Diwali is great for two reasons. It’s a celebration of good over evil, and it’s the one time of the year that dentists and doctors in the Indian community keep quiet while the rest of us wade thigh-deep into our sugar-spun fantasies, eating googras, cham chams, kaju katli, and kulfi. My pick of the bunch will always be these gulab jamuns. Pretty little milky doughnuts, they’re a burnished bronze on the outside, white and cakey inside, and soaked to the core with delicately flavored rose syrup. Hold me back. The pleasure of these is not only in the eating: you can make them well in advance and the gulabs will sit happily in the fridge for up to a week before your friends and family arrive.
NOTES: You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe. You’ll also need full-fat milk powder, which can be bought easily in an Asian supermarket or online.
Makes around 40 gulab jamuns (enough for 20 people)
2½ cups sugar
½ tablespoon cardamom seeds (from 20 pods)
2 teaspoons rose water (or to taste)
1¼ cups full-fat milk powder
¾ cup self-rising flour
1 tablespoon coarse semolina
1 teaspoon ghee or butter
¾ cup warm milk
1 quart sunflower oil, for frying
1 cup pistachios, chopped or ground
First make a simple sugar syrup. Put the sugar, 3 cups of water, the cardamom seeds, and rose water into a deep-sided pan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down and simmer for around 10 minutes, until it thickens into a light, cordial-style syrup, stirring every now and again. Take off the heat, leave to cool, then taste and add more rose water (sparingly) if needed.
To make the jamuns, mix together the milk powder, flour, semolina, and ghee in a bowl. Little by little, add the warm milk to the mixture to bind it together into a dough—you might not need all the milk, so add it slowly until you get a soft, pliable dough. Don’t overwork it, just knead it until it comes together.
Pour the oil into a deep-sided pan and heat it to around 275°F. Meanwhile, place a large plate or tray covered with paper towels on the side. Roll the dough into little balls the size of a marble (around ½ ounce each) and lay them out on another tray. These will inflate in the hot oil, so don’t panic if you think they’re a little small. When rolling, you might need a dab of warm ghee or oil to get a good ball. Try not to press too hard, and do your best to smooth out any cracks so the balls don’t split in the hot oil. But equally, be gentle on yourself if this is your first time.
Fry 4 to 6 jamuns at a time for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown, or the color of almond skin. Remove to the plate covered with paper towels and drain. It’s worth testing the first batch. They’ll be firm on the outside and cakey inside but not gooey. (If they’re gooey, increase the cooking time.) Fry the rest. After they have cooled a little, put them into the syrup and leave to soak for a day or at least a few hours. To serve them warm, place the gulab jamuns and their syrup in a saucepan over gentle heat. Serve drained of all but a couple of tablespoons of the syrup. Sprinkle over the pistachios. If not serving straight away, refrigerate.
