Pumpkin Spice Gulab Jamun

While official-official Thanksgiving is happening for most of us next week (doesn’t it just feel SO late?), Thanksgiving ala-THB is now at an end, bookended by this pumpkin spice gulab jamun.

Before we get into this recipe, let’s recap our Indian-themed turkey day in totality:

Indian spiced turkey tenderloin with cranberry chutney

Achari mac & cheese

Saag

Maple Martini

It’s been a tasty time, and the party continues with dessert.

I’m sure you know what gulab jamun is, though you might put the name with the face. For those of you that have ever had Indian food out, it’s likely you’ve seen these little donut hole looking sweets coated in a sugary, sticky syrup, and heaped more than one into your bowl before slinking away to enjoy and savor every decadent bite.

The above described scene has happened more times than I can count in my life, but never had I ever thought to figure how these little balls of heaven were made. Milk powder, it seems, is the magic.

I KNOW. Who’d have thought? Powdered milk is mixed with other bits and bobs, and the resultant balls are fried and then soaked in a simple syrup. Typically the syrup take the traditional form of cardamom and rose water, but I’ve made it all kinds of fall by pumpkin-spicing it with some ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

The thing to note is when you’re frying these babies, medium-low and slow is key. If you rush it with high heat, you’ll end up with burnt dumplings with raw centers. This site is a great how-to for all sorts of tips and tricks if your sweets come out wrong, but you can’t just figure out what went wrong.

Thanksgiving or not, these pumpkin spice gulab jamun would be a welcome addition all fall long.

(Oh, and stay tuned next week for one of my fave-fave ways to use up leftover turkey!)

Pumpkin Spice Gulab Juman

November 20, 2019

Servings: 20

Total: 30 min

Difficulty: Medium

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Pumpkin spice gulab jamun twists up this traditionally cardamom and rose flavored Indian sweet, but retains the integrity and deliciousness of the original

By: Chrissy

Ingredients

1/2 cup full-fat milk powder
3 TB self-rising flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 TB unsalted butter, softened
3 TB water
vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Directions

Step 1 Sift the milk, flour, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingers and then add the water bit by bit, enough to give a firm but pliable dough which can be easily molded. Let the dough set 20 minutes.
Step 2 Make the syrup. Add the sugar, milk and spices over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat and let the simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside. Keep it warm to add the dumplings.
Step 3 Using gentle hands, form the dough into large- marble size balls, and shape it with no cracks.
Step 4 Repeat with the remaining dough. You should get about 20 balls.
Step 5 Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Heat oil for 5 minutes on medium heat and then lower the heat to low-medium. Add the jamuns to the warm oil. Fry until golden-brown, carefully rotating the dumplings regularly with a spatula so that they get cooked evenly. Drain on paper towels.
Step 6 Just before adding the jamuns, remove the cinnamon stick, cloves and anise from the syrup. Place the fried jamuns into the warm syrup and soak until they are doubled in size, soft and spongy. Cool completely and serve chilled or at room temperature.