Gulab Jamuns with Cottage Cheese - A Delightful Indian Dessert

Yummy delight!

The festival of lights Diwali, brings back the memories of colorful sweets and bursting noisiest of crackers during our childhood days. Times have changed and now we hardly make any sweets at home.
But there are a few sweets which are a staple during the festive seasons at my home, and Gulab Jamun is one of them. These spongy balls made with reduced milk and dipped in sugar syrup is a delight to eat. You can avoid cottage cheese and make the same recipe with only thickened milk as the main ingredient.

Sugar candy in between

Ingredients;

• 11/2 cups Khoya or thickened whole milk
  
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cottage cheese
  
• 1 tsp. semolina
• 2 tsp. refined flour
• A few sugar candy (optional)
• 3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp. cardamom powder
• Oil for deep frying

Deep fried balls

Method; Soak semolina in a tsp. of water for 10 minutes.Take a large vessel and add the thickened milk/mawa/khoya in it. Add soaked semolina & refined flour and knead all the ingredients well till it makes a soft dough.
Take a small marble size ball and roll it into a ball, flatten it and put a sugar candy in it. Cover from all the sides and roll it into a ball again. Make all the balls in the similar way and keep aside.
Heat oil in a thick wok and deep fry the above balls in small batches. Drain them on a tissue paper.
Take another thick bottom vessel and boil sugar, cardamom powder and water in it till the sugar is dissolved. Boil it further and make a one string sugar syrup.
Cool the syrup and add all the fried balls in it. Let it soaked till served.
Notes;

1. Add saffron in the sugar syrup for a flavorful dessert.
2. Cashew, pistachios and raisins could be rolled in the balls in place of the sugar candy.
3. Replace cottage cheese with Tofu for a healthy variation.
4. Serve the Gulab Jamuns topped with ice cream or any fruit syrup.

Happy Diwali to all of you, may this festival bring loads of happiness & prosperity in your life!