coconut gulab jamun | he-man
Gulab Jamun
makes around 10 "rose berries" - literal translation
Ingredients
Sheera : Sugar Syrup
400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
480 ml (2 cups) water
8 green cardamon pods, ground
2 tsp rose water
pinch of cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice
Gulab Jamun : Rose Berries
1 cup milk powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp desecrated coconut
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp full-fat yogurt
2 tbsp whole milk
1 tbsp ghee plus extra to grease hands
Ghee or oil for frying
Decorative toppings
2 tbsp crushed pistachios
2 tbsp coconut flakes
Method
Preparation : making the sheera : sugar syrup
Add water and sugar to a medium sized saucer bringing it slowly to a boil and leave for 7-8 minutes.
When the sugar completely dissolves, reduce the heat to medium and add the cream of tartar or lemon juice, rose syrup and crushed cardamom pods
Let mixture simmer for about 10-12 minutes until the consistency because a slightly sticky syrup. To test, very carefully put a drop of syrup on your thumb and rub with your pointer finger. You should feel a stick and when you release your pointer finger, there should be a single threadlike strand between the two.
Take the syrup off the heat and let it cool down slightly. You don't want the syrup too hot as this will overcook the gulab jamun and it won't penetrate the gulab jamun fully.
Instructions for the gulab jamun balls
Mix together the milk powder, all-purpose flour, coconut flour, desecrated coconut and baking soda into a bowl.
In a small bowl, mix together the full-fat yogurt and whole milk.
Add 1 tbsp of the wet yogurt milk mixture to the dry ingredients while using your fingers to mix, forming a crumbly, piecemeal dough.
Continue to add the yogurt and milk mixture slowly (you may not need it all) as you gently knead the dough into a ball. It should be just moist enough to hold the shape of a ball but not wet or sticky. You don't want to overwork the dough as this will cause the gulab jamun to be dense on the inside.
Moisten the surface of the dough ball with 1 tbsp of ghee, cover it with a napkin, cloth or cling film and let it rest for 20 minutes. This helps to relax any gluten that may have formed during the kneading process.
When ready, moisten your hands with ghee and begin to divide the dough into 10 equal parts and roll them into balls. In order to avoid the balls from cracking during the frying process, you must ensure that the balls are smooth. Keep your hands greased with ghee to help with this shaping process but again, don't over handle the dough.
Once all 10 balls are made, put them back in the bowl and cover again for around 20 minutes.
Frying the gulab jamuns
Heat the ghee or oil so that it reaches a boil. Once it reaches a boil, bring the heat down so that the ghee or oil is at a very low simmer. Too hot and the gulab jamun will cook quickly from the outside, leaving the inside raw. In order to check the right temperature, drop a small piece of the dough in the pan. It should rise slowly without changing color.
** Now is a good time to check the syrup and ensure that it is still a cozy, warm temperature, enough to infiltrate the rose berries. If the syrup is too cold it will only coat the gulab jamun and if too hot, it will further cook and harden the gulab jamuns.
When the ghee or oil is at the right temperature, add the balls. Try not to over crowd them so they can evenly brown all around as you gently turn them over.
When the gulab jamun is a nice brown color, place them into the syrup. Here they should rest for at least 3 hours so that they are completely soaked with syrup.
Garnish gulab jamun with chopped pistachios and a sprinkle of rose petals for that optional bonus touch of flavor and color.
