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Gulab jamun (Fiji style)

Gulab jamun is a milk-based Indian sweet. Gulab, in Hindi means rose and jamun is a type of fruit that varies in shape from oval or egg-shaped to round. The gulab, I believe, is in reference to rosewater flavouring and the jamun to the shape. There are as many variations of this dessert as there are jamuns. If you order gulab jamun in an Indian restaurant, you are most likely to get soft round balls floating in syrup. The recipe I give here is for the type of gulab jamun commonly made in Fiji. It doesn't use rosewater to flavour the syrup, is oval in shape and made from condensed milk instead of milk powder or milk solids. It has a more dense texture and just steeped in syrup, not served floating in syrup.I've come up with the following recipe after much trial and error. I found that for me, a combination of plain and self raising flours worked best - just plain flour made them too dense; all self raising made them too soft. It's also important to make a light syrup - too thick and it won't soak into the jamuns leaving a dry centre and/or crystalisation of the sugar. The hot gulab jamuns also absorb the syrup better if the syrup has cooled down to room temperature.

Ingredients

- 1 tin sweetened condensed milk (395g)
- 1 cup self raising flour
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 tbsp ghee plus extra for deep frying
- A pinch of bicarbonate soda
- 1/2 small nutmeg, grated
- 1 tsp ground cardamon
- 2 cups raw sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water

Method

1. Make a light syrup by bringing the sugar and water to the boil. Simmer over a moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved. Skim off any scum and remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Whisk the condensed milk with the ghee, nutmeg and ground cardamon.
3. Sift the flours and bicarbonate soda into the condensed milk. Mix until combined and knead gently to get a soft, slightly tacky dough. If the dough is sticky, grease your fingers with a little bit of ghee and pat the dough to lightly coat it with ghee.
4. Pinch small pieces (about a teaspoon) of the dough and roll it gently between your palms to get smooth, thin oval shapes - about 3-4 cm in length and with tapered ends.
5. Have ready a large strainer over a heat proof container to drain the jamuns once they are cooked. Heat the ghee in a small wok or fry pan over a moderately low heat. Put a tiny piece of the dough in the hot ghee - if it sizzles and floats to the top, the ghee is hot enough. If it browns immediately, it's too hot.
6. Fry the jamuns in batches until a deep golden brown and cooked through. The jamuns will expand as they cook. Keep them moving in the ghee to ensure they brown and cook evenly. Don't let the temperature get too high as the jamuns will brown before they are cooked all the way through.
7. When cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and drain for a few minutes in the strainer.
8. Transfer the drained jamuns to the syrup. Allow the syrup to soak into the jamuns and then remove from the syrup and put on a large platter. Allow the syrup to dry slightly before storing in an airtight container. They will keep for 2-3 weeks and can also be frozen.

A recipe for gulab jamun in syrup is available in the Australian Gourmet Traveller.

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