Gulab Jamun

I think that words will get short when we start to describe gulab jamuns. These round sweet balls instantly melt in your mouth giving you the utmost pleasure which no other sweet is capable of. But at the same time these are so sweet that many people avoid having it. Even in my family there are both gulab jamun haters as well as lovers.

It has been long since I made anything sinful but I had to bend down to my kiddos demand and made these for her. Earlier I made gulab jamuns on special occasions using the ready to make packets, I had been terrified that gulab jamuns made from scratch may melt while frying or may turn out like meteors but there are some really talented bloggers out there who take cooking to a new dimension by simplifying even most complicated recipes , one such blogger is Sangee of Spicy Treats, she had posted the gulab jamun recipe using milk powder some time back and I was bowled over seeing the ease to make these. But then somehow never got around to make these, then again saw these in Divya's space and bookmarked the recipe.

The entire process takes less than an hour from start to finish, and the resulting gulab jamuns are soft and juicy. Though I would like to post a word of caution....eat in moderation else you would surely end up with self induced diabetic coma :)

Ingredients:

For the balls :

Milk Powder - 1 Cup

All Purpose Flour - 1/2 Cup

Baking Soda - 1/2 Tsp

Ghee - 2 Tbsp

Milk - To knead the dough

Sugar Candy - Few to stuff inside the balls (optional)

Oil or Ghee for deep frying

Pistachios - For Garnishing

For Sugar Syrup :

Sugar - 2 Cups

Water - 2 Cups

Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedure :

• Take milk powder, flour, soda in a bowl. Mix well and add melted ghee. Rub the ghee in the flour to resemble bread crumbs texture. 
• Add milk little by little and knead for couple of minutes to make a smooth and non sticky dough.
• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
• In the meanwhile make sugar syrup by mixing sugar and water in a wide bowl and keep for boiling . Let the syrup come to rolling boil and then simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add in the cardamom powder and switch off the gas.
• Now take the dough and form small marbled sized balls. Take one sugar candy and stuff it in between each ball and make a smooth round ball without crack, but remember not to put much pressure when making the balls.
• Once all the balls are made keep oil or ghee in a small frying pan for heating. When the oil gets heated up start frying gulab jamuns in small quantities, as they will get little bigger in size while frying. Also fry in low heat to ensure even browning. keep on rotating the balls while they get fried.
• When the gulab jamuns become dark brown in colour take them off heat and dunk in warm sugar syrup. The jamuns will soak syrup and will become soft and spongy.
• Serve warm or cold garnished with slivered pistachios.

Check the notes at bottom of the post.

Notes:

• I halved the quantity of the ingredients and got around 15 gulab jamuns.
• In the original recipe milk mawa powder was used but I used ordinary milk powder, milk mawa powder will give you even more smoother and richer jamuns.
• If you do not mind the extra calories fry the jamuns in ghee for richer taste.
• The sugar candy will melt when the jamuns are fried, thus creating a hollow center.

Spinach Dhokla ~ Healthy & Savory Steamed Indian Cake

Having a good homemade breakfast made with fresh ingredients is a key to achieve healthy body. Before I used to rely on cereals and white breads smothered with nutella for my quick breakfasts but now no more of that junk to start my day. Instead I prefer healthy breakfast with does take some time and effort to prepare,  but my body is loving this change. I am mostly full till lunch so no more mid morning binge eating, my digestive system is back on track, I feel energetic and the most important thing...I am loosing weight :) 

Including green vegetables in the breakfast is the best way to add fiber in the diet. And weekly three to four times I include greens in some form or the other... green chutney...or a simple stir fry with rotis is the easiest way to sneak some greens into the body. But occasionally I make this Spinach Dhokla for a change. Dhoklas being steamed are very healthy and light on the stomach. And as gram flour ( besan ) is the main ingredient it makes a wonderful gluten free option as well. Have it with a spicy coconut chutney to kick start the day. 

Ingredients:

Gram Flour (Besan) - 1 Cup

Spinach Puree - 1 Cup

Curd - 1/4 Cup ( Well Beaten )

Water - 1/4 Cup or Less

Ginger - 1 Inch Piece

Green Chillies - 2 or 3

Oil - 2 Tbsp

Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp

Sugar - 1 Tbsp

Salt - To Taste

Fruit Salt - 1 Tsp

For Tempering:

Oil - 2 Tbsp

Mustard - 1 Tsp

Sesame Seeds - 2 Tsp

Curry Leaves - 2 Sprigs ( Optional )

Asafoetida - A Generous Pinch

Water - 3 Tbsp

Procedure :

• Make puree of spinach by blanching the leaves along with stalks and grind it fine in a mixer along with ginger and green chilies . Puree should be around 1 cup. I used a medium sized spinach bunch. Do not throw away the stalks as they add more fiber.
• In a wide bowl take gram flour and add spinach puree, curd and oil. Mix well. Add water according to requirement. The batter should be of dropping consistency, neither too thin nor too thick.
• Now add in salt, sugar and lemon juice and mix well so that there are no lumps in the batter.
• Let the batter sit for around 15 minutes. Meanwhile grease a steamer plate and keep ready. 
• I steam the batter in my rice cooker. But any kind of steamer will work fine. Even a pressure cooker without putting whistle can be used.
• Now add fruit salt ( Eno ) in the batter and mix well once without much beating. Immediately pour the batter in the greased plate and keep it for steaming. 
• Steam on high in the steamer for around 15-20 minutes, check by inserting a knife in the middle of the cake. If the knife comes out clean the dhokla is ready...else steam further for 5 minutes.
• Take out the plate from the steamer and let it cool for 10 minutes before inverting the dhokla onto another plate.
• Prepare tempering by heating oil in a frying pan. Add asafoetida and mustard, once mustard starts crackling add in sesame seeds and curry leaves. Take out pan from the fire and carefully add water in the tempering. The oil will start spluttering so being careful is important. Adding water is necessary as it helps in keeping the dhokla soft and moist.
• Spread this tempering on top of the dhokla and cut the dhokla into square pieces.