My Favourite Gulab Jamun

If you’ve never eaten gulab jamun before, you’re in for a treat! If you have, and love them as much as I do, then you know everyone has a favourite version. This is mine! The way my Mom makes them and are basically the only ones I ever want to eat. There is very little that can go wrong when the words ‘deep-fried’ and ‘sugar’ are in the same sentence and gulab jamun are living proof of that. A Diwali essential, made with a milk-powder based dough, fried in ghee and left to soak in a saffron-y, cardamom-y, sugar syrup. They only get better after a couple of days and so if they aren’t polished off as soon they’re ready, these are a great make-ahead dessert for your festive table!

• 3 cups water (750 ml)
• 2 and 1/2 cups sugar (500 gms; regular white granulated sugar)
• 7 to 8 cardamom pods, peeled and crushed into a powder
• Big pinch of saffron strands

• 3 tbsps all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsps semolina (sooji rawa)
• 2 cups milk powder (260 gms; I used Nestle)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup plain curd/yoghurt (115 gms)
• Ghee as needed for frying (I used about 300 gms)