Directions | Add sugar and water to a wide pot. Heat on a medium flame until the sugar gets dissolved. Let the syrup boil until it reaches a sticky consistency, | Take ¼ tsp of it, cool slightly. Take a little in between your thumb and forefinger. It should be sticky when you separate your fingers. | Add rose water, cardamom powder and lemon juice. Mix well and set it aside to keep the syrup slightly hot. Making dough | In a mixing bowl, stir together grated mawa, add flour, cardamom powder and then baking powder. | Pour milk only as needed, little by little, to make smooth crake-free dough. Gently knead it but don’t over knead as it affects the texture and forms gluten. You must get a dough ball. | The balls should be crack free. | Making: | Heat Rabi cooking oil or Rabi banaspati in a deep pot or karahi. | Check if the oil is hot by gently sliding a small piece of dough. | Regulate the flame to medium and add as many dough balls as possible. | After frying for a few minutes, they will firm up. Keep stirring and fry them uniformly until golden brown. If needed, switch the stove flame to low and medium. | Remove gulab jamuns to a colander. | Allow the balls to cool a bit for 3-5 minutes. Add them to slightly hot syrup. The syrup shouldn’t be too hot. When you dip your finger, you must feel the syrup is hot. | Gently rotate the gulab jamuns in the syrup. Let them soak for 45 minutes before serving. | Serve gulab jamun with sugar syrup or vanilla ice cream. Garnish with thinly sliced pistachios.

Khoya (125 grams)`/ (1 heaped cup grated) | Maida (2 ½ tbsp) | Baking powder ( ¼ tsp) | 4 tbsp milk | 2 tbsp paneer (optional) | Rabi Banaspati or Rabi cooking oil for frying | 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups of sugar | ¾ cup water | ½ tsp cardamom powder | 1 tsp rose water (optional) | 1 ½ tsp lemon juice