Kala Jamun or Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun :
Gulab Jamun is a mouth-watering dessert that originated in India and is now widely popular in South Asian countries as well as abroad. It is a staple sweet in every Indian household and is often served on special occasions and festivals. The dish consists of soft and spongy dough balls that are fried to perfection and then soaked in a sweet syrup, making it a delectable treat for anyone with a sweet tooth.
The dough for Gulab Jamun is made by combining khoya (a type of milk solids), all-purpose flour, and a touch of baking powder. The mixture is then rolled into small balls, which are deep-fried in ghee or oil until they turn golden brown. The fried balls are then immersed in a syrup made of sugar, water, and green cardamom, which gives the dessert its characteristic sweet and fragrant flavor. The syrup should be heated until the sugar dissolves, after which the fried balls are added to the syrup and left to soak for a few hours to absorb the flavors.
Gulab Jamun is a versatile dessert and can be served hot, warm, or cold, depending on the occasion and personal preference. It is often served as a sweet snack or after a meal as a dessert. The dessert is typically garnished with a sprinkle of chopped nuts such as almonds or pistachios, giving it a crunchy texture that balances well with the soft and spongy texture of the jamun balls.
In conclusion, Gulab Jamun is a classic Indian dessert that is loved by people of all ages. Its sweet and delicate flavor, combined with the soft and spongy texture, makes it a treat that is hard to resist. Whether you are in India or abroad, Gulab Jamun is a dessert that is sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more.
Recipe of Gulab Jamun
Preparation Time: 10 m
Cooking Time: 17 m
Total Time: 1 h 17
m
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- 2 cups water
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 drops rose water (optional)
- 1 pinch saffron (optional)
- 1/2 cup instant dry milk powder (such as Carnation®)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (such as Land O'Lakes®)
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Bring to a boil the following ingredients: water, sugar, cardamom,
rose water, and saffron. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 to 10
minutes or until consistency is syrupy.
In a bowl, thoroughly blend flour, baking soda, and milk powder.
Yogurt and butter should be added gradually until dough comes
together. Give the gulab dough five minutes to rest. Penny-sized
smooth balls should be formed.
A deep fryer or large pot with 350 degrees Fahrenheit oil (175
degrees C). Inserting a small piece of dough will allow you to gauge
the oil's temperature. The oil is ready when it stays at the bottom of
the pan for 1 minute before rising to the surface.
4 gulab balls should be fried at a time, carefully stirring, for
about 2 minutes, or until dark golden brown on all sides. Drain onto a
platter covered in paper towels. Continue with the remaining
gulab.
Return the syrup to a boil before adding the fried gulab. Take them
off the stove, cover them, and let them soak in the syrup for 45 to 60
minutes.
Kala Jamun is a variation of the popular Indian dessert Gulab Jamun. It is a rich and decadent sweet that is enjoyed by people all over India and other South Asian countries. Unlike Gulab Jamun, which is golden brown in color, Kala Jamun has a dark, almost black exterior that is a result of the longer frying time and the addition of certain ingredients.
The dough for Kala Jamun is made from khoya, flour, and semolina, which is shaped into small balls and deep-fried. The frying time for Kala Jamun is longer than that for Gulab Jamun, which gives it its unique dark color. Some recipes also call for the addition of baking soda or baking powder to the dough, which helps the balls to rise and become spongier in texture.
The syrup for Kala Jamun is similar to that for Gulab Jamun, made from sugar, water, and green cardamom. Once the fried Kala Jamun balls are ready, they are soaked in the syrup for a few hours to absorb the flavors. Unlike Gulab Jamun, Kala Jamun is often served warm or at room temperature and is garnished with a sprinkle of chopped nuts such as almonds or pistachios.
Kala Jamun is a dessert that is often served on special occasions and festivals. Its rich and indulgent flavor makes it a favorite among sweet-lovers, and its dark exterior gives it a unique appearance that sets it apart from other Indian sweets. While it is not as widely known as Gulab Jamun, Kala Jamun is a dessert that is well worth trying for anyone looking to explore the diverse world of Indian sweets.
In conclusion, Kala Jamun is a rich and indulgent variation of the popular Indian dessert Gulab Jamun. Its unique dark exterior and rich flavor make it a treat that is sure to please anyone with a sweet tooth. Whether you are a fan of traditional Indian sweets or are looking to try something new, Kala Jamun is a dessert that is sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you wanting more.
Describe Kala Jamun:
It is an Indian confection made with dried milk solids known as
mawa or khoya.
Mawa was always made from scratch at my house, which required
boiling milk for hours until only solids remained.
However, it is also readily available in stores. Frozen mawa may be
found in Indian markets here in the US; my favourite brand is
Vadilal.
These milk-solids-based dumplings are deep-fried before being
covered in a sugar syrup perfumed with rose water, saffron, and
cardamom.
You may compare them to fried doughnuts.
These can also be made with milk powder, but I like the khoya-based
version better.
How to Make Kala Jamun: Tips
When making them at home, you must bear certain factors in mind,
just like with any Indian treat.
