Lets talk about last Sunday…. aahh …. what a lovely day it was. The sun was out with a light breeze, everyone dressed up at their best, conffetti flying in the air, champange flowing, promises and vows made, rings exchanged, tears, laughter and a wedding sealed with a kiss. Everything was just perfect with the beautiful bride walking down the isle in her amazing white dress flowing behind her going to unite with her man who stood at the end of the isle all tall and strong. Sometimes it makes me wonder about life, how two people come together to start a new life, very different from their past childhood into a world of responsibility. The love between them creates a new generation.
It was a civil ceremony whereby the couple exchanged vows and rings. The traditional hindu ceremony will follow which usually takes place under a covered structure with 4 pillars – ‘mandap’, where the groom is welcomed by the brides parents and the bride arrives with a traditional white and red sari. The couple greet one another by exchanging garlands. The father of the bride gives her hand into the grooms as a gesture of giving her away. The vows are then taken while the couple walks round a fire four times. After which traditional customs are carried out by both the parents. That is a very colourful ceremony with sanskrit verses recited throughout.
On that sweet note I share with you the recipe of Gulab Jamun. A popular indian sweet dish made and served at all happy occations and can be eaten as a sweet dish with any indian meal or a desert with cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A very simply and easy recipe.
Ingredients Makes 20 Time 30 min
1 cups milk powder
1/4 cup Semonila
1/4 cup Plain Four
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbl spoon ghee or butter
1/2 glass Milk
1/4 tsp Cardamom seeds
for the syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups water
Cardamom seeds
Saffron
Method
First take water and sugar in a pan and heat it until it becomes a thick syrup but not a stingy one. Add the crushed cardamom seeds and a few strings of saffron. Put is aside to cool
Combine the Milk Powder, Semolina, Plain flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl, mix in the ghee/butter and by adding milk make it into a sticky dough. If it is crumbly, add a teaspoon or two of milk.
Don’t mix kneed the dough but just mix it together not to form gluten otherwise they will not absorb the syrup. Make 20 round balls from it making sure that the balls are smooth with no cracks.
Heat some oil in a kadai or skillet, drop in 3-4 balls making sure the oil is not too hot and is on medium heat. Keep stirring them with a slotted spoon so they brown evenly. They should not be browned too quickly as they will remain uncooked from inside.
Once the syrup is cooled add the jamnns into them and leave them to soak up the syrup for 2-3 hrs.
They will double up in size once the syrup is absorbed. If you feel that they are not soaking up the syrup then warm them in either microwave or on very low heat.
Garnish them with sliced almond and pistachios.
Can be served cold or warm with cold ice cream.