The Indian subcontinent is filled with sweets and savories that often make many of us drool with happiness, and nothing can compete with Gulab Jamun here! These spheres of wholesome goodness are often served at parties, are all-time favorites at any function, and have many combinations that would take many an hour to explore and enjoy. Today we look at a really simple recipe that can be considered healthy and delicious at the same time: Whole Wheat Gulab Jamun
In a classical twist, I have replaced the plain flour with whole wheat flour, oil with ghee and have reduced the health concern. Still be warned that it’s easy to indulge in these and hence, do control your intake to one or two a day 🙂
Dish: Whole wheat Gulab Jamun
Served as: Dessert
Vegetarian/Nonvegetarian: Vegetarian
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Ingredients Required for the whole wheat Gulab Jamun:
- Wheat Flour: 2 Cups
- Ghee/Clarified Butter: 3 cups (Half cup for the dough and 2.5 to deep fry the dumplings)
- Thick Curd: 3 tablespoon
- Mawa/Khoya: 1/2 cup (Powdered)
- Sugar: 2 cups
- Saffron Strands: 5-7 strings
- Cardommon: Seeds from 2 Pods
- Rosewater: 2 teaspoon
- Water: 1.5 cup
- Lime juice: 2 teaspoon
- Salt: To taste
Method:
Dumplings:
- In a bowl mix together the wheat four, salt, and khoya. Mix with hands if required to ensure no lumps
- Add in half cup ghee/clarified butter and mix well until you get a rough bind
- To the mix, add curd and mix well. Now add water in batches and mix well to get a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into 12-15 small equal parts and roll it into dumplings with no cracks on the surface
- Cover with damp clothe and let it rest for 20 minutes
- In a deep dish fry pan, heat the oil on a low flame. Initially, add a small piece of the dough in and wait for it to float up. The temperature at which the dough floats up is the ideal temperature.
- Add the dumplings in and wait for them to float up. Once they are up, continue frying until they become deep brown in color and the insides are cooked well
- Remove from the oil and set it up on tissues to drain any excess ghee. Do not cool it down completly
- Be careful here as overcooking would lead to burnt dumplings and undercooking would lead to soggy interiors
Sugar Syrup:
- In a pan, add the sugar and a cup of water. Stir well and bring it to boil on a medium flame.
- Add in strands of saffron and cardamom pods
- Increase the flame and continue cooking until the sugar syrup turns golden (Do not bring it to string consistency)
- Add in lime juice to arrest any further cooking
- Add a few drops of rose water for flavor
Assembling the Whole Wheat Gulab Jamun:
- Let the syrup cool down a bit (well above room temperature but not boiling)
- In a deep pan, line the warm dumplings
- Add the syrup into the dumplings
- Let the mix stay for 2 hours to ensure the thorough soak of syrup into the Jamun
- Serve when warm or refrigerate if you like it cold
Enjoy this dish with a portion of rabdi and a portion of bhujiya for the best experience 😀
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