Gulab Jamuns are perhaps, the most popular Indian sweets that are a big part of every festival, event, marriage and special occasion of any sort. These deep-fried round doughnuts are soaked in a flavoured sugar syrup known as chashni. There are several variations to the gulab jamun recipe, but the mawa ke gulab jamuns or the ones made using khoya or milk solids are the most popular ones. And that’s the one that we will be making here.
This gulab jamun recipe with khoya is the kind of ones you would find at the Indian sweet shops. These are light brown in colour as they are lightly fried and then soaked in a sugar syrup perfumed with green cardamom, saffron and a hint of rose water. After all, it is called gulab jamun where gulab means rose in Hindi.
So, if you have been using gulab jamuns mix all these years, then it’s time to upgrade your skills and get yourself to enjoy the authentic Indian gulab jamuns. This easy gulab jamun recipe with khoya will surely come in handy for your next dinner party or when you are celebrating any Indian festival with your family.
Why you will love this classic yet easy Gulab Jamun recipe with Khoya and Milk Powder?
- It’s Classic. And that’s unbeatable. The taste and texture you get from khoya or mawa (milk solids) is unmatched. It adds a ton of richness into the gulab jamun making
- Quite Easy & Delicious. If you can get your hands upon some quality mawa or khoya, then you are pretty much set to make these gulab jamuns using milk powder & a couple of other pantry staple ingredients
- Amazing Crowd Pleaser. I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t like piping hot gulab jamuns! If you make some for your party, you are most likely to see a bee line at your dessert counter
How to make Gulab Jamun recipe with khoya or mawa – Ingredients list
- Khoya or Mawa (Milk Solids) – in case there isn’t available near you, I have included the recipe to make instant homemade Khoya below here
- All-pupose Flour
- Milk Powder
- Baking Soda
- Milk
- Ghee
- Sugar
- Water
- Spices like Green Cardamom, Saffron
- Lemon Juice
- Rose Water
Step-by-step instructions on how to make the best Gulab Jamun recipe with Khoya, quite effortlessly at home
- At first we are going to knead the Khoya or Mawa and making it smooth. In order to make it soft, microwave ot on high power for 30 seconds so that it softens up a bit
- Now, start kneading and mashing it using the heel of your palm. Continue doing till it loses its grainy texture and becomes absolutely smooth. This step is very important and perhaps the most time taking one. So, no shortcuts here or you will not get the desired texture in your gulab jamuns
- Once it has become smooth and comes together in a dough ball shape, add the flour, milk powder, baking soda, and ghee in it. Add the milk and start bringing everything together in a dough ball. It will be very sticky and extremely soft and that is what would make your gulab jamuns soft in the inside.
- Leave the dough for 4-5 mins to rest with a damp cloth as a cover
- Meanwhile prepare the chashni or sugar syrup for gulab jamun by adding the sugar and water in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil. Add the crushed green cardamom pods and saffron threads in this
- Add a couple of drops of lemon juice to the syrup so that it doesn’t crystalize. Once you get the single string consistency of the syrup, turn off the heat
- Coming back to the gulab jamun dough, now let’s divide it into equal portions and roll them into balls. For this rub some ghee on your palms and take each portion of the sticky dough and roll it. Don’t apply too much pressure, just enough to bring it together and smoothen the surface. There should be no visible crack on the surface of the gulab jamuns or they will burst open during frying
- Roll all the dough balls and keep them covered by the damp cloth till they are ready for frying
- For frying, heat some oil on low heat and drop a few of these dough balls in it. You will see that they will sink first and then rise up to float in the oil. Using the ladle, keep them moving in the oil so that there is even browning of the gulab jamuns. This is a slow process and we do not want to hurry up the frying or they will remian uncooked at the centre
- In 10-12 minutes, you will see that they have acquired a uniform colour and are ready to be taken out of the oil. Then quickly drop them in the warm chashni or sugar syrup that we prepared earlier.
- Repeat till all the gulab jamuns are fried and dropped in the syrup. Let them soak for atleast an hour before serving
How to make Instant Khoya or Mawa at home?
