Homemade gulab jamun recipe: A sweet Indian memory

With her nimble fingers, cook Sarit Eliyahu pinches small balls of the gulab jamun dough and puts them in the hot oil. As a daughter of parents who immigrated from India, says Sarit, the gulab jamun is used then and now, to be served on Hanukkah as small donuts.

When the balls of dough start to turn golden, she gently and carefully shakes the pot of oil. They flip over, and their other side also gets a golden mantle. I prefer not to use kitchen utensils so as not to injure them, Sarit explains. Only when they are ready does she take them out with a slotted spoon and after the hot balls are piled up in the shiny metal plate, she pours over them a sweet sugar syrup that gives off the aroma of crushed cardamom pods.

"Some people like to flood the gulab jamun with syrup, I like to sprinkle a little of it so that the balls get a subtle sweetness. If they are soaked in too much syrup they come out soft and too sweet", she smiles and scatters pieces of pistachios just before she serves the sweet Indian delicacy to the table.

Ingredients for 15 units

For the milk powder balls:

2 cups milk powder (available at spice shops, baking shops or Indian shops)

1/2 cup cornflour

1/2 cups of water

2 tablespoons of sugar

For the sugar syrup:

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

For decoration: pistachio pieces

Method of preparation:

1. Prepare the powdered milk balls: Mix together the ingredients of the powdered milk balls until they form a dough. The dough can and should be prepared the night before and let it rest in the refrigerator.

2. Prepare the sugar syrup: Boil the water and sugar together, when the mixture boils add the cardamom. Cook for about fifteen minutes until you get a thick syrup.

3. Take the dough out of the fridge and cut out circles.

4. Deep fry the dough circles in canola oil until they turn golden (3-5 minutes).

5. Immediately after removing them from the oil, dip the balls in the sugar and cardamom syrup.

6. To serve: Place the milk powder balls on the plate, drizzle the sugar syrup with the cardamom on top and sprinkle pistachio chips on top.

The dough balls before frying

Gulab jamun balls turn golden in the oil

Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon

Remove to absorbent paper

Sprinkle pistachios when serving

In collaboration with Olive Tree Oil