The dough must be extremely smooth and soft. I prepare these kala
jamuns with fresh chena by curdling milk.
The dough is soft and silky because of the mashed mawa and fresh
chena. The dough came together on its own as a result of the
moisture in the chena and mawa; I didn't need to add any milk.
You need soft mawa for jamuns, so keep that in mind.
Additionally, applying fresh chena has an impact. While paneer
can be used, freshly prepared chena performs better.
PS: Chena is the term for the freshly made cheese curds that
are produced when milk is curdled. When it has been set, it is
known as paneer. You must follow this paneer-making recipe in
order to make chena. Simply stop when the milk begins to curdle.
Use the water you squeezed out of the draining in the recipe.
For this quantity of chena, around 750 ml of milk would need to
be curdled.
Never forget to fry the jamuns at a medium-low temperature. I
once burned these kala jamuns by frying them at low heat for
much too long—I believe it took about 25 minutes to get the
desired black colour, and by the time I was done, they tasted
burnt (even tough fried at low heat).
Start the heat for these kala jamuns at low-medium. They
should be added to warm oil, allowed to float to the top, and
then removed.
Increase the heat to medium-high as they begin to float, then
cook them until they are completely black. They cook perfectly
without burning in this manner.
Naturally, you should never fry on high heat because they
will quickly turn black and be undercooked inside.
Additionally, they will get hard if you fry them at a high
temperature.
To allow the kala jamuns to soak in the sugar syrup, it
must be the proper consistency. The jamuns won't soak up the
syrup if it is too thick or thin.
You don't want a stringy or syrupy consistency for this
recipe. Do not overheat the syrup; if you do, the jamuns
will become dry and hard. You just want the syrup to be
sticky.
Additionally, I'd want to point out that I prepared a lot
of sugar syrup since I wanted extra syrup. If you'd like,
you can easily cut this in half. You have the choice. If
you wish to create less syrup and proceed as directed,
simply cut everything in half.
Do adhere to the syrup preparation times specified in the
instructions.
When you add the fried jamuns to the sugar syrup, make
sure it is still warm. Likewise, remove the jamuns from
the oil and add them right away to the warm syrup. Do not
wait till they have calmed down.
Method:
1: Add mawa to a large plate (it should be soft mawa),
then mash it well with your hands for one to two minutes
until it is fully smooth.
2- Now add the flour, baking soda, and cardamom powder to
the same dish along with the chena (or, if you don't want
to prepare fresh chena, the grated paneer).
3. Use your hands to combine everything.
4- Next, create a smooth dough. Here, the moisture from
the chena and mawa was sufficient to bind everything
together; but, if your mawa is dry or your paneer is dry,
you can add milk to bind the mixture.
5- Although this step is optional, if you want to stuff
the jamuns, take 1 tablespoon of this dough and combine
it with 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts (cashews) and food
colouring. Saffron threads steeped in 1/2 teaspoon water
can also be added at this point.
6- Now take a tiny ball of dough (about 20 grammes) and
flatten it. If you like, stuff it with some of the
prepared stuffing mixture.
7- Seal the dough and shape it into a smooth, round
ball by rolling it between your palms.
8. Make all jamuns in the same way. To prevent them
from drying out, keep them covered at all times.
9. Get to work on the sugar syrup right away. I make
a lot of syrup since I like extra syrup with these
jamuns, but you could simply cut it in half if you
like.
In a pan over medium heat, combine sugar, water,
rosewater, kewra water, crushed cardamom, and saffron
to produce the syrup.
10- Allow the mixture to boil while the sugar
dissolves. Stir in the lemon juice as soon as it
begins to boil. Lemon juice aids in keeping the sugar
syrup from crystallising.
11- Simmer the syrup for about 6 minutes on medium
heat. By then, it ought to become sticky, but the
thread won't be consistent. The pan should be taken
off the heat at that point. Now put this away.
12- To fry the jamuns, heat some ghee and oil in a
kadai over low to medium heat. Although you can use
simply ghee or only oil, I prefer to use a
combination of the two.
Warm oil is added with the prepared jamuns. If you
want to prevent the bottom of the jamuns from
turning brown, keep swirling the oil around them
with a spatula without touching them.
13- When they begin to float in the oil after
about 6-7 minutes, move the heat up to medium from
low-medium.
14- At first, they will take on a golden brown
hue.
15- Fry them for a total of 14 to 15 minutes, or
until they turn black. Don't set them afire. Using
a spatula, remove them from the oil.
16) Drop hot, fried jamuns into the ready-made
syrup. Jamuns should be added to warm syrup (and
jamuns should be dropped immediately after frying
them). Fry them all in a similar manner, then let
them soak in the sugar syrup for a minimum of four
hours.
Enjoy Kala Jamun warm with some vanilla ice cream
(that’s my favorite way)!
▢3 cups sugar 600 grams
▢4 cups water 32 oz
▢4 teaspoons rose water 20 ml
▢2 teaspoons kewra water 10 ml
▢10 whole green cardamoms crushed
▢generous pinch saffron strands
▢2 teaspoons lemon juice 10 ml
oil + ghee, for frying (I used a mix of both)
