Angoori Gulab Jamun is a traditional Indian dessert loved and enjoyed by every age group. Small spongy pearl shaped anguri/angoori gulab jamun are prepared with mawa/khoya and soaked in sugar syrup. They get their name Angoori, because of their size. Since they are petite and small just like “Angoor” (grapes) they are called Angoori Gulab Jamuns. Compared to regular gulab jamuns, they are way smaller in size.
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RECIPE DETAIL – I have used homemade mawa#3 to make angoori Gulab jamuns. If using mawa prepared with ricotta cheese , make sure it’s fully dried and all crumbly before adding maida. If mawa prepared with ricotta cheese feels way to moist, I would suggest slowly add an extra teaspoon of flour and keep testing the dough until it becomes comfortable to work with . DO NOT ADD TO MUCH FLOUR to the recipe. This will throw the whole recipe off-balance.
Milk is optional – it is only needed to give the dough a smooth finish. If the dough is smooth and binds well, then skip the milk. Add milk slowly, depending on the mawa quality, you may end up needing just a teaspoon or two of milk to bind the dough.
Secret to perfect round shaped gulab jamuns is how well they are kneaded. There should be no cracks or wrinkles in the shaped gulab jamuns. I prefer to roll them into long sticks, evenly divide them into equal sizes and shape them.
ADVICE – If the kneaded dough balls had cracks or wrinkles,they will start to disintegrate in oil. To avoid that – add an extra drop or two of milk to the dough and re-shape the balls without cracks and wrinkles. Keep them covered with a wet cloth to prevent drying.
This recipe can also be used for preparing traditional size gulab jamuns. Even though they look small they will swell up once they hit the warm oil/ghee. Compare the actual size and the fried size below. Pretty impressive..right !! PREP TIME includes the time required to shape these gulab jamun.
GULAB JAMUNS DID NOT RISE DURING FRYING – The dough was too hard. Over mixing of the dough results in hard gulab jamuns and they will not puff during frying, nor will the sugar syrup seep inside the jamuns. Make sure the dough is mixed just enough to make it smooth and is soft to touch.
Though small they are very flavorful! Make sure you brown them enough in the warm oil, this way they maintain their round shape when added to hot sugar syrup.
ADVICE – If the oil is too hot, gulab jamuns will start to disintegrate. Maintain the temperature, fry on medium low heat to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break and get evenly cook. If cooked on a high heat – the outer layer will brown quickly leaving the inside uncooked and dense.
I prefer my small cuties (angoori gulab jamun) to sit for a while before dropping them in hot sugar syrup. This way they will be cooled inside out before they take a bath in that hot sauna – sugar syrup and the gulab jamuns will not break apart.
Also, it is important to prepare sugar syrup in a large bowl or kadhai so that there is enough room for all the cuties to soak. Allow them to soak for 30-40 minutes or longer. Once the soaking is in process please refrain from tossing and turning these gulab jamun as doing so may cause them to disintegrate.
Well all this writing and photography is making me really drool over these gulab jamuns. Time for me to pen down and enjoy these ANGOORI GULAB JAMUN – One can never be enough 🙂 .
Angoori Gulab Jamun
INGREDIENTS
GULAB JAMUNS INGREDIENTS
- 2.5 cup Crumbled Khoya/Mawa Mawa #3
- 2 - 3 tablespoon Fresh Paneer
- 2 - 3 tablespoon Maida (read notes above in post)
- 1/8 teaspoon Baking soda
- 2-3 tablespoon Milk (read notes above in post)
- 1/2 teaspoon Saffron strands
- Oil or Ghee for Frying
SUGAR SYRUP INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder or 4-5 Cardamom pods
- 1/2 teaspoon Saffron strands
- 1/2 - 1 tablespoon Rose water (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR GULAB JAMUNS
- Assemble all the ingredients.
- Wash freshly made paneer and squeeze out all the water.
- In a bowl add crumbled mawa, paneer, maida, saffron strands and milk. Start working on this mixture to form a soft pliable dough. ( I have used 3 tablespoon paneer and appx. 2.5 tablespoon maida).
- Keep kneading the dough till it is smooth. If need be use extra milk drop by drop to bring it to a smooth form. Do not add a whole lot of milk at once and make the dough runny. * (read notes in main post)
- This is how the dough will look like.
- Take a small quantity of dough in your hand.
- Roll it in between your two palms and make it even more smoother.
- During the shaping process if your dough starts to crumble..
- Then touch the end part with milk and start shaping into small marble size balls.
- Perfect marble size shaped Gulab Jamun all ready. * (read notes in main post)
- Shaped Gulab Jamun ready for frying.
- On a low flame heat oil/ghee in a pan. Be careful the oil/ghee should not be too hot. Gulab jamun when dropped in oil/ghee should float back on top and sizzle slowly.
- The little ones sitting comfortably in hot oil 🙂
- Once they are golden brown in color take them out of the oil.. * (read notes in main post)
- And set them on a paper towel to drain excess oil/ghee.
- A closer look at fried angoori gulab jamuns.
PREPARE SUGAR SYRUP
- Let's begin with preparing sugar syrup. Combine all the ingredients in a pan and on a medium flame bring it too a boil. Scum will start forming on top of the boiling liquid.
- Using a spoon, collect and discard it. I had to remove it twice during the whole boiling process. Keep boiling till the liquid is reduced and it thickens.
- To check if sugar syrup is ready - carefully take some hot liquid on your finger - it will coat your finger, if it falls of your finger then it needs some more time to boil. For me the whole process took - 20 minutes on MEDIUM flame.
- IF YOU PREFER - Drain the hot syrup. If not then just drop in the angoori gulab jamun and allow them to soak.
- If you drained the sugar syrup then - Clean hot sugar syrup /chashni will look like this.
- Drop the fried Angoori gulab Jamun in hot syrup.
- Let them soak for 30-40 minutes. * (read notes in main post)
- Garnish with saffron strands and crushed pistachios and serve hot!!