- Take a non-stick heavy bottom pan and keep it on medium-low flame.
- Add 2 tablespoon ghee, 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup fresh cream. Stir
- Add 2 tablespoon sugar and mix.
- Now, add 1 cup milk powder and whisk so that it doesn’t form lumps. If it does, just try to mash them with the back of your spoon.
- Keep stirring for next 10-15 minutes while mashing the lumps (if any) with the back of your spatula/spoon. Soon you will see that it is has reduced in the quantity.
- Keep stirring till it leaves the sides of the pan and makes a smooth dough ball.
- Turn off the heat and take it out on a plate. Instant khoya or mawa is ready.
Tips & Tricks for perfect Gulab Jamuns – Mistakes to avoid while making Gulab Jamuns
- Like any other Indian Mithai recipe, the quantity or the proportion of ingredients used in the recipe is of itmost importance. So, pay good attention to the details here in this recipe
- Knead the khoya or mawa till it is mushy and soft. It should lose its grany texture completely and become smooth. This will give the melt-in-mouth texture to your khoya or mawa gulab jamuns
- The dough has to be sticky and soft. If it is annoyingly sticking to your fingers, then you have got your gulab jamun dough right. Simply rub some ghee onto your palms and start working with it. It will come together. Do not give in to your temptation to add more flour to control the stickiness. It is this moisture which will make the gulab jamuns soft at the centre and not doughy
- While you are rolling your gulab jamun dough balls, keep the dough or rolled dough balls covered with a damp towel. Otherwise they will dry out and develop crack while frying
- The gulab jamun dough balls have to be smooth with absolutely no cracks on the surface
- Fry the gulab jamuns on a very low heat. Keep them rolling around in the oil using the back of your ladle so that they get fried uniformly. This step takes time but if done right, you will get perfectly cooked gulab jamuns at the centre
- Drop the fried gulab jamuns in warm chashni or sugar syrup so that it gets soaked easily
- Do not skip on adding a hint of rose water in the sugar syrup. It doesn’t have to be a lot of it, just 1-2 drops but it will surely make all the difference
- Let the Gulab Jamuns soak in the syrup for at least an hour. Give them a gentle nudge so that each one of them gets to soak in the syrup properly
Now, I understand that there can be tricky situations where you followed all the steps, or at least you believe you did so. But still, there’s something that is off about it. It happens with me as well. So, let’s check out some of the situations that seem to have gone wrong with making gulab jamuns with khoya and milk powder & how to manage it.
If the dough for gulab jamun was dry and crumbly, it is most likely to break off once it hits the warm oil. So, it is necessary that there is enough moisture in the gulab jamun dough to hold it together while it cooks in the oil. In case the first few of your gulab jamuns break off in the oil, add some milk to the rest of the dough till it becomes soft and sticky. Use some ghee to grease your palm and roll them into smooth balls. Fry them and you will get perfectly round and good looking gulab jamuns
If the Gulab Jamuns are hard at the centre, it means there wasn’t enough moisture in the dough in the first place. If the dough was dry, then the gulab jamuns are most likely to be dry and hard
This is due to the insufficient frying of the gulab jamuns. As I said, the oil or ghee for frying gulab jamuns has to be just warm enough, and not smoking hot. If it is too hot the outer shell of the gulab jamun will get cooked and caramelized quickly leaving the centre uncooked and raw. As a result, when you take them out and drop them in the syrup, it will become soggy on the inside
Just rub some ghee onto your palms and start bringing it together. In a couple of minutes, it will come together and become manageable. Do not give in to your temptation to add more flour to tame the stickiness
When the gulab jamuns are fried on high heat, the outer shell gets cooked but the centre remains raw. As a result, then they are dropped in the warm syrup, they collapse and lose the shape
You can keep the gulab jamuns in the sugar syrup for as long as you want. They will remain soft and supple
Both. Some people prefer it warm, whereas some like it cold. Sometimes it is also served with a scoop of ice cream on the side as a fancy dessert.
