For many children growing up in Mauritius, Gulab Jamun is where their love of Indian sweets begins. Read on to learn about this iconic bullet-shaped dessert. And find out how you can easily make your own.
INGREDIENTS
12
RECIPE STEPS
8
TOTAL TIME
25 m
Why You Need This Recipe
- You will have a traditional Mauritian dessert in less than half an hour following this recipe.
- This is a very quick addition to your selection of sweets for Divali
- Since these taste even better the next day, you can make these the day before to save time
About Gulab Jamun
In Mauritius, Gulab Jamun is a crowd favourite sweet that is served during festive celebrations such as Divali. Unlike the well-known Indian recipe where each piece is round, the Mauritian version is shaped into the iconic “bullets.”
What You Will Need
Frying Strainer
A frying strainer like the one illustrated above will make your life a lot easier if you’re attempting to make Gulab Jamun. Indeed, the strainer will allow you to safely remove the cooked bullets from the hot oil. Moreover, this piece of equipment will help separate the oil from your bullets!
Star Ingredient
Cardamon (Elayti)
Cardamon (also known as elayti or cardamom) is a very popular spice in Indian and Mauritian cuisine. In general, cardamon has a strong, unique taste with an intensely aromatic fragrance.
READ MORE: Why Cardamon is such a ubiquitous spice in Indian desserts →
Other Ingredients
- Water
- Sugar
- Fennel Seeds
- Cinnamon Stick
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Plain Flour (also known as All-Purpose Flour)
- Milk Powder, full cream
- Baking Powder
- Ghee, softened
- Rice Bran Oil, or other neutral flavoured oil
Scroll to the bottom to find the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe.
Prepping Tips
When deep frying, I usually wait until I see little bubbles in the oil forming around the sides of the pot. To test whether the oil is ready, you can pull off a tiny piece of dough and drop it into the oil. It should start to bubble and fry immediately.
Complete Recipe Steps
Here’s a summary of the steps you need to follow to make Gulab Jamun.
1
To make the syrup, add water, sugar and spices (fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamon pods) to a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. After about 10 minutes, turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
2
To make the dough, mix the condensed milk, flour, milk powder, baking powder and ghee in a large bowl.
Scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card
3
To form the Gulab Jamun, pull off tablespoon-sized amounts of dough and use your palms to roll into small bullets (about 5 cm long by 2 cm wide). The bullets will expand slightly during frying.
4
5
6
7
8
How to Serve Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun is a very versatile sweet treat and can be served hot or cold. For a dinner party, you can serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or Kulfi Malai (click here for our easy recipe) garnished with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. Undoubtedly, the warmth of the Gulab Jamun together with the cold of the ice cream provides a beautiful contrast that melts in your mouth.
Recipe FAQs
Why are your Gulab Jamun shaped like logs?
You may be used to seeing the Indian Gulab Jamun which are usually in a ball-shape. However, in Mauritius, this dessert is traditionally made into a bullet shape. And this is the type that I grew up eating (and loving!).
My Gulab Jamun is not cooked inside. What did I do wrong?
If the rice bran oil is too hot, the Gulab Jamun will brown very quickly and cook much faster on the outside than the inside. This shouldn’t happen if you fry them on a low heat.
How long can Gulab Jamun last in the fridge?
You can keep them the fridge for up to 20 days. Simply microwave for 10-15 seconds before serving to warm them up. If you want to preserve the Gulab Jamun for later, they can be stored for 3-5 months in the freezer.
Printable Recipe Card
Gulab Jamun
Equipment
- Deep pan for frying
- Strainer to remove Gulab Jamun from oil
- Sieve
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
Syrup
- 2 cups water
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tsp fennel seeds (also known as soonf)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 4-5 pods cardamon
Dough
- 395 g condensed milk sweetened
- 1 cup plain flour
- 3 tbsp milk powder full cream
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ghee softened (also known as mantègue)
Deep frying
- 2 cups rice brand oil or other neutral flavoured oil e.g. vegetable oil
- 2 tsp ghee
Complete Recipe Steps
- To make the syrup, add water, sugar and spices (fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamon pods) to a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. After about 10 minutes, turn off the heat and set aside to cool.2 cups water, ⅓ cup sugar, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 stick cinnamon, 4-5 pods cardamon
- To make the dough, mix the condensed milk, flour, milk powder, baking powder and ghee in a large bowl.395 g condensed milk, 1 cup plain flour, 3 tbsp milk powder, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp ghee
- To form the Gulab Jamun, pull off tablespoon-sized amounts of dough and use your palms to roll into small bullets (about 5 cm long by 2 cm wide). The bullets will expand slightly during frying.
- Heat the frying oil with ghee in a deep pot over low heat.2 cups rice brand oil, 2 tsp ghee
- While the oil is heating up, strain the syrup into a bowl to remove the spices.
- Once the oil is ready, fry the Gulab Jamun, turning to make sure they are evenly browned on all sides.
- Remove the Gulab Jamun from the oil, then immediately soak them in the syrup for 5 seconds and place on a plate.
- Allow Gulab Jamun to cool before serving.
Notes
- Gulab Jamun tastes even better the next day so you can prepare this delectable dessert well in advance of a party.
- When deep frying, I usually wait until I see little bubbles forming around the sides of the pot. To test the oil, you can pull off a tiny piece of dough and drop it into the oil. It should start to fry immediately.
- After frying, the Gulab Jamun should be a light brown colour. After soaking in the syrup, they will become a darker brown.
