Ingredients
|
Quantity
|
Self-rising flour
|
¾ bowl
|
Ghee
|
3 tbsp
|
Baking soda
|
1 tsp
|
Black cardamom seeds
|
1 tsp
|
Milk powder
|
1 cup up to 1 ½
|
Oil
|
for deep fry
|
Syrup:
|
|
Sugar
|
2 bowls
|
Water
|
2 ½ bowls
|
Crushed saffron
|
½ tsp
|
Black cardamom seeds
|
1 tsp
|
Gulab Jambu is quite a famous Indian sweet, you can usually get it
in most Indian restaurants. They are the dark spongy balls in a sugar syrup.
There are quite a few versions of Gulab Jambu depending on the region.
The measurement I have given is in bowls as it's the easiest way,
you can of course use cups instead of bowls! It will just give you a measurement
in terms of proportions. In India most people make them out of 'mavo' which is
boiled down milk but you can't usually get it here so we can use milk powder
instead.
Syrup
Method:
Put the sugar and the water in a large pan and heat. Once all the
sugar is dissolved keep stirring. The syrup will be done when you can feel it
getting sticky and slightly thick. Add the crushed saffron and the cardamom
seeds.
Jambu
Method:
Mix all the dry ingredients together, and using a light hand start
adding the milk and forming a soft dough. Add the milk a little at a time, the
dough should be soft and mallable not sticky. Some people say that you should
work the dough a good 5/10 minutes and some people say you shouldn't. Choosing
the easy method I didn't. Place the oil to heat. Take a small amount in your
hand about a heaped teaspoon and form it into a nice round ball. The oil should
be hot but not too hot as once we put the little balls in we don't want to burn
the outside and leave the inside uncooked. Gently place the ball into the oil
and fry, it should puff up and become enlarged. Let it cook for a good 3-4
minutes or so until golden brown. Take out and drain on kitchen paper. Let it
cool. To test if the dough is right break the ball in half the inside should be
cooked and spongy. If it's not work the dough a little and add a little milk if
required.