GULAB JAMUN - from scratch

Most of the gulab jamun recipes call for milk powder. Milk powder is not a staple in my pantry. So, I devised my recipe for gulab jamun using all-purpose flour and milk. It was equally tasty. You could not tell the difference.
INGREDIENTS

For the Jamuns: The Jamuns can also be baked. Makes 25-28 jamuns.

1. 1 cup all-purpose flour
2. 1/4 tsp salt
3. 2 Tbsp. oil
4. 1 Tbsp. sugar
5. 1 tsp baking powder
6. 1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp. milk

For the sugar syrup:

1. 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
2. 2-1/2 cups water
3. 1/8 tsp salt

METHOD

MAKING THE DOUGH

• Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk it. Don't add the oil to that in this step. Put the oil only after whisking in the dry ingredients. Only then should the oil be added. If possible, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
  
  
  
  

• Put oil in the flour and rub into the flour until the consistency of bread crumbs.
  

         

• Make a well in the center, pour the milk, and gradually mix the wet and the dry ingredients until it forms a dough(the dough will be slightly loose but will become manageable after 30 minutes). The whole amount of milk need not be added.
• Coat it with a bit of oil and cover with a cling film. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
  
  

• After 30 minutes, the baking powder will have done its job, and the dough will rise slightly. If it has not risen, keep it for another 30 minutes. The dough won't grow as a yeasted dough. It will be softer than the original dough. The leavening also depends on how fresh the baking powder is.
  

MAKING THE SUGAR SYRUP

• Meanwhile, put the sugar, salt, and 2-1/2 cups water in a shallow pan and boil until the sugar dissolves. 
  

          

MAKING THE BALLS

• Oil your hands and roll out balls from the dough.
  

FRYING THE BALLS

• Heat a wok cheena chatti(wok) on the stove. When warm, pour oil sufficient enough to fry the balls. Beside the wok, put the sugar syrup. The sugar syrup should be hot when you put the balls in.
  

         

• Heat the oil. Put a tiny piece of the ball in the oil to see if the oil is hot enough. The oil is hot enough if the small ball sinks to the bottom and comes to the top quickly.
• Now put the balls into the wok. The jamun balls flatten a little bit as they sit. So, I give each ball a quick roll before putting them in.
  

• Fry for about a minute without disturbing the balls. After a  minute, the balls will slightly float upward. Now toss the balls to and fro (gently) with the help of a spatula for  2 minutes. Do this on high heat, controlling the temperature between high and medium.
• By about 3 minutes, the balls will be golden yellow in color. Take it out of the oil and drain it in a napkin paper.
  
  
  
  

• After keeping the balls on the napkin paper for a minute, put them into the sugar syrup.
  

• Using the ladle, pour the syrup over the jamuns. This helps the jamun to sop up the syrup completely.
• As the jamuns sop up the syrup, the outer layer becomes wrinkled, and the jamuns become out of shape. After about 2 hours, the jamuns will become perfectly round again. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Serve warm or cold.
  

Baking the Jamuns

• Instead of frying, bake the rolled-out jamuns in a well-oiled tray in a pre-heated 400-degree F oven for 12 minutes. The jamuns won't be evenly browned, but the taste is the same.
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  The baked jamuns in syrup with the bottom side up

NOTES

• The jamuns are not firm, and that's how my mother makes them, and I like it that way. They are very soft. So handle it delicately.
• If you want firmer gulab jamuns, use less milk and just knead the dough for more time.
• The above measurement of sugar syrup is just right for me(I don't have a sweet tooth). The actual consistency for sugar syrup is an equal amount of sugar to water. Increase the amount of sugar according to your sweetness(maybe up to 1-1/4 cups for the above).
• Add a dash of grated frozen lemon for a nice, subtle lemony flavor.
• The dough should rise nicely. Make sure that the baking powder is fresh. 
• If the syrup is thicker, it won't be entirely absorbed into the jamun, and the jamun's center will be hard. So, this consistency of the syrup works well for me.