I think I have got you pretty much covered here. Making these khoya gulab jamuns might not prove to be as difficult as thought to be if you have the perfect recipe with you. I have also included a recipe video elaborating the steps for this khoya or mawa gulab jamun recipe below in the recipe card, scroll down to check it out.
Make-ahead or Freezing Option
You can easily make these gulab jamuns 2-3 ahead and refrigerate them since they have a very good shelf life. Keep them dunked in the sugar syrup or chashni so that next time when you warm them up for serving, they will soften up again.
How to reheat gulab jamun before serving? Can you microwave gulab jamun?
This is for those who prefer to have warm gulab jamuns. Simply microwave them for 30 seconds or so and they will warm up nicely. Be very careful while eating them as the centre might get too hot and may cause oral burns.
How do you reheat gulab jamun on the stove?
There are a couple of ways of heating the gulab jamuns without using the microwave oven. One is on the stovetop in an open saucepan. Drop the gulab jamuns along with the chashni or sugar syrup and add a little amount of water to dilute the syrup. Now, bring it to a gentle simmer for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and let it stay like that for a few minutes and then serve.
Another way is to drop the gulab jamuns along with sugar syrup in a pressure cooker. Add very little water to it and put the lid on. Just when it is about to whistle, turn off the heat. Release the pressure and remove the lid. The gulab jamuns will become hot and soft, ready to be served.
List of popular Bengali Sweets Recipes for you to try!
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Gulab Jamuns are perhaps, the most popular Indian sweets that are a big part of every festival, event, marriage and special occasion of any sort. These deep-fried round doughnuts are soaked in a flavoured sugar syrup known as chashni. There are several variations to the gulab jamun recipe, but the mawa ke gulab jamuns or the ones made using khoya or milk solids are the most popular ones. And that's the one that we will be making here.
- 200 gms Khoya or Mawa Milk Solids
- 4 tbsp All-pupose Flour
- 8 tbsp Milk Powder Full-fat variety
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ cup Milk
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- 2 Green Cardamom
- 5-6 Saffron strands
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 drops Rose Water Extract edible variety
-
At first we are going to knead the Khoya or Mawa and making it smooth. In order to make it soft, microwave ot on high power for 30 seconds so that it softens up a bit
-
Now, start kneading and mashing it using the heel of your palm. Continue doing till it loses its grainy texture and becomes absolutely smooth.
-
Once it has become smooth and comes together in a dough ball shape, add the flour, milk powder, baking soda, and ghee in it. Add the milk and start bringing everything together in a dough ball. It will be very sticky and extremely soft and that is what would make your gulab jamuns soft in the inside.
-
Leave the dough for 4-5 mins to rest with a damp cloth as a cover
-
Meanwhile prepare the chashni or sugar syrup for gulab jamun by adding the sugar and water in a saucepan and brining it to a boil. Add the crushed green cardamom pods, 2 drops of rose water and saffron threads in this
-
Add a couple of drops of lemon juice to the syrup so that it doesn’t crystalize. Once you get the single string consistency of the syrup, turn off the heat
-
Coming back to the gulab jamun dough, now let's divide it into equal portions and roll them into balls. For this rub some ghee on your palms and take each portion of the sticky dough and roll it.
Don't apply too much pressure, just enough to bring it together and smoothen the surface. There should be no visible crack on the surface of the gulab jamuns or they will burst open during frying
-
Roll all the dough balls and keep them covered by the damp cloth till they are ready for frying
-
For frying, heat some oil on low heat and drop a few of these dough balls in it. You will see that they will sink first and then rise up to float in the oil. Using the ladle, keep them moving in the oil so that there is even browning of the gulab jamuns.
This is a slow process and we do not want to hurry up the frying or they will remian uncooked at the centre
-
In 10-12 minutes, you will see that they have acquired a uniform colour and are ready to be taken out of the oil. Then quickly drop them in the warm chashni or sugar syrup that we prepared earlier.
-
Repeat till all the gulab jamuns are fried and dropped in the syrup. Let them soak for atleast an hour before serving
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