Gulab Jamun Recipe With Khoya

Making Gulab Jamuns at home requires a lot of time and patience. But the homemade ones are just divine. There are unprecedented joy and satisfaction in making a favorite family sweet from scratch. The smile these sweets bring on the faces of loved ones, and the pleasure of sharing a bowl full of homemade goodness with friends is exquisite. That is the only reason, every year around the festive season; I make a large batch of khoya gulab jamun. And every year I fall in love with this recipe once again.

Kneading the dough: The dough has to be smooth, non-sticky and 100% lump free. That is the reason a kneading of 10 – 15 minutes using the pressure of palm is required to form a perfect dough for the gulab jamuns. There aren’t any shortcuts for this process.

Handling the dough: At times due to the heat of the palm and hot weather, the dough might become too sticky. Do not panic. After kneading, keep it in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes. Later, wash your hands with cold water and grease your palms with ghee (clarified butter) to shape the balls. This trick has always worked for me.

Slow frying: For a perfect color and even cooking the khoya balls are always fried at low to medium heat. Keep turning them regularly while frying for even browning. The balls fried at high temperature turn dark brown from outside and uncooked from inside. So it is essential to moderate the heat while frying the gulab jamuns.

Sugar Syrup: The thread consistency of sugar syrup is not required for gulab jamuns. Once the syrup has a stickiness to it and thickens a bit, turn off the heat. But always remember, the sugar syrup becomes thicker once it cools down a bit. So adjust the consistency initially accordingly. The aromatics like cardamom powder, saffron or kewra essence are added to enhance the flavor of the syrup and give it a rich taste. It has nothing to do with the consistency or texture of the syrup.

Soaking: It is one of the key steps in making mouth melting gulab jamuns. Make sure the khoya balls are warm but not piping hot while adding in the sugar syrup. And the syrup also has to be simmering. After adding khoya balls, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and allow the gulab jamuns to sit in sugar syrup for at least 1 – 2 hours. I usually, do this process 2 – 3 hours before serving time. Just before serving simply heat the sweet in a microwave for 2 – 5 minutes.

Can I keep the dough of Gulab Jamun for later use?

Yes, it can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container. But try using it within next 2 – 3 days. The khoya (evaporated milk) has a very short shelf life and get spoilt quickly. The best way to store gulab jamuns for a longer duration is not to soak the entire batch in sugar syrup. Keep the fried khoya balls in the fridge. Whenever you want to serve them, reheat fried balls in a microwave, prepare sugar syrup and soak the gulab jamuns in the syrup.

How do I reheat Gulab Jamun?

I usually stick to the microwave for reheating the gulab jamuns along with sugar syrup. They get perfectly soft and spongy. Transfer the sweet in a wide microwave safe bowl and heat for 5 – 10 minutes at high power. Otherwise, bring them out of the fridge, allow to sit at room temperature, and then transfer to a saucepan along with sugar syrup. Cover the pan with a lid and reheat them at low flame for 5 – 10 minutes. But keep checking them while reheating to avoid burning.