The feast we indulge in at weddings is no doubt exciting. But what rounds it off in a proper manner is the sweet ending. And this sweet ending can only be had through enjoying the decadence of piping hot gulab jamuns. Preferably with some rabri! The tender, deep-fried, berry-sized balls that are drenched in a rose-scented sugar syrup are a popular dessert and snack in India. And it is not limited to weddings. They are ideal as a dessert for all ages, when we crave something sweet. Keep a bowl of gulab jamun in the fridge and see how quickly they disappear. No matter how many one has had already. 

The history of gulab jamun

We can trace the origin of gulab jamun back to Iran. Gulab Jamun has its roots in Iranian cuisine and is a type of fritter that was introduced to India by Central Asian Turkic invaders. The Arabic dessert Luqmat-al-qaadhi or Luqmat al-Qazi, which roughly translates to "The Judge's Bite" and is wildly popular throughout the Middle East, is the inspiration for this sweet. The Iranian version is basically leavened dough that is then fried and dipped in honey or syrup and topped with cinnamon.

Once imported to India, it was adapted to the Indian palate and renamed Gulab Jamun. Persian words gul (flower) and āb (water), both of which denote rose water, are the roots of the word Gulab. Indian black plums, which resemble this sweet in size and form, are known as jamun in Hindi.

Varieties of Gulab Jamuns

We Indians believe that variety is the spice of life and this philosophy extends to our food habits too. Gulab jamun has not escaped the clutches of these variations.While having them hot is preferred - gulab jamuns can also be had cold. You can also find flavoured gulab jamuns these days. Available all over India, it takes various shapes and names in the different states of the country.

The usual ingredients for making this dish include all-purpose flour, refined wheat flour, khoya, baking powder, and clarified butter (ghee). Gulab jamun's brownish red colour is a result of the milk powder's sugar concentration (khoya). Other varieties of gulab jamun, known as kala jamun or "black jamun," are made by adding sugar to the dough before baking. When the sugar caramelises during baking, it turns the gulab jamun a dark, nearly black colour.

Pantua is comparable to gulab jamun and might be referred to as a Bengali version of it. Ledikeni, a Pantua version, is an additional variety. According to legend, Bhim Chandra Nag created it in honour of Lady Canning, the wife of Charles Canning, the then Governor-General of India (1856–1862).

"Jhurre Ka Rasgulla," which has been produced in Katangi, a town close to Jabalpur, for the past 100 years, is well-known. It is made with desi ghee from the region and is larger than typical gulab jamuns. In fact, they have the tag of being India’s largest gulab jamuns!

And we have not limited gulab jamuns as a sweet dish only. In Rajasthan, the popular and savoury Gulab Jamun ki Sabzi is made by cooking fried gulab jamun balls in a tomato, spice, and nut gravy as opposed to soaking them in sugar syrup.

Gone are the days when we had infinite time to spend in the kitchen and create sumptuous dishes. Today’s busy lifestyle doesn’t allow this leisure and more often than not we are ordering over food delivery apps. But food made at home has a different taste and feel to it.

But, we need not to do everything from scratch now. We can buy the instant gulab jamun mix from Indore Online which would allow us to make these small drops of heaven in a jiffy. It has the authentic taste of Indore permeating through it and allows us to indulge in the restaurant-style taste while sitting at home. The instant mix gulab jamun packet comes at a reasonable price which will satiate our cravings. After all, you shouldn't be worrying about gulab jamun price when all you want to do is eat.

So, don’t wait. Order your packet from Indore Online today!