All Time Favorite- Gulab Jamun!

Photo: Vaishali Sharma (Bhutani)

Ingredients

1 cup Instant dry milk (milk powder) –

4 tablespoons All purpose flour –

4 tablespoons Yogurt – (or enough to knead the dough)

2 tablespoons Clarified butter –

1/2 teaspoon Baking soda –

4 cups Water –

3 cups Sugar –

Rose essence – few drops, optional. You can use Saffron Essence too

1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder – or to taste

Saffron – few strands, optional

1/4 teaspoon Salt-

Oil – for deep frying

Preparation

Make the syrup in a pan by adding water, sugar, rose syrup, cardamom powder and saffron.

Put the pot on the flame and bring to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer.

Meanwhile, get the oil for deep-frying ready. Heat up the oil on low to medium heat. ( Temperature of oil is the key to make good Gulab Jamuns. Temperature has to be between low to medium)

For the dumplings, in a mixing bowl,add in all dry ingredients i.e instant dry milk, salt, all purpose flour and baking soda.

Mix well and add in the clarified butter and after that slowly start mixing in the yogurt. Make into a dough. (Yogurt is the binding factor here so don't need to add any water to make the dough)

Allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes by covering it with a damp cloth or kitchen towel. Make desired size balls, make sure they are smooth and do not have any creases. (You can use a little oil on your hands and make the ball and flatten it out and then roll it again to a ball…this will help smoothening out the cracks)

Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough, if it sits at the bottom of the pan for a few seconds before coming to the surface, the oil is ready.

Carefully drop 3-4 dumplings in the oil and keep rotating them for an even color.

Once the dumplings are a dark golden brown, take them out into a paper towel.

Bring the syrup to another quick boil and drop in the dumplings.

Turn off the flame and cover the pan and let them soak in the syrup for at least 1 hour. The more you let them sit in the syrup, the better. ( They soak up the delicious syrup, fluff up and becomes very soft)

Serve these HOT !