Kala Jamun Recipe

Kala Gulab Jamun in a plate garnished with edible silver foil

5 from 4 votes

Calling all sweet lovers, here’s the recipe for a divine delicacy: so rich and irresistible that it’s bound to become your new obsession! These aren’t just any ordinary desserts; this is Kala Jamun recipe, the darker, more decadent cousin of the classic Gulab Jamuns.

Prep: 30

Cook: 30

Rest Time20

Total: 1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Eggless, Vegetarian

Servings: JAMUNS

Calories: 276kcal

Author: Ruchi

Ingredients

FOR JAMUNS

1 cup Mawa
½ cup Paneer crumbled
3½ tablespoons All purpose flour maida
¼ teaspoon Baking powder

PREPARING CHASNI (SUGAR SYRUP)

4 cups Sugar
3 cups Water
4-5 teaspoons Green Cardamom
¾ teaspoon Saffron strands
2 teaspoons Rose water
½ teaspoon Lemon Juice

Instructions

PREPARING JAMUNS

Add whole milk to a heavy-bottomed pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Keep stirring the milk at regular intervals.
Once it comes to a full boil, turn off the heat and add vinegar to the milk. Keep stirring the milk as it curdles.
Line a strainer with cheesecloth or muslin cloth and pour the curdled milk through it. Chenna/paneer will stay in the cheesecloth, and the buttermilk will drain through.
Rinse the chenna/paneer with tap water to eliminate the vinegar's taste and smell.
Bring the ends of the cheesecloth together and press the paneer to squeeze the water out of it.
Tip — Fresh is the best. Freshly prepared homemade paneer and khoya (mawa) yield the perfect jamuns, so avoid store-bought if you can.
Your homemade moist and crumbly paneer is ready. Cover and set aside.
Use homemade mawa for this recipe. Follow the link above or the Gulkand Burfi sandwich recipe to make homemade mawa.
Add mawa and paneer to a large plate.
Mix it well. Use your fingers and palm heels to knead the mawa and chenna mixture until it is smooth, non-sticky, and homogeneous.
Tip — This step is non-negotiable and has no shortcuts, so resist the urge to rush through it. I have tried kneading the jamun dough in a food processor, but the result was unsatisfactory.
Add baking powder and maida to the Jamun mix.
Knead again until the jamun dough feels creamy and rolls smoothly in between your palms. Cover the dough and let it rest.
Tip — Resting the dough is essential. The kneaded dough should be rested for a while to let the flavors mingle.
Divide the dough into equal parts. I made Jamun balls weighing 18 grams each.
Grease your hands with ghee and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Ensure each dough ball is entirely smooth and free from cracks.
Repeat this process with the remaining dough until the mixture is used up completely. Cover the Jamun balls and set them aside.

PREPARE CHASHNI

Combine sugar, water, cardamom pods, and saffron strands in a wide pan. Bring to a boil, then add lemon juice to prevent crystallization.
Once the sugar has dissolved, lower the heat to the lowest setting and allow the sugar syrup to simmer for 4-5 minutes. You may also observe some impurities floating on the syrup as it is boiling. Keep removing them with a slotted spoon.
Add rosewater and stir the syrup. Cover and set it aside.
Tip — Gulab jal/ rose water adds a fascinating flavor and aroma to the recipe, making it irresistible; therefore, do not cut back on it.

FRY THE JAMUNS

Oil temperature is a critical factor when frying gulab jamuns. Drop a small dough ball in the hot oil to test the temperature.
The dough ball will first sink to the bottom and then come floating up in a few seconds. This is the right temperature.
But if the ball floats right up and sizzles, you need to dial down your heat, as the oil is too hot. But if it sits at the bottom for too long before coming to the top, it means your oil is not hot enough.
Move the jamuns constantly when frying. Turn around the jamuns with the help of a spoon periodically when frying to prevent them from settling down and getting burnt.
For best results, maintain the temperature at medium-hot always.
Once they are evenly brown, remove them from the oil and place them onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess fat. Repeat the frying process for the remaining Kala Jamuns.

SOAK THE JAMUNS

Transfer the fried Kala jamuns to the still-warm ( and not too hot) sugar syrup.
If the sugar syrup has turned cold, warm it a little before adding the Gulab Jamuns to ensure better absorption.
Cover the pan and allow the Kala jamuns to sit in the syrup completely covered for 5-6 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally to coat each one of them with syrup.
Kala Jamun after 8 hours.
Kala Jamuns are ready to be devoured.

TO STUFF THE KALA JAMUNS

If you want to stuff kala jamun, measure and assemble the ingredients. You will need 2 tablespoons of Mawa, ½ teaspoons of Powdered sugar, saffron strands, and powdered pistachios.
Combine everything in a bowl and mix.
Tip — A little mawa placed inside the gulab jamuns creates a luscious and indulgent interior that beautifully contrasts with the syrup-soaked soft exterior, enhancing the dessert’s overall delectability. Likewise, saffron lends a lovely flavor to the Kala gulab jamuns.
If needed, add a few drops of milk to bind the dough
Take a small penny-sized dough in your hand and flatten it like a disk.
Take a small pea-sized stuffing ball and place it in the center.
Start rolling the dough.
Seal all the edges and make it look like a smooth ball. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough and shape jamuns. The rest of the recipe ( frying and syrup soaking) remains the same.
Serve them warm and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my gulab jamuns crack during frying?

The sole reason your jamuns crack during frying is that your dough is dry and lacks moisture. If this happens, do not proceed with the recipe.

We need to rectify this by crumbling the whole batch of the dough and adding 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Knead the dough again to incorporate the milk and make it smooth.

Now, shape the balls again while ensuring that there are no cracks.

Why did my gulab jamuns Shrink after frying?

You might have added your jamuns to the hot sugar syrup, which lead to their shrinkage. If you dunk your jamuns into the hot syrup, they may also develop dimples or become hard and rubbery textured.

So, before adding the jamuns to the sugar syrup, quickly do a temperature test by inserting your finger in the syrup. If you can hold your finger in warm syrup for 10 seconds, the temperature is ideal for your jamuns.

But please be careful while conducting this test, as you might burn your finger if the syrup is hot!

Act wisely.

Is there any other way to serve this delicious dessert?

You can serve this dessert dry if you do not like it with the syrup. Once the jamuns have soaked in the sugar syrup and are juicy, remove them from the syrup and roll them into the desiccated coconut.

Garnish them with slivered pistachios and serve. Trust me; you will love this dessert even more, with the nice earthy flavor of coconut lingering in every bite!

Another way to serve this mouth-watering dessert is with rabdi or a cool, delicious scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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