So far I have only shared savory dishes for New Year’s so I thought it was time to mix it up with something sweet! Especially since the theme of this month’s Sugar High Friday was Sugar Art! Goolab jamoon is a sweet finger food that is commonly served at Indian weddings, pujas and other celebrations here in Trinidad. It is made from a creamy fragrant dough that is deep fried and then drizzled with a reduced sugar syrup that quickly crystallizes on the doughy puffs providing both sweetness and sparkle. The syrup is usually made with white sugar which makes the puffs look like they have been covered in snow. I only had brown sugar on hand so the effect is not quite the same but it’s still pretty no? 
I have paired it with a concoction that I’m calling Sarina’s Passionate Mint Tea. What’s so passionate about it? Well the addition of passion fruit juice of course! I love love love love love all things passion fruit and am always looking for excuses to add the flavour to my concoctions 
Goolab Jamoon
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground elychee (cardamom)
1 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1 can 14-oz condensed milk
oil for frying
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
Directions:
1. Sift flour into bowl and add spices
2. Add butter and rub into flour
3. Add liquids and knead to a smooth and stiff dough. You may need to add additional flour. Do so by the handful, kneading after each addition until you have a smooth silky dough that doesn’t stick to your hands and is still shiny
4. Taking a tablespoon of dough each time roll into balls. Taper the ends until you have an oblong shape, then roll the ends further almost to a point.
5. Heat oil in a deep pot or wok and carefully deep fry until dark golden brown (use a medium heat or dough will burn)
6. Drain
7. Make a sugar syrup by boiling 2 cups sugar in 1 cup water until thick and very bubbly. When sugar spins a thread, boil for another two minutes
8. Pour hot and bubbly onto goolab jamoon.
9. Drain and coat with sugar syrup, turning to coat until sugar crystallizes
Makes about 40 goolab jamoon
Passionate Mint Tea
Ingredients:
6 single tea bags (mint tea), steeped in 1 litre of hot water for 1 hour
4 cups (1 litre) hot water
1 1/2 cup passionfruit juice
2 cups simple syrup (2 cups sugar boiled in 2 cups water)
1 lime, juiced
Directions:
1. Remove tea bags from cooled tea.
2. Add pineapple juice, pineapple syrup and lime juice. Mix thoroughly.
3. Serve ice cold over cracked ice
About Sarina
Passionate foodie, founder of Trinigourmet and Caribbean Lifestyle Maven. Author of "Glam By Request: 30+ Easy Caribbean Recipes"
This month marks the third installment of my “CookALong” series where a prominent (usually) Caribbean personality follows one of my recipes, and sometimes throws in a few of their own This week however I’m shaking things up a bit by ...
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That does look delicious! Thank you for joining in.
That does look delicious! Thank you for joining in.
These remind me of beignets, but the use of cinnamon and cardamom in the pastry must smell wonderful when it is fried and coated in the spun sugar! Happy New Year!
These remind me of beignets, but the use of cinnamon and cardamom in the pastry must smell wonderful when it is fried and coated in the spun sugar! Happy New Year!
Hi T.W.
Thanks for passing by TriniGourmet! 
I’ve seen the word beignet before but never actually had one so I just went to look it up 
I can see the similarities 
The smell of the goolab jamoon dough is so strong and heavenly as you are kneading it, and the flavour is really hard to describe especially when using freshly ground spices 
Hope you’ll be back around and a happy new year to you and yours!
Hi T.W.
Thanks for passing by TriniGourmet! 
I’ve seen the word beignet before but never actually had one so I just went to look it up 
I can see the similarities 
The smell of the goolab jamoon dough is so strong and heavenly as you are kneading it, and the flavour is really hard to describe especially when using freshly ground spices 
Hope you’ll be back around and a happy new year to you and yours!
My mommy makes the best gulab jamoon ever.
Unfortunately I can’t seem to find any pictures
My mommy makes the best gulab jamoon ever.
Unfortunately I can’t seem to find any pictures
Lilandra, take pics when next she makes nah
Lilandra, take pics when next she makes nah
I thought we did. I will go looking. Chennette has pix of hers on flickr but not mom’s.
I thought we did. I will go looking. Chennette has pix of hers on flickr but not mom’s.
omg, sarina! one of my favourite indian desserts but i’ve never seen them THIS way. then, again, i’ve never visited your beautiful country (we have lots of trinidadians here where i live) to try them. [i think i gained weight looking at them!] i’ll have to try making them this way one of these days
omg, sarina! one of my favourite indian desserts but i’ve never seen them THIS way. then, again, i’ve never visited your beautiful country (we have lots of trinidadians here where i live) to try them. [i think i gained weight looking at them!] i’ll have to try making them this way one of these days
Hee
Yeah many of our dishes ended up becoming distinctly Trinidadian while still retaining their ties to, and the names of, the ‘old countries’ 
Always fascinating and interesting to me to see how similar or dissimilar they have ended up being 
Fresh spices are the best and don’t let the sugar boil too long else it will not really coat the puffs, it will ‘seize’ up 
When you give them a try let me know how they came out
Hope you’re having fun, I am hearing the fireworks going on in the neighborhood already
Oh! And the goolab jamoon freeze really well
Just pop em in the microwave for a few seconds on high and they’re good to go! 
Think I’m gonna have one or two in a bit myself 
(from the above batch) 
Hee
Yeah many of our dishes ended up becoming distinctly Trinidadian while still retaining their ties to, and the names of, the ‘old countries’ 
Always fascinating and interesting to me to see how similar or dissimilar they have ended up being 
Fresh spices are the best and don’t let the sugar boil too long else it will not really coat the puffs, it will ‘seize’ up 
When you give them a try let me know how they came out
Hope you’re having fun, I am hearing the fireworks going on in the neighborhood already
Oh! And the goolab jamoon freeze really well
Just pop em in the microwave for a few seconds on high and they’re good to go! 
Think I’m gonna have one or two in a bit myself 
(from the above batch) 
I have a serious sweet tooth and these look like they would satisfy it, very nice!
I have a serious sweet tooth and these look like they would satisfy it, very nice!
Oh give them a try
The spiciness of the flour cuts the sugar coating to create a nice balance 
Oh give them a try
The spiciness of the flour cuts the sugar coating to create a nice balance 
[...] dough yes, but glazed with sugar, not soaked. Traditionally made in elongated ovoid shapes (see Trini Gourmet’s recipe or this picture from my brother’s wedding boxes, for the more usual shape). However, since I [...]
gulab jammon, ras malai and other balls or morsels made of flour or thickened milk and then fried in oil and then dunked in syrup or poached right in the syrup are fantastic
this kind of desert is popular and has many variations throughout india, pakistan all the way thru iran, yemen, lebanon, the middle east and greece!
gulab jammon, ras malai and other balls or morsels made of flour or thickened milk and then fried in oil and then dunked in syrup or poached right in the syrup are fantastic
this kind of desert is popular and has many variations throughout india, pakistan all the way thru iran, yemen, lebanon, the middle east and greece!
This recipe does make me hungry!!! I think I’ll try it this weekend
This recipe does make me hungry!!! I think I’ll try it this weekend
Can I make this dough in a kitchen aid mixer?
Thanks
Sandy
Can I make this dough in a kitchen aid mixer?
Thanks
Sandy
[...] dough yes, but glazed with sugar, not soaked. Traditionally made in elongated ovoid shapes (see Trini Gourmet’s recipe or this picture from my brother’s wedding boxes, for the more usual shape). However, since I [...]