Rose and pistachio gulab jamun

Rose and pistachio gulab jamun

Gulab jamun are essentially deep-fried dough balls which are soaked in a sweet syrup – so the sweet-toothed among you are going to love them!

Rose and pistachio gulab jamun

Georgina Hayden, who created this recipe, says: ”sweet, sticky, rosewater-scented gulab jamun are one of my favourites: they’re brilliant small bites to nibble on at a party. You can always make them into more of a pudding by serving them with a dollop of crème fraîche or ice cream”.

Discover more pistachio recipes.

  • Serves icon Makes 20 balls
  • Time icon Hands-on time 45 min

Gulab jamun are essentially deep-fried dough balls which are soaked in a sweet syrup – so the sweet-toothed among you are going to love them!

Georgina Hayden, who created this recipe, says: ”sweet, sticky, rosewater-scented gulab jamun are one of my favourites: they’re brilliant small bites to nibble on at a party. You can always make them into more of a pudding by serving them with a dollop of crème fraîche or ice cream”.

Discover more pistachio recipes.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
137kcals
Fat
5.2g (1.4g saturated)
Protein
5.6g
Carbohydrates
16.9g (14.2g sugars)
Fibre
0.1g
Salt
0.3g

Ingredients

  • 14 green cardamom pods
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp rosewater (see tip)
  • ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • 250g milk powder (we used Marvel skimmed milk powder, available from larger supermarkets)
  • 70g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp ghee, melted
  • 150-175ml whole milk
  • 1 litre vegetable oil for deep frying
  • 50g shelled unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
  • Small handful edible rose petals
  • Edible gold leaf (optional; from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose)

Good to have…

  • Digital probe thermometer
Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

  1. To make the syrup, crush 6 cardamom pods lightly and put in a large saucepan with the sugar and 400ml water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the rosewater and lemon juice, then set aside.
  2. For the dough balls, remove the husks from the remaining 8 cardamom pods and grind the seeds to a powder in a mortar and pestle. Put in a bowl with the milk powder, flour, a good pinch of salt and the baking powder. Make a well in the centre and pour in the ghee. Mix in, then slowly add enough milk to form a smooth dough. Roll the dough into 20 equal-size balls, making sure they are smooth.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat until it reaches 120°C on a digital probe thermometer (or a cube of bread rises to the surface of the oil). Gently add the dough balls to the oil in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry for 6-8 minutes until browned all over, then remove with a slotted spoon and dunk straight into the warm syrup. Check one of the balls – it should be dark brown and cooked all the way through. Keep going until all the balls are fried. Leave them in the syrup for at least half an hour or until you need them (see Make Ahead), then serve on a platter or cake stand with a little syrup, scattered with rose petals, chopped pistachios and gold leaf, if using.

Nutrition

Calories
137kcals
Fat
5.2g (1.4g saturated)
Protein
5.6g
Carbohydrates
16.9g (14.2g sugars)
Fibre
0.1g
Salt
0.3g

delicious. tips

  1. Instead of rosewater, use orange blossom water or the seeds from ½ vanilla pod.

  2. Keep the sweets in their syrup, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature to serve.

  3. Gulab jamun are sticky, deep-fried dough balls flavoured with floral syrup.

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By

Georgina Hayden

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