Bread Gulab Jamuns are the easy and instant way to enjoy the quintessential dessert/sweet of India, “ gulab jamuns”, made traditionally with milk solids and soaked in a sugar syrup! With just a few bread slices, some jaggery/sugar and milk, you are on your way to biting into one of these juicy, scrumptious delights! I always love to give a healthier twist to most of my dishes and why not this one! Instead of refined sugar, I have used jaggery, an unrefined version of cane sugar which not only tastes amazing, but has a bunch of nutrients (iron, minerals like Potassium, Calcium, Zinc etc. as well as antioxidants!).
WHAT IS GULAB JAMUN?
It is a decadent, juicy, melt-in-your mouth deep fried whole milk solids dumpling or ball of dough steeped in a saffron/rose water and cardamom infused sugar syrup! Every bite of this syrupy Indian dessert transports you into an exotic dessert world!
You can make your own gulab jamuns using “khoya”/milk solids or “paneer” (Indian cottage cheese). For a quicker version, an instant mix is available easily in any Indian store!
BREAD GULAB JAMUN:
This is another instant variety of this mouth-watering Indian dessert but using only a few bread slices instead of milk solids! It may not taste as decadent as the traditional gulab jamun, but on days when you are craving for one, nothing is easier to make than with bread slices which everyone has in their kitchen! When I served these to my guests, they were astounded by its texture and flavor! They could not believe it was made with bread! Make sure you use soft bread slices (white/whole). Remove the sides, crumble and then powder in a blender into fine crumbs. Sprinkle a few spoons of milk to form a soft, smooth dough. DO NOT KNEAD as kneading will make for dense gulab jamuns! Just gather the crumbs and form a soft dough. Make small lemon-sized balls and fry on medium low heat in ghee/oil until golden brown. Once fried, they are soaked in jaggery syrup.
JAGGERY SYRUP:
Instead of sugar, I have used jaggery, easily available in any Indian store or online. I love the nutty, earthy flavor of jaggery and it is healthy for you too (has more nutrients than regular sugar)! I almost always sweeeten my coffee/tea or any dessert with jaggery syrup! Love the flavor it imparts to any dish.
Boil jaggery with equal amount of water for just 5 minutes. Flavor the syrup with powdered cardamom/rose essence and/or saffron strands. Soak the fried jamuns for just about an hour in hot syrup and enjoy warm, luscious, melt-in-mouth gulab jamuns!
Once refrigerated (if there are any leftovers!), you can reheat it and serve warm! As Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and if you are tired of serving the same old chocolate and cakes, how about this decadent, scrumptious, melt in your mouth Instant Bread Gulab Jamuns in Jaggery Syrup! Quick to make and super delicious to share with your Valentines! Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
LOOKING FOR MORE EASY TREATS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY?
Easy Chocolate Walnut Fudge Heart-shaped Tea Sandwiches Mini Heart-shaped Chocolate Cake Bites (Eggless) Cinnamon and Cardamom Green Tea Shortbread/Cookies Coffee Cream and Peanut Butter Filled Chocolates
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE INSTANT BREAD GULAB JAMUNS:
TO MAKE THE JAGGERY SYRUP FOR THE JAMUN:
In a saucepan, heat jaggery and water on medium heat, stirring in between until the jaggery is fully dissolved. At this stage, if you feel the jaggery may have some impurities, strain into another saucepan. Bring the syrup to a boil and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Add cardamom powder and set aside.
TO MAKE THE BREAD JAMUNS:
Remove the sides from bread slices. Crumble or tear the slices into smaller pieces to make it easier to powder. Place them in a blender jar and whiz to make fine crumbs. Please ensure you have fine crumbs or else your jamuns will not be smooth and round.
Remove to a bowl and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk, adding each tablespoon one by one until you can gather the crumbs to form a dough. Make a soft dough; DO NOT KNEAD! Kneading will make the jamuns hard and dense. We need a light, fluffy dough which has just been mixed smooth. Using light hands make small balls of the dough, gently smoothening the outside without pressing too much!
TO FRY THE JAMUNS:
Heat oil/ghee on medium low heat. Gently slide the bread dough balls into the warm oil and fry, tossing them in the oil to fry them on all sides. The key to making perfect gulab jamuns is frying on low to medium low flame to allow them to be cooked and fried through and through. If you fry them on high heat, they will turn brown on the outside, but the inside will still be uncooked.
Fry until golden brown and then remove them onto a plate. Do not overcrowd the pan to ensure even cooking and fry in batches. Once the jamuns are fried, soak them in hot jaggery syrup, covered loosely for at least 1 hour for all the juicy syrup to permeate the whole jamuns! Just before serving, top with sliced or slivered pistachios for more flavor and texture!
It is best enjoyed when warm. They go perfect with some ice cream too! Just scoop vanilla ice cream into a bowl, top with hot gulab jamuns and enjoy! Happy Cooking! PRINT OR SAVE FOR LATER:
PIN FOR LATER:
Cook Time: 30 minutes
6 slices of whole wheat bread (or any bread you prefer; it should be soft) Milk; about 3 to 4 tablespoons 1 cup jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) 1 cup water 6 to 8 green cardamom seeds, powdered Ghee/clarified butter or oil for frying Chopped pistachios for garnish
Instructions Join the party at Angie’s FiestaFriday along with co-hosts Antonia’s Zoale.com and Abbey’s Three Cats and a Girl. If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page For more such easy and delicious recipes, follow me on: Facebook @ curryandvanilla Pinterest @ curryandvanilla Instagram @ curryandvanilla16 Twitter @ curryandvanilla Google Plus @ Vanitha Bhat Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!! Do check out these other delectable delights shared by my friends and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! White Chocolate Pudding by Swaty Beetroot Drink with a Fruity Touch by Sasmita Chocolate Walnut Brownies by Rosy Strawberry Mojita Mocktail by Jayashree No Bake Custard Tart by Shalu Spiced Pomegranate Spritzer Mocktail by Geetanjali Mixed Vegetable Paneer Dosa by Priya HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!
