Minimalist Indian Cooking: Gulab Jamun

Posted on by Bulbul

Hey fellas! Due to the lock-down, all foodies, like me, are having a tough time dealing with their cravings. We can’t eat afford to eat outside without putting our life at risk, as a result of which many of us have gone to the age old primary way i.e. #Cook at Home.

While it may sound fancy to start learning a new skill which involves continuous use of fire but believe me this might not be the easiest time to cook at home.

I say this mainly because we don’t have the privilege to go the grocery store at our whim which results in the lack of all the necessary ingredients. Hence, a yet unsatisfied craving equals to another serving of frustration to our already tightly bound nerves.

To tackle this issue, I have been trying to master the art of MINIMALIST COOKING i.e. cooking with the least number of easily available ingredients but without jeopardizing the dish’s taste to give the highest satisfaction score to our craving induced minds. Hence, increasing the overall productivity and contributing in world peace.

The dishes which I am trying, initially, belong to the Indian Cuisine due to my cultural heritage.

Today’s dish is Gulab Jamun, it is a popular dessert in my country. If you have a sweet tooth then this dish is right up your alley.

I am not much of a photographer and always forget to click the photos while cooking therefore most of the pics (if used) will not be mine.

It is very easy to prepare and needs very few ingredients which can easily be found in your kitchen pantry. By now, I have made this twice and I must say that it comes out very nicely.

I am listing down the recipe which has worked for me. Before starting, I want to say that I am not a scientific cook (most Indians aren’t), I work with my intuition and don’t measure each and everything. So, you don’t need to strictly follow my measurements instead I encourage you to trust your gut and move freely.

Ingredients

  • Milk (preferred Full cream) – 1 litre
  • All purpose flour – 2 cups
  • Sugar – 1 cup
  • Water – 2 cups
  • Refined Oil – for frying
  • Dry fruits – optional

Recipe

  • Take a flat-bottomed pan and pour all the milk into it. Keep the flame on medium high.
  • Keep stirring it frequently until it starts to get thick. When the milk is reduced to less than half, turn the flame to low and start adding flour in little amounts while mixing continuously.
  • Add as much flour till the mixture is converted into a soft dough. Remove from flame.
  • Make small round balls with the dough and fry the balls on a low flame to a deep red color.
  • While the balls are frying, take a saucepan, mix sugar (1 cup) and water (2 cups) in it on a medium high flame.
  • Let the sugar syrup boil for 5-7 minutes and add the fired balls into the syrup, cover with lid. Remove from flame.
  • Let it rest for 1 hour.
  • Sprinkle already cut dry-fruits to garnish (optional) and satisfy that craving!

There are various ways in which you can elevate this to another level but my aim is to make this as simple as possible with the least ingredients possible. I hope it works for you.

Until next time, cheers

Published by Bulbul

A young writer from India who has loved stories since she was able to understand one. Now, she tries weaving them herself.

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