Air Fryer Gulab Jamun
I have been on a sweet kick for the past few days. Well, interspersing that with not feeling so good! The two are not related, they just happen to have found there place on earth together. And so came these air fryer Gulab Jamuns.
I wanted to make the Gulab Jamuns, however I was very skeptical about the results. I am now a believer. This recipe is made using milk powder, so it is much quicker that the traditional version that uses khoya or milk solids. There has been some playing around to get what I think is a pretty good texture. So, let me tell you how I did it.
What is a Gulab Jamun?
A Gulab Jamun is a milk based ball, that is traditionally deep fried soaked in scented syrup. The key to a good Gulab Jamun is a soft texture.
Major Air Fryer Advantages.
- Nice and healthy!
- Quick and hands off cooking!
- It is not messy, no pots of oil and dripping to worry about.
The challenges or things to get the hang of, is to get a relatively soft texture.
With my layers of trial and error,
Here are my two tips
- I fry the gulab jamuns until golden, rather than darker brown. This keeps them soft enough to absorb the syrup.
- Two kinds of syrup – a thin syrup and a thicker finishing syrup.
All of this gives me a dessert that I can whip together in 30 minutes. There is some additional time involved in letting the dough rest and soak the syrup.
I have taste tested this on many unsuspecting people, Unless they all were certifiably polite, I think what I have here is something that helps you eat your gulab jamun without loads of guilt.
Other fun gulab jamun variations include my recipe for gulab jamun cake and my Bengali Sweet Potato Gulab Jamuns.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Instant Pot Facebook group. Of course Instant Indian is ready for order, joining its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
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An air fryer version of Gulam Jamun, healthier, easier and less messy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of whole milk powder
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- Extra milk if needed
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups syrup
- a few whole cardamoms
- 1 tablespoon rose water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the milk powder and all purpose flour. Stir in the baking soda and baking powder.
- Mix in the ghee with your fingertips.
- Add in the yogurt and gradually work the mixture to form a soft smooth dough, adding a little milk milk if needed. You want a smooth dough, but do not overmix. Break pieces of the dough into small walnut sized balls. Cover with a moist paper towel and set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
- In the mean time add the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed pan and bring to a simmer. Add in the cardamom seeds. After 6 to 7 minutes remove 1 cup of the liquic and place in wide bottom bowl.
- Simmer the rest of the syrup for another 10 minutes. Add in the rose water. This can be done while the gulab jamuns are cooking.
- Place the gulab jamun balls in the air fryer baset and cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, remove twice or thrice to turn the balls to allow untiform browing.
- Turn the heat up to 425 degrees and air fry for another 5 to 7 minutes until the balls turn golden brown.
- Place in the thinner syrip and let them soak for 15 minutes and then add in the thicker syrup.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Most of the prep time is for allowing the batter to rest and soak the syrup.
Made of Milk
Air Fryer Gulab Jamun? Now, that’s a game-changer! I’m always looking for healthier alternatives. Do you notice a significant difference in taste or texture compared to the traditional deep-fried version?