Before making the gulab jamun please also watch the video mentioned in my post. It will help in understanding.
Thanks, All the best.
Nikhil Dugral says
Gulab jamun I like the most so i search how to make gulab jamun. I read your article and start making gulab jamun. It makes very good. Thanks for posting my favorite recipe
rachnaskitchen says
Welcome Nikhil. Thanks for trying my recipe. Keep reading and trying new recipes.
Iqra says
Zabardast description…. m gonna try it v soon 🙂
Thanks a lot for sharing love 🙂
Nupur says
Tried your recipe exactly the way described and they came out wonderfully delicious and soft! I hope I just didnt get lucky! Will try a larger batch soon. Should I just double/triple everything?
Thanks a lot!
rachnaskitchen says
Hi Nupur,
Thanks a lot. Yeah doubling or tripling recipe should work fine.
Thanks
RG says
I tried your recipe during this lock down period. I must say gulab jamun turned out soft and yummy. Thanks for bringing smile on my daughters face.