Gulab Jamun

[jpinmaryland]

I was going to try this recipe:

http://www.madgeandgeoffrey.co.uk/gulab_jamun.htm

Q: can you substitute crisco for ghee? I thought you could now not so sure.

I think it calls for cardamon pods or something, can I just regular cardamon?

Any personal tips or suggestions? Local restaurant makes this and we love it so...

[Haggis]

Cardamon pods is regular cardamon. I would not recommend substituting anything else since the pods are there to infuse the syrup with their flavour and then to be removed, that why they are using the pods.

Ghee is more akin to clarified butter (however ghee is cooked so the butter browns, rather than just removing the milk solids). You could probably use regular butter, but it will be lacking that nutty sort of flavour that ghee imparts.

[sarah]

i'm a big fan of gulab jaman too,you can certainly substitute ghee with crisco.I use cream though,which is even better than crisco...
here's the recipe i use for making gulab jamans,its much easier......and has great results.....


GULAB JAMANS:


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup powdered milk
1 large egg
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp baking powder
FOR SYRUP:
2 cups sugar
3-4 cups water
ground cardamoms(i use cardamom powder which u can find in any indian store),if you are using this powder,half a tsp will be enough.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix together the powdered milk,egg,flour,cream and baking powder and knead well for a few minutes till the batter stops sticking to your hands and becomes easier to handle and somewhat oily.Make small same size balls and deep fry them,constantly turning them so all sides are browned evenly,when they are dark brown(not black),they are done,take them out and put in the syrup at once.Syrup ahould be very hot.once you've put all the gulab jamans in the syrup,cover the dish for an hour so they're soaked well...garnish with slivered almonds and pistachios.
SYRUP:
cook together sugar,water and cardamom powder,over medium-hight heat until it forms into a somewhat thick syrup.

[jpinmaryland]

cool.......

[Yakuta]

The only thing I would add to Sarah's recipe is to add saffron to the sugar syrup along with cardamom. The saffron is what gives the gulab jamun (atleast the authentic version) that irresistable flavor.

[jpinmaryland]

I tried making these the other day and the batter got all sticky on us. I read it again and it says to knead the dough until it stops being sticky. I just added more flour, quite a bit more, they came out okay but I wonder if I should have kneaded it more? How does that part of the process work? Does the dough come out real sticky initially? thx.

[sattie]

Wow... I just saw the original post date of this thread!!! JP.... I have to give you credit for the drive to keep trying!

This recipe sounds interesting... never heard of it till now.

[jpinmaryland]

yeah I actually made them a couple years ago and this was like my third try at it. Yakuta posted a hint in another thread where he says to let the batter rest for 30 min. before working it. Maybe that's the trick, anyhow I've got 3 more cups of powdered milk left so I can always try again. They came out allright.

[sarah]

Originally Posted by jpinmaryland

I tried making these the other day and the batter got all sticky on us. I read it again and it says to knead the dough until it stops being sticky. I just added more flour, quite a bit more, they came out okay but I wonder if I should have kneaded it more? How does that part of the process work? Does the dough come out real sticky initially? thx.

just keep kneeding it,it will loose stickiness and will become asier to handle.Adding more flour is not advisable as very accurate measurements r needed for good quality authentic gulab jamuns.more flour can make them tough or raw in the middle.

[Arwen]

this recipe is absolutely fantastic!!I must try it !!!!!!! can I use creamy milk or must I use powdered milk?