Gulab Jamun Soaked in Orange Blossom Syrup
Tender, milky fried dumplings made from milk powder and a little flour, fried gently until deep golden, then soaked in a cardamom syrup perfumed with orange blossom water. Soft, fragrant and not too sweet, with a floral Middle Eastern lift.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 46 min
- Wait
- 2 hr 10 min
- Total
- 3 hr 21 min
- Makes
- 24 gulab jamun (3 per serving)
Steps
Before you start
- Use full-fat (whole) milk powder, the kind sold for baking or in Indian grocery stores. Non-fat milk powder makes drier, firmer dumplings.
- Make the syrup first so it is warm, not boiling hot, when the fried dumplings go in.
- Plan for at least 2 hours of soaking. The dumplings are best after 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
- Have a slotted spoon, a plate lined with paper towels, and a thermometer ready before you start frying.
Simmer the syrup
- In a 2-quart (2 L) saucepan, combine the sugar, water, crushed cardamom pods and lemon juice.
- Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then let it simmer gently, without stirring, for 7 minutes.
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Ready when: The syrup looks clear and feels only slightly sticky between two spoons. It should still pour easily, not be thick like honey.
Tip: The lemon juice stops the sugar from crystallizing. Don't boil it longer, or the syrup will turn thick and the dumplings won't absorb it.
Perfume the syrup
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the 1 tablespoon (15 ml) orange blossom water.
- Leave the cardamom pods in.
- Set the syrup aside so it cools to very warm, not scalding.
- Pour it into the wide soaking dish if you like.
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Ready when: The syrup smells floral and is warm enough that you can hold a finger in it briefly.
Tip: Add the orange blossom water off the heat. Boiling it dulls the fragrance.
Mix the dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk powder, flour, baking powder, ground cardamom and salt until evenly blended with no lumps.
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Ready when: The mixture is one uniform pale color.
Tip: Use only ¼ cup flour and ½ teaspoon baking powder. More makes the dumplings dense or cracked.
Make a soft dough
- Drizzle the ghee over the dry mixture and rub it in with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand.
- Stir the orange blossom water into 6 tablespoons (90 ml) of the warm milk, then add it to the bowl.
- Gently bring it together with your fingers, adding more milk 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 2 tablespoons more) only if needed.
- Don't knead.
- Cover the bowl and rest it for 10 minutes.
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Ready when: The dough is soft, slightly tacky and smooth, and a pinch holds together without cracking. It should not be sticky enough to cling to your hands.
Tip: Overworking the dough makes tough, hard dumplings. Mix only until no dry patches remain.
Shape smooth balls
- Lightly grease your palms with a few drops of oil or ghee.
- Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces (about 18 g, a heaped tablespoon each).
- Roll each piece between your palms into a perfectly smooth, crack-free ball about ¾ inch (2 cm) wide.
- Place them on a plate and cover with a damp towel.
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Ready when: Each ball has a smooth surface with no cracks or seams.
Tip: Cracks in the surface widen in the oil and the dumplings can break apart. If a ball cracks, knead in a few drops of milk and re-roll it. Keep them small, since they roughly double in size.
Heat the oilOven 300°F / 150°C
- Pour the oil into a heavy 3-quart (3 L) pot and heat over medium-low heat until a thermometer reads 285–300°F (140–150°C).
- Test with one dough ball.
- It should sink, then rise to the surface slowly within about 10 seconds, with only gentle bubbles around it.
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Ready when: The test ball rises slowly and bubbles gently. If it browns within 1 minute or rises instantly, the oil is too hot.
Tip: The oil must stay low. Hot oil browns the outside while the center stays raw and doughy.
Fry in three batchesOven 300°F / 150°C
- Fry 8 dumplings at a time.
- Slide them in gently, and don't touch them for the first 2 minutes, until they float.
- Then swirl the oil or nudge them constantly and gently with a slotted spoon so they color evenly.
- Fry for 8 to 10 minutes per batch, adjusting the heat to hold 285–300°F (140–150°C).
- Lift out with the slotted spoon and let excess oil drip off for a few seconds.
- Bring the oil back to temperature before each new batch.
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Ready when: The dumplings have swelled to nearly double their size and are an even deep golden brown (like a dark caramel), and they feel light and springy when lifted.
Tip: Don't overcrowd the pot. Crowding drops the oil temperature and the dumplings come out greasy and dense. Never prick them.
Transfer to the syrup
- Move the fried dumplings straight from the oil into the warm syrup, spacing them in a single layer.
- Spoon syrup over any exposed tops.
- Ideally the syrup is very warm and the dumplings are hot or warm, so they take it up quickly.
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Ready when: All the dumplings are submerged or well coated in syrup.
Tip: If the syrup has cooled and thickened, rewarm it gently until just warm. Boiling-hot syrup can make the dumplings collapse, and cold syrup won't soak in.
Soak until plump
- Let the dumplings soak, uncovered or loosely covered, for at least 2 hours at room temperature, turning them over once halfway through.
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Ready when: The dumplings are glossy, noticeably plumper, and a light press with a spoon shows they are soft all the way through. Cut one in half to check that there is no dry, pale core.
Tip: For the best texture, soak 3 to 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.
Garnish and serve
- Lift the dumplings into small bowls with a little syrup, 3 per person.
- Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and the dried rose petals, if using.
- Serve at room temperature, or warm for 20 seconds in the microwave.
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Tip: Fish out the cardamom pods before serving so no one bites into one.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep the oil at 285–300°F (140–150°C) throughout. Check the thermometer between batches.
- Smooth, crack-free balls are the key to dumplings that don't break up in the oil.
- Soaking in warm syrup (not hot or cold) gives soft, evenly saturated centers.
- Start with less milk. A dough that is too wet spreads and breaks in the oil, while one that is just soft stays tender.
Make ahead
Fry and soak the gulab jamun up to 2 days ahead. Keep them covered in their syrup in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm gently before serving. The syrup can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in the fridge.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 8 hours, covered, in the syrup. Refrigerator: up to 5 days in an airtight container, submerged in syrup. Freezer: up to 1 month in syrup in a freezer-safe container; thaw overnight in the fridge. To reheat, microwave 15–20 seconds per serving or warm in a pan with a little of the syrup over low heat.
Substitutions
- orange blossom water → rose water. Use the same amount for a more classic gulab jamun flavor; rose water is slightly stronger, so start with 2 teaspoons and taste.
- ghee → unsalted butter. Use the same amount, melted and cooled. The flavor will be slightly less nutty.
- neutral oil such as sunflower or canola → ghee. Fry in ghee for a richer, traditional flavor. Keep the temperature the same.
- unsalted pistachios → slivered almonds. Use the same amount for a similar crunch.