Gulab Jamun (from Curried Favors)
Serves 8
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cups water
- ¾ cup nonfat dry milk
- ¼ cup all-purpose (plain) flour, plus
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 to ½ cup heavy cream, as needed
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- In a 4-quart saucepan prepare a syrup by stirring sugar and water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Transfer one third of syrup to a wide pan (where balls will soak when done) and set aside to cool. Keep remaining syrup in saucepan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine nonfat dry milk, ¼ flour, and baking powder. Add the heavy cream in small increments – stirring to keep mixture well blended – until smooth dough is formed. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times. Form the dough into 24 smooth, seamless 1-inch balls; if the seams cannot be smoothed over, batter needs a little more cream.
- Heat larger amount of reserved syrup in its saucepan until simmering. Keep over low heat.
- In a wok or deep saucepan heat oil to 325 F. Fry 5 or 6 balls at a time until they turn reddish-brown color, about 3 minutes. If heat is too high, they will brown quickly on the outside and remain uncooked within.
- Drain balls briefly on paper towels, then transfer to simmering syrup, keeping heat high enough to maintain a slow boil. Boil each group as they are fried and drained for about 1 to 2 minutes until they expand somewhat and feel spongy to the touch. Transfer to cooked syrup in the wide pan.
- When all balls are cooked, remove simmering syrup from heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. (If syrup gets very thick, thin it with a small amount of hot water.) Stir in the cardamom and add syrup to the soaking balls. Set aside for 2 hours before serving. The balls should have a soft, porous texture. Serve in pairs with a small amount of syrup.
- Note:The balls will keep refrigerated in their syrup for days. Warm them up slightly before serving; if syrup is too thick, thin it with a little hot water.
From the award-winning cookbook Curried Favors