Gulab Jamuns from Scratch

My MIL makes awesome gulab jamuns from scratch. I grew up eating MTR jamuns and I loved them until I tasted the jamuns made from scratch with khoya. They are quite easy to make and they taste soooo good.

Ingredients:
Khova/ Khoya – 1 pkg (I used Nanak frozen khoya)
Sooji (semolina) – ¼ cup
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Oil/ Ghee – enough for frying

For the syrup:
Sugar – 2 cups


Method:

• Thaw khoya by leaving it in the refrigerator overnight and resting on the counter for couple of hours.
• Add water to sooji and knead till it resembles roti dough. Cover and let it rest for about 1 hour. Knead again for another 5 minutes.
• Add 2 cups of water to sugar and simmer till the sugar melts about 15-20 minutes.
• Crumble khova into the food processor and add sooji dough & cardamom powder. Pulse until it almost comes together, about 3-5 minutes. Remove into a bowl and knead well for at least 10 minutes.
• Roll them into small balls. My MIL makes them into bullet shaped balls because they fry up better without any rawness in the center.
• While the jamuns are being made, heat oil/ ghee; when it is hot enough, slowly slide in the first batch of jamuns and fry on medium flame till golden brown. Do not over crowd the pan; always fry in batches. Also keep an eye on the oil temperature; too hot jamuns burn.. not hot enough jamun centers are uncooked. Remove the fried jamuns onto a plate and let them cool for couple of minutes, before sliding them into the sugar syrup.
  

Enjoy warm or cold with some ice cream. These jamuns stay fresh at room temperature for upto 4-5 days. Makes about 25 jamuns.