The story goes that it was Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, during whose reign his personal chef "accidentally prepared" the dish. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)India is a land of mithais — there has never been a dearth of them. The fact that there are so many states and union territories, along with many cultures and festivals, means that there is always a free flow of traditional sweets, whose recipes have been passed down generations. So, when celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor posted a fun quiz about a pan-India favourite, it got us both salivating and thinking.
As part of his “#SundayFunday” series, Kapoor asked his followers to answer a particularly-tricky question: which mithai/sweet was accidentally invented by Emperor Shah Jahan’s personal chef? The options were: ladoo, gulab jamun, kheer, and halwa. Can you guess what it was?
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Many people wrote in the comments that it is ‘gulab jamun‘, which is, in fact, the correct answer.
The dumpy brown balls that are filled with a sugary syrup and served at many Indian functions — festivals and weddings alike — have the potential to make even a non-sweet lover magically grow a sweet tooth.
According to meethikahani.com, there are two different tales that talk about how the sweet came into existence. One states that the gulab jamun had originated in medieval Iran — developed from a fritter that was brought to India by Central Asian Turkic conquerors.
The other states that it was Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, during whose reign his personal chef “accidentally prepared” the dish.
The sweet dish is ubiquitous in India today, and almost every sweet shop will have a version of it all through the year. While the colour varies in different shades of brown, the recipe remains largely the same across the country, where people consume it regardless of their religious proclivity and cultural background.
Kapoor has dished out the recipe on his blog sanjeevkapoor.com. Read on.
Ingