Gulab jamun

Gulab Jamun dessert. Photo / Ian Jones

Serves four

Dough:
1 cup non-fat milk powder
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp room temperature butter, diced
1/4 cup milk

Jaggery syrup:
1 3/4 cups jaggery
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp rose water
Pinch saffron threads, soaked in water

1 To make the dough: In a mixing bowl, stir the milk powder, flour and baking soda together. Rub in the butter and then add the milk to make a soft dough, it will be sticky.

2 Heat a deep-fryer to 175C. Grease your hands with a little butter and divide the dough into 20 pieces and roll into balls. Drop a few balls at a time into the oil, spoon the oil over as they fry for approx seven minutes. Drain and repeat until all balls are fried.

3 To make the jaggery syrup: In a saucepan, bring the jaggery, water, cardamom seeds, rose water and saffron threads and water to the boil. Simmer for two minutes then allow to cool.

4 To serve: soak the fried dough balls in the syrup for at least 20 minutes before devouring.