Sugar ‘n Spice with Yudhika Sujanani – Gulab Jamun…

Oops…this recipe was lost in translation! Apologies to those Sugar ‘n Spice fans who have been looking for it!

I will keep this story short….It was my first husband who first introduced me to these delightful treats! After all these years, I still hear the mumblings about how he taught me everything I know! That said, I tasted these at his cousin’s house and asked for the recipe – in a way that would make him responsible for introducing me to this treat!

I was given the usual run around when I asked for the recipe and it flopped on numerous occasions. It was back to the drawing board for me and I was determined to get it right.

A few costly and frustrating disasters later, my trial and error mission paid off! Finally….just for the record…I don’t have anyone to thank for this recipe….I did this one all by myself!

Just a word on milk powder…I use KLIM for burfee but it does not work in this recipe…Nespray works perfectly for this one!

For the more traditional South African Gulab Jamun…click here: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2012/11/08/troubled-by-diwali-gluttony/

The gulab jamun….

Gulab Jamun

Ingredients

450ml full cream milk powder (NESPRAY PLEASE)
45ml self raising flour
7,5ml baking powder
45ml pure butter
150ml warm milk
5ml ground cardamom
Sunflower oil to fry

For the rose syrup

750ml sugar
750ml water
30ml pure distilled rose-water
Few strands of saffron

Here’s how:

Heat saffron strands on a dry pan for a thirty seconds. Leave to cool and then slightly crush them using your fingertips. Place the sugar and water in a thick bottomed pot and stir on a medium heat. When the sugar has dissolved, bring the syrup to the boil. Simmer for five minutes or until the syrup is sticky but not thick. Add the rose-water and saffron strands. Leave aside to infuse. Mix the full cream milk powder, ground cardamom and self-raising flour in a mixing bowl. Divide mixture into three equal portions. Combine the pure butter ghee and the warm milk in a jug. Mix the warm milk into the milk powder mixture and stir until a sticky paste is formed. Use your fingertips to mix into a soft and pliable dough. Rinse your hands and grease them with a layer of oil or warm butter ghee. Work quickly and roll the dough into little balls. Place them onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat until all the milk powder has been moulded into balls. Heat sunflower oil on a low heat in an 30cm AMC pot. Gently drop the balls into the warm oil and shake the pan to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. The milk balls need to be constantly stirred to ensure that they brown evenly. They should be golden brown when cooked. If you are unsure, remove one of the balls from the oil and drop it into the warm syrup. If it shrinks or deflates, the balls need to be cooked for a few more minutes. Steep the balls into warm syrup and leave to soak for 2 hours before serving.

Yudhika’s Tips:

It is important to always divide the milk powder into portions as the dough dries out very quickly.
The milk balls need to be cooked on a very low temperature as they burn quite easily.