Stop using maida right now. You can make super soft and juicy gulab jamuns using just regular wheat flour and milk powder at home. This recipe gives you the best healthy sweet option for all your festivals and family functions.
Wheat flour gulab jamun: Who does not love Gulab Jamun? But many people avoid eating it because maida is not good for health. You do not need to worry anymore. You can make juicy and soft jamuns using regular wheat flour from your kitchen.
Ingredients you need
Wheat flour: 1/2 cup (half cup)
Milk powder: 1/2 cup
Ghee: 2 spoons
Milk: 1/4 cup (as needed to mix)
Baking soda: 1 pinch
Cardamom powder: 1/2 spoon
Salt: 1 pinch
Oil or ghee: as needed for frying
For the sugar syrup
Sugar: 1 cup
Water: 3/4 cup (three-fourth cup)
Cardamom powder: a little
Simple preparation method
1. Prepare the dough
You take a bowl first. You add wheat flour, milk powder, a pinch of baking soda, a pinch of salt, and cardamom powder into it. You sieve everything well. Sieving makes the flour light.
You add 2 spoons of ghee now. You rub the mixture well with your hands so the ghee coats every flour particle.
You add milk little by little next. You mix it softer than chapati dough. You must not over-knead the dough.
You cover the mixed dough and rest it for 15 minutes.
2. Make the sugar syrup
You take a vessel and add 1 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of water. You let it boil. The sugar must melt completely. You stop when the syrup feels a little sticky to your touch. You add cardamom powder at the end. You turn off the gas and keep the syrup warm.
3. Fry the jamuns
You take the rested dough and make small round balls. The balls must not have any cracks on top.
You heat oil or ghee in a pan normally. You keep the flame low.
You drop the balls slowly into the oil. You fry them until they get an even golden brown colour everywhere.
4. Soak in syrup
You drop the hot fried jamuns directly into the warm sugar syrup.
You boil the jamuns in the syrup on a low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. You turn off the gas then. You cover the vessel for 15 to 20 minutes.
Your wheat flour jamuns absorb the syrup and double in size now. They become so soft that they just melt in your mouth!
Important points to remember
Do not add extra baking soda
You must use only 1 pinch of baking soda. The jamuns will break and scatter in the oil if you add more soda. The jamuns will become hard inside if you add less soda.
Do not knead like chapati dough
Wheat flour has gluten in it. The jamuns will become rubbery and hard if you press and knead too much. You just mix the dough gently and softly using your fingertips.
Use fine wheat flour
The flour must not have any coarse bran particles. You sieve the wheat flour and milk powder twice through a fine sieve. This stops cracks from forming when you roll the balls.
Wheat flour turns dark quickly (keep flame low)
Wheat flour changes colour in oil much faster than maida. You must lower the flame completely once the oil heats up. You fry them slowly. The outside will turn black and the inside will stay raw if you fry on high heat.
The secret trick of boiling in syrup for 3 minutes
Wheat flour absorbs syrup very slowly compared to maida or khova. You must boil the fried jamuns in the syrup on a low flame for 2 to 3 minutes. This makes the syrup reach the very centre of the jamun perfectly.
How to stop sugar syrup from crystallizing
You squeeze 3 to 4 drops of lemon juice into the syrup after turning off the gas. This stops the sugar from crystallizing even after the syrup cools down.