| Alternative names | Gulab jaman, lal mohan, gulab jam, gulap jam |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Region or state | Indian subcontinent |
| Serving temperature | Hot, cold or at room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Khoa,saffron,maida,sugar |
| Variations | Pantua,kalo jam |
Gulab jamun is a sweet confectionery or dessert, originating in theIndian subcontinent, and a type ofmithai popular inIndia,Bangladesh,Nepal,Pakistan, theMaldives, as well asMyanmar. It is also common in nations with substantial populations of people with South Asian heritage, such asMauritius,Fiji,Gulf states, theMalay Peninsula,United Kingdom,United States,Canada,South Africa, and theCaribbean (Jamaica,Trinidad and Tobago,Guyana, andSuriname).
It is made mainly from milk solids, traditionallykhoya, which is milk reduced to the consistency of a soft dough. Modern recipes call for dried or powdered milk instead ofkhoya. It is often garnished with dried nuts, such asalmonds andcashews, to enhance flavour.
In the Indian subcontinent, milk and cheese solids are prepared by heating milk over a low flame until the water content has evaporated and only the milk solids, known askhoya, remain. The solids are kneaded with flour (maida), and small balls of this dough are deep-fried in oil orghee (clarified butter) at a low temperature,[1] then soaked in a lightsugar syrup flavored with greencardamom androse water,kewra orsaffron.[2] Hot gulab jamun is often served with vanilla ice cream, orkulfi.
According to culinary historian Michael Krondl, 12th-centuryManasollasa mentions a recipe for fried fritter balls made ofchenna cheese and rice flour and soaked in cardamom-scented syrup, but this recipe did not use rosewater (gulab) syrup.[3][4] The 13th century Arab dessertluqmat al-qadi is similar in appearance to gulab jamun, although it is made of entirely different batter from gulab jamun but was soaked in rosewater-scented (gulab) syrup, the only Persian connection may be the common use of rosewater syrup.[5] Gulab Jamun emerged in medieval India during theMughal Empire, blending Persianate influence with local influences that eventually became gulab jamun.[6][7] The word "gulab" is derived from thePersian wordsgul (flower) andāb (water), referring to therose water-scented syrup, and "Jamun" or "jaman" is theHindi word forSyzygium jambolanum, an Indian fruit with a similar size and shape, commonly known as black plum.[8] Jamun is also defined as a fried delicacy in sugar syrup.[9]
Gulab jamun is often eaten at festivals, birthdays or major celebrations such as marriages, the Muslim celebrations ofEid ul-Fitr andEid al-Adha, and the Hindu festivals ofDiwali andGanesh Chaturthi. There are various types ofgulab jamun.
Gulab jamun gets its brownish red colour because of the sugar content in the milk powder (khoya). In other types ofgulab jamun,sugar is added in the batter, and after frying, the sugarcaramelization gives it its dark, almostblack colour, which is then calledkala jamun or "black jamun". The sugar syrup may be replaced with (slightly) dilutedmaple syrup for agulab jamun.
Homemadegulab jamun is usually made up of khoya, a pinch of all-purpose flour/refined wheat flour/ wheat flour (optional), baking powder and clarified butter (ghee); milk kneaded to form a dough, moulded into balls, deep fried and dropped into simmering sugar syrup.
In Bengali, Gulab Jamun is known as Kalo Jam orPantua, which is similar togulab jamun, and could be called a Bengali variant of that dish.[10]Ledikeni, a variation of Pantua, is another variant ofgulab jamun.[11] It is said[by whom?] to have been invented by Bhim Chandra Nag on the occasion of a visit byLady Canning, the wife of Charles Canning, the Governor-General of India during 1856–62.
Katangi, a town nearJabalpur is famous for "Jhurre Ka Rasgulla", which has been made there for the past 100 years.[12][13] It is several times the size of normal gulab jamuns and is prepared in local desi ghee.[14]
InRajasthan, instead of soaking gulab jamun balls in sugar syrup, they are cooked in gravy made from spices, nuts and tomato to make popular Gulab Jamun ki Sabzi.
In Western Madhya Pradesh andMalwa, Mawa Bati is popular as local version of Gulab Jamun. It is different from Gulab jamun by size, fillings and amount of sweetness, Mawa bati is usually not immersed in Sugar syrup and slightly larger than Gulab Jamun.[15]
Arcot, a town nearVellore, is renowned for a local pastry known as Makkan Peda or Arcot Makkan Peda. It was created around the 19th century, inspired by a more ancient recipe of theCarnatic nawabs.[16] Its name suggests a link with another sweet, thepeda, but its making and appearance make it like gulab jamun,[17] of which it is distinctive due to its filling with dry fruits or nuts.Kumbakonam is another city inTamil Nadu reputed for its dry gulab jamuns.[18] Coated withicing sugar and shredded coconut, these jamuns are more like pedas.
InBangladesh,Pantua is available almost everywhere throughout the country, which can be referred to aBengali variation of Gulab jamun. Also there are two kinds of jamuns that are famous. They are Golap Jam (গোলাপ জাম) and Kalo Jam (কালো জাম).
The sweet is known as Lal Mohan (लालमोहन) in Nepali language and is available at almost every sweet shop. The sale of the sweet usually increases significantly during festivals such asTihar andDashain.[19]
In another recipe he gives directions for a syrup-soaked fritter many modern Indians would recognize. To make it, the cook is told to curdle warm milk by adding buttermilk, then strain it to remove the liquid. (Nowadays this fresh cheese would be called chhana.) The resulting curds are then mixed with a little rice flour, formed into balls, and fried in ghee. Finally, they are soaked in syrup.
To make it, you form balls out of a dough of fresh cheese curds mixed with rice flour, fry these in ghee, and then soak them in cardamom-scented syrup. I imagine the king feeding the morsels—tender, buttery, and dripping with the perfumed syrup—to his favorite as she lies resplendent on a silk-lined bed. Most of these fritters still exist and in more than one variation.
A fitters of very similar appearance is made in the Middle East under the name Luqmat Al Qadi. It is conceivable that they both developed from an earlier Persian antecedent. Gulab comes from the Persian word for rosewater, while Jamun refers to a local fruit of roughly this size. The two batters are made entirely differently, though, so the only Persian connection may be the common use of rosewater syrup.
The two batters are made entirely differently, though, so the only Persian connection may be the common use of rosewater syrup... Gulab comes from the Persian word for rosewater, while jamun refers to a local fruit of roughly this size.
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