Gulab Jamun - Recipe from "Our South Yarra Table"

When Miss E was ready for kinder we chose a local community run one.  Now call me a bad mum, but I'm not the type of mum who asks too many questions about how schools are run and what the teachers are like etc..
 I choose the closest one and figure I will deal with the problem if one arises.   The kinder we chose was FANTASTIC.  How can I not feel this way when at the beginning of the school year they always host a welcome Multicultural Picnic.  Everyone brings a plate representing their country of origin. I had my very first taste of haggis at this event.  Not bad!!  So when Evangeline started 4 year old kinder  I volunteered to help out with the kinder's fundraising.  One of the fundraising activities I organised was "of course" a cookbook...  I had no choice when I was presented with the fact that I had a gold mine of recipes from all over the world.  From our neighbours in Asia to Russia, Europe, Ethiopia.. the list goes on.  

As I wanted some photos in the book I chose recipes that I wanted to try out, made them and photographed them.  This delicious recipe was sent in by a family from India.

Gulab Jamun - makes 10-12 

“Gulab Jamun – is a popular Indian dessert of fried dumplings in rose scented sugar syrup”

Ingredients 

for the gulab jamuns:

1 cup milk powder

¼ cup all purpose flour 

1 tsp oil or ½ tsp ghee

a pinch of salt

a pinch of baking soda

1 to 2 tbs yoghurt

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

1 tsp rose water

how to make the recipe:

preparing the sugar solution:

Mix water, sugar, cardamom and saffron.

Keep this sugar solution on fire and cook till you get a syrup consistency.

There should be no thread formation in the sugar solution.

Stir in the rose water and keep aside.

preparing the jamuns:

First mix the milk powder, all purpose flour, soda in a bowl.

Add oil or ghee and just 1 tbsp of yogurt.

Mix and keep on adding little of the yoghurt to get a soft sticky mixture.

The dough should not be crumbly or dry.  If it is then add some yoghurt.

Make smooth small balls from the dough.

Heat the oil and the reduce the flame to low.

Add the balls and fry them stirring often to get even color.

When they become golden, remove from a slotted spoon and add them to the sugar syrup.

Let them soak in the sugar syrup for at least 1-2 hours.

Gulab Jamuns can be served warm or cold. If they are at room temperature, then warm in the microwave and serve gulab jamun topped with sugar syrup.

Enjoy

Kalliroy xx