FRESH MAVA / KHOYA GULAB JAMUN

Fresh Mava / Khoya Gulab jamuns

Today let's talk about my favorite topic - desserts !! I adore sweets, I would say desserts make my meals "complete" :) The recipe I am making today is from the Indian cuisine - these are deep fried mava (khoya) balls immersed in sweet rose syrup. You can get ready to make packets in Indian grocery stores or buy them pre-made in cans. But when I was a kid, my mom used to make it from scratch and I bet nothing can beat that taste !!  When I tasted one of this gulab jamun, it took me back instantly to my childhood days - to that old house and that fragrant kitchen ! In India, fresh mava is readily available and that's how they come out perfect. After a lot of searching, I found frozen mava here. I know that cannot be compared to the fresh taste but it is a thousand times better than the ready to make packets or the ready cans of gulab jamun. And if you happen to find fresh mava then I recommend to use that.

For those who are new to this cuisine, let me tell you that mava / khoya is the base of numerous recipes in India. Mava / Khoya is basically whole milk boiled down till the solids remain. It is somewhat like ricotta cheese but low in moisture. You can find frozen mava / khoya in the freezer section of an Indian grocery store. So, let's get started ! This recipe makes 10-15 gulab jamuns depending on the size of the mava / khoya balls.

Ingredients :-

1 cup frozen mava / khoya
1 pinch baking soda
3-4 tsp all purpose flour / maida
3 tbsp milk +  more if required
oil / ghee for frying

For sugar syrup :

1 cup sugar
3/4 - 1 cup water (so sugar gets immersed)
1 tsp freshly ground cardamom powder
5-6 strings of saffron (optional)
6-7 fresh rose petals / 1/4 tsp rose essence

Process :-

1.  Thaw mava for 3-4 hrs. or as per package instructions.

2.  Grate it with a fine grater / grinder / chopper so as to make a fine powder.

3.  Add soda, 3 tsp all purpose flour & milk. Knead constantly to make a soft, pliable dough - add milk if required. The final form should have no lumps at all. If you are using fresh mava, omit the milk as it already has the required moisture.

4.  Heat oil / ghee in a deep pan on a low medium heat. Use oil which has no scent like light vegetable oil / olive oil.  

5.  Now here comes the tricky part. First of all form balls about the size little bigger than marbles. Make sure they have no cracks or lumps. 

Mava balls with no lumps / cracks

Put one ball in the fryer, if it starts to fall apart, quickly take it out and add little more flour to it, repeat the process. Note that fresh mava and frozen mava act in different ways.

6.  Fry gulab jamuns on low medium heat for about 2-3 mins. till they turn golden brown in color and are cooked through. If you fry them on high heat, their color will change quickly but they will be hard from the center, we want soft gulab jamuns.

Golden brown gulab jamuns

7.  Alongside make sugar syrup in a wide deep pan by adding just as much water so that sugar is immersed. Heat the mixture till sugar melts for about 3-4 mins, don't let it boil. (If the syrup boils, it will thicken and it won't penetrate the gulab jamuns) Thin syrup will be soaked nicely by the jamuns and they will swell in size. Turn off the stove top and set the pan aside.

8.  Add fried gulab jamuns to the hot syrup. After an hour garnish them with cardamom powder, saffron and rose essence / rose petals. Mix gently and let them sit for 4-5 hrs. till they absorb the syrup and turn fluffy and soft like sweet cotton balls.  When you add saffron, the color of the syrup changes to a beautiful golden orange.

9.  Gulab jamuns can be served warm or cold along with the sweet rose syrup. Enjoy this mouth watering sweet dish and make your life sweeter !!!

Soft and spongy gulab jamuns