![]() Gulab jamun topped with almond slivers
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Alternative names | Gulab Jaman (Northern India/Pakistan), Lal Mohan (North India/Nepal), Gulabjam/Gulapjam (Eastern India/Bangladesh) |
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Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | Indian subcontinent |
Region or state | Indian subcontinent, Mauritius, Fiji, southern and eastern Africa, the Caribbean, the Malay Peninsula |
Serving temperature | Hot, cold, or room temperature |
Main ingredients | Khoa, saffron |
Variations | Kala jamun also known as Kalajam |
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Gulab jamun (also spelled gulaab jamun) is a milk-solid-based South Asian sweet, particularly popular in the Indian subcontinent, notably India, Nepal (where it is known as lal mohan), Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as Myanmar. It is also common in Mauritius, Fiji, southern and eastern Africa, Malay Peninsula, and the Caribbean countries of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica. It is made mainly from milk solids, traditionally from freshly curdled milk. It is often garnished with dried nuts like almonds to enhance flavour.
In India, milk solids are prepared by heating milk over a low flame for a long time until most of the water content has evaporated. These milk solids, known as khoya in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, are kneaded into a dough, sometimes with a pinch of flour, and then shaped into small balls and deep-fried at a low temperature of about 148 °C. The balls are then soaked in a light sugary syrup flavored with green cardamom and rose water, kewra or saffron.Gulab jamun is available commercially, at South Asian restaurants or pre-prepared either in tins or as kits to be prepared at home.