30-Minute Gulab Jamun (Soft, Juicy, Foolproof!)

Pour oil into a medium to large frying pan so that it's about 1.5-2”/4-5 cm deep. It should be deep enough so that the dough balls don't stick to the bottom. Turn the heat on to low (~200-220°F/93–104°C.) while you proceed with the dough balls.

Place the milk powder, pancake mix, and cardamom powder in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.

Pour in the oil, using your hands to stir and rub the oil into the dry mixture as you go, until the mixture looks crumbly. (I find this works better when I use my hands but you can also use a spoon.)

Gradually mix in the egg, then heavy whipping cream and continue mixing with your hands or spoon for another 15-30 seconds, just until there aren’t any more lumps of dough. At this point it’ll be a non-cohesive, sticky mass. (Wipe your hands of excess mixture and add to the ball.) Cover and allow to rest while you prepare the sugar syrup (Mixture will rest around 10 min - more or less is fine).

Heat a wide saucepan, small wok, or small Dutch oven over medium-high heat (you need a pan deep enough so that it’ll submerge the jamuns but wide enough so they don’t lose shape). Add the water, sugar, cardamom, and saffron and bring to a boil while stirring occasionally, allowing the sugar to dissolve. This takes around 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer until it thickens. Meanwhile, form and fry your jamuns.

Lightly oil your palms. Working quickly to prevent the dough from drying out, scoop around 2 tsp (10–12g) of dough — keeping the remaining mixture covered — and roll it into a smooth, round ball, ensuring there are no cracks or dents. Use firm pressure to eliminate air pockets and create a polished surface. (I like to transfer between my palms to eliminate air pockets, then begin rolling.) Place on a plate (See Note 1) and repeat with the remaining dough. (Makes 14–16 small jamun balls). (See Note 2 for if the mixture is too sticky to work with or dried up too much.)

Increase oil heat to low-medium (~270-300°F/132-138°C) and adjust heat level as needed to maintain this heat. Carefully add the dough balls to the hot oil (don’t worry about reshaping if flattened a bit - it’s more about adding quickly at this stage). Fry, stirring and turning constantly, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to remove the balls and place onto a paper-towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.

At this stage, the sugar syrup will have thickened slightly, but it’ll still be runny - keep in mind it will thicken even more once cooled. Turn off the heat. Transfer Jamuns to the hot syrup and gently toss to coat in the syrup.(If adding rose water, add now.) Let them sit in the syrup, covered with the lid ajar, for 30 minutes to absorb the syrup. (Note 3) Turn the jamun over 2-3 times while resting to evenly distribute syrup and prevent them from “sitting” and flattening out the bottom. Serve warm immediately. If serving later, reheat before serving for the softest texture.