YIELD: 15-18

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered milk
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tbsp butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup condensed milk
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp JGM Products ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp JGM Products ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground elychee
• 7-8 almonds
• 7-8 seedless dates

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• oil for frying
• oil for rubbing on palms for later steps

NOTE:

• Extra evaporated milk might be needed so be sure to have some readily available just in case.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine powdered milk, flour, ginger powder, elychee and cinnamon. Mix well to ensure all dry ingredients are properly incorporated.
2. Add butter. Using your fingers break the butter into small pieces and properly mix it into the flour/powdered milk mixture.
3. Add condensed milk followed by the evaporated milk and combine to form a soft dough. No kneading is required. Cover with a damn cloth and set aside for 5-10 minutes. If the dough is dry after resting, add a little of the evaporated milk to it. It should ideally be moist and soft.
4. While the dough is resting, slice the dates and place with almonds in them. See video below for demo. Set them aside.
5. Break dough into small pieces and form the fat kurma or gulab jamoon shape (see pic below for reference). You can roll them into any size but be sure that they are smooth on the outside. If there are cracks, it can result in breaking when frying. For this step, I rub some coconut oil on my palms. which helps with the shaping process.
6. For the stuffed gulab jamoons, place the dough in your hand in a circular shape (does not have to be thin…just flatten it out a bit), add the stuffed date and then form into the gulab jamoon shape.
7. Once all are properly shaped, fry them over low/medium heat (more on the low side) until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pot. Keep turning them to ensure an even color.
8. Place them on some paper towels to drain the excess oil and to cool. Once cooled, place on a tray or bowl.
9. In the mean time, add the sugar to water in a pot to make the sugar syrup or the pag. Boil for 10 minutes approx over low/medium heat or until the syrup starts ‘threading’. This basically is when you lift the spoon from the mixture and it forms a thin thread.
10. Add the pag to the fat kurma/gulab jamoon and start turning them. Keep turning until the sugar begins to crystallize and turns white on the outside of the gulab jamoon.
11. TIME TO ENJOY!

NOTES:

• Placing the fat kurma/gulab jamoon on tray is usually much easier for me to work with when I add the pag. These sweets tend to be soft and can break very easily so on the tray I roll them around and there is more space to work with.
• Be sure to monitor your oil. Do not let it get too hot as this can result in the inside being uncooked.

Video can be seen here: