Gulabjamun

Gulabjamun is a popular sweet prepared in all parts of India. Like other sweets, the manufacture of gulabjamun is also largely in the hands of halwais who adopt small-scale batch method. Though there is large variations in the sensory quality of gulabjamun, the most liked product should have brown colour, smooth and spherical shape, soft and slightly spongy body free from both lumps and hard central core,uniform granular texture, mildly cooked and oily flavour free from doughy feel and fully succulent with sugar syrup. It shall have optimum sweetness. It may or may not contain a piece of currant or cashewnut in the centre.

 

i.Gross Composition of Gulabjamun

The gross chemical composition of gulabjamun vary widely depending on numerous factors, such as composition and quality of khoa, proportion of ingredients, sugar syrup concentration, etc. The composition of gulabjamun, on the drained weight basis varies in the following range Table.

Gross chemical composition of gulabjamun

Gulabjamun is a popular sweet prepared in all parts of India. Like other sweets, the manufacture of gulabjamun is also largely in the hands of halwais who adopt small-scale batch method. Though there is large variations in the sensory quality of gulabjamun, the most liked product should have brown colour, smooth and spherical shape, soft and slightly spongy body free from both lumps and hard central core,uniform granular texture, mildly cooked and oily flavour free from doughy feel and fully succulent with sugar syrup. It shall have optimum sweetness. It may or may not contain a piece of currant or cashewnut in the centre.
 

 ii Method of Preparation of Gulabjamun

Presently gulabjamun is prepared from two base ingredients, namely khoa and gulabjamun mix powder. The former method based on khoa as main ingredient for gulabjamun making is discussed in this unit. Invariably gulabjamun is prepared by traditional method and the large scale mechanized method is used only by a few organized dairies.

a)Traditional method: This small scale batch method is adopted by milk confectioners (halwais). Dhap khoa, having about 40-45% moisture, is used for making gulabjamun. The method involves proper blending of 750 g khoa,250 g maida and 5 g baking powder to homogenous and smooth dough. Small amount of water can be added in case dough is very hard and do not roll into smooth balls. The mix should be prepared fresh every time. A piece of good quality current (kishmish) or cashewnut may be placed in the centre of dough
and then rolled into smooth balls. The balls of required size (normally in range 10-15 g) are formed from the dough and deep fried in ghee (vegetable/vanaspati)in a karahi to golden brown colour. The temperature of frying medium is maintained at about 125oC and balls take about 15-20 min for proper frying. It is necessary to turn balls up and down during frying to avoid localized burning.Subsequently the balls are transferred to 60% sugar syrup maintained at about 60oC. It takes about 30 min for the balls to completely absorb the sugar syrup.For preparing sugar syrup, equal quantities of sugar and water are boiled for about 10 min. The dirt or froth collecting on the surface of syrup is removed with a strainer. Sometimes even raw milk (about 50 ml for one litre of syrup) is added to boiling syrup for better refining of syrup.

 b) Khoa Based Sweets

Mechanized method: A new technology has been developed for industrial production of gulabjamun using an assembly-line system and is in use at Sugam Dairy, Vadodara (Gujarat). The flow diagram of this mechanized method is presented in Fig.

Khoa with 35-40% moisture is mixed in a planetary mixer with about 20% maida (bleached wheat flour) and 0.5% baking powder. The dough of homogenous consistency is prepared by sufficient blending, which can be judged by formation of smooth balls without surface cracks. In a portioning machine,the dough is divided into 8 grams portions. These dough portions are conveyed to the ball forming machine. Here balls are shaped like cylinder and are carried to a frying vat containing edible oil at a temperature of 140oC. After proper cooking, the balls are shifted to sugar syrup tank containing syrup of about 60oBrix. After proper soaking, indicated by settling of balls at the bottom of syrup, the gulabjamun balls are packaged in plastic containers along with an appropriate amount of hot syrup. Then the plastic cups are heat sealed with lids.

Flow diagram for the commercial manufacturing of gulabjamun