Deep fried balls made of milk powder, flour, butter and cream or milk, and then soaked in sugar syrup make for a rich (and decadent) Indian dessert favourite.
Probably one of the most famous desserts to come out of India, the mighty Gulab Jamun are sweet deep fried balls in sugar syrup.
The history of the Gulab Jamun is quite vague. They are first known to have been brought into India by invadors sometime between the 6th and 16th century.
The name Gulab is derived from the Persian words of Gol, which means flower, and ab, which means water, and is literally translated into rose scented water syrup.
Jamun (black plum) is a famous Indian fruit, which is what the Gulab Jamun resembles to.
Round balls of milk solids, traditionally from khoya, are deep fried, which is what gives them their golden brown colour. They are then soaked in sugar syrup, which is flavoured with cardamom pods, saffron and rose water or kewra water.
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