Gulab Jamun

I have always made gulab jamun from the ready mix and this time South vs. North Challenge has made me do it from scratch!!! It was little intimidating for me but a big learning.. Now no more ready mix Jamuns in my house. This one is so good, so delicious and so perfect!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making it.





Ingredients
Milk Powder - 1 cup
Ravai / Semolina - 1 1/2 table spoon
Maida - 3 table spoon
Baking Powder - A pinch
Ghee - 3 table spoons
Milk - 3 to 5 table spoons
Oil - to fry
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Rose Water - a few drops
Milk - 1 table spoon (optional) - for the syrup
Lemon Juice - 1 tea spoon

Method
Soak ravai in 3 table spoons of warm water for 5 minutes
Sieve together milk powder, maida and baking powder well
Now add the soaked ravai and crumble the mixture with the palms
Add ghee and again crumble the mixture with the palms until all the mixture is well mixed
Now slowly add milk and make it to a dough. Do not knead the dough. Just put them together.
Set aside for 15 minutes covered
Heat sugar and water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Allow it to simmer for 5 minutes and add lemon juice and rose water and keep the flame on very low
Make crack free small balls from the dough
Heat oil in a pan to very medium heat and add the balls slowly and cook until the balls are golden brown. Oil should not be too hot as the jamuns will not cook inside.
Generally jamuns would take around 7 to 10 minutes of frying to get cooked. If it is reaching color before then, then the flame is too hot and there is a good chance that the inside is not cooked completely
Now dip the golden balls inside the sugar syrup and allow it to soak in it for 1.5 to 2 hours
Garnish with nuts or serve as is.. Serve warm or on room temperature. You could also serve it with vanilla ice cream

Couple of points to note
1. I used non fat milk powder
2. The oil should not be too hot and the right temperature would be when the balls sit on the bottom of the oil for a few seconds before it sizzles and starts floating.
3. Rotate the oil gently with the spatula before adding the balls and it will help even coloring and cooking. Continue to rotate the oil after adding the balls but without touching them
4. Jamuns should be soaked in the sugar syrup for at least 1 hour.
5. When adding the jamuns to the syrup, the syrup must be hot or very warm
6. Adding lemon juice to the sugar syrup ensures that the sugar does not crystalize
7. You can add milk to the sugar syrup when it comes to a boil and remove the impurities

Sending this to my own event – Anniversary event, Eggless Bakes and Treats, Surabhi's page, Milk Sweets, SNC and Pallavi’s page, Anu's Diwali event, Gayathri's WTML, hosted by Preeti, Potluck, Festive Feasts, Celebrate - Indian Sweets, Serve it, Denny's page, Innovative recipes, Siri’s Anniversary Event