In this post, I am sharing an easy classic kala jamun recipe made with khoya along with lots of tips and tricks. Growing up, a box of kala jamun was a must on bhai dooj. Bhai dooj is a festival 2 days post diwali. I remember my aunts showing up with boxes of mithai for the celebration and I looked forward to these black beauties in there. As I write this, I am smiling ear to ear thinking of the countless kala jamuns I used to pop in my mouth that day. It is one of my favorite sweet! During Diwali, I make sure to make these at least once- my husband is also a huge fan of these.
Kala Jamun Vs Gulab Jamun
As soon as you look at the two, you will notice that the first difference between kala jamun and gulab jamun is the color. While kala jamun is dark to almost black in color, regular gulab jamun are a deep brown shade. In Hindi, kala refers to black color and the jamuns are fried longer to achieve that dark look. Hence the name. Second difference is in the texture of both the sweets. While kala jamun has a chewy outside and soft inside, gulab jamuns are soft and melt in the mouth all through. Thirdly there is a slight difference in the taste of two. Kala jamun has a pleasant bitter & smoky note to it. Lastly, there is also a little difference in the ingredients. While both kala jamun and gulab jamun use common ingredients like khoya, milk, sugar, cardamom etc, paneer or fresh chenna is an important ingredient in Kala Jamun. Addition of paneer gives kala jamun the characteristic chewy texture.
About My Recipe
What is Kala Jamun
It is an indian sweet (mithai) resembling a fried doughnut/dumpling made with khoya/mawa, paneer, maida (all purpose flour), semolina. The dumplings are dunked in sugar syrup. The common flavor is elaichi (green cardamom) and rose water. Those are the two flavors I use in my recipe too. When I came to US over a decade back, I remember on few Diwalis, I made khoya from scratch at home. It was back breaking. However now I buy khoya from stores and if you can find it in the freezer section(usually), go for the mawa from Vadilal (its the best). I have never made these with milk powder. When I make mithai and the recipe calls for paneer, I always make paneer at home. You can make paneer a day ahead to make things easy. The reason being that the quality of paneer available here in stores doesn’t match the softness thats needed in this recipe. Store bought kala jamun are always stuffed and some people like to stuff the Kala jamuns when they make at home,I dont. It is an additional step and you can try it if you wish. Shapewise, I remember kala jamun in India used to be oblong. I shape them round as well as oblong depending on my mood. Shape is just a visual thing, they will taste same.
Tips for Making Perfect Kala Jamun
Growing up in India, there were just a handful of sweets like ladoos or halwa that were made at home. The mithai available at halwai shops in India is mind blowing and truly there is no reason to toil at home over sweets. It is a different story in States. I started making mithai at home some 12-13 years back and trust me I have had a fair share of failures. No matter how many tips I write down here, while they will definitely guide you, trust me its only practice and patience that will help you master mithai making.
Tips on making Dough
Tips on Deep Frying Kala Jamun
Shape dough into round shape smooth balls without any cracks. Make small balls since they will puff a little bit. Fry the jamuns on medium heat till golden brown & a little longer. The frying is a bit tricky but once you get a hang of it you will ace them every time. You would think, I did too, that the jamuns have to be fried for a long time to get that dark color. I have spoiled many batches before learning that longer frying will only burn them. Start them in warm oil. If the oil is luke warm to start, they will absorb oil and will get hard by the time they get that color.
To check the temperature of the oil , pinch a little dough and put it in oil. The dough will drop to the bottom and come floating up in a few seconds. It should not sizzle, that means that the oil is too hot. It should not just sit at the bottom or take too long to come up, that means that the oil is cold.
Do not crowd the hot oil with too many jamuns at a time. Only when one batch floats on top you may add 2-3 more to the oil. Maintaining the oil temperature will help in even frying of jamuns.
Pro Tip - It is normal for the oil to foam due to baking soda in the dough. Dont be warned by it.
Sugar Syrup Tips
Start making the syrup only when you are ready to fry the jamuns. We want a hot syrup to dunk the jamuns. Lemon Juice prevents crystallization in sugar syrup. We dont want any string consistency. The syrup should not be water or thick. It should be sticky like honey and imagine the consistency similar to a warm maple syrup. If the syrup is too watery or too thick- the jamuns will not absorb it/remain hard & dry inside. Drain the fried kala jamuns for a minute on paper towel and immediately add to the hot sugar syrup. You dont want the syrup to get oily.
Storage & Serving
You can store kala jamun refrigerated in an airtight container for 1 week. Once taken out of the syrup, the jamuns can be stored at room temperature for 4 days during winters (without heating). For making dry Kala Jamun, simple use a slotted spoon and take the jamuns out of syrup after soaking. You can serve them dry or with syrup. I like them either way. Serve warm kala jamuns with a scoop or vanilla ice cream or rabdi.
How To Make Kala Jamun (Step Photos)
Here are step by step pictures to give you an idea about the process of making kala jamun. Please find detailed written instructions in the recipe card.
Some Mithai Recipes
Mango Ladoo Jalebi Phirni
title: “Kala Jamun” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-30” author: “Marilyn Moreno”
This recipe has been on my mind for a long time. Though I am not very fond of the Kala Jamun as much as I am fond of Gulab Jamun, I wanted to give try. Compared to the Gulab Jamun, a popular sweet in India which is silky smooth, soft – Kala Jamun is slightly harder in texture but soft nevertheless. When you insert a spoon into Gulab Jamun, it just sinks in – such is the texture but it is not supposed to be so for Kala Jamun. The name Kala Jamun simply means a Jamun (sweet) that is black/darkish in color. The best thing about this recipe is that I made it from the instant Gulab Jamun powder so it’s fairly easy to make and the instructions are pretty simple. Also, I made these as dry Kala Jamuns and that way everyone including the ones without sweet-tooth can enjoy as well. These are not overly sweet and the outer darkish layer balances the sweetness of this dessert. I stored the Kala Jamuns in the refrigerator and they stayed moist for a couple of days. Anyway, you will have everyone grabbing a piece before long and you would be left with none in no time 😀
To prepare Kala Jamun Makes – 8 Time to prepare – 30 mins What I used –
Instant Gulab Jamun Powder, 100 gms Sugar, ½ cup Water, ½ cup + addition for kneading dough Green Cardamom Powder, a generous pinch Desiccated Coconut, 2 tbsp Oil, for deep frying
How I made –
Note –
The first frying of jamuns is similar to the usual Gulab Jamun preparation. The second deep frying has to be done on a low flame and slowly until the color changes to dark brown or more. This adds to the hardness of this sweet. The sugar used is just sufficient for these 8 Jamuns. As this is a dry recipe, I have used just the required quantity and there would be no additional sugar syrup. Place the sugar syrup in a wide mouthed pot so that there is enough space for all Jamuns. That way, there will be no breakage while taking them out. Any cracks on the Jamun dough can mean that the Jamun breaks while cooking. Roll hard between your palms for firmer, smoother shape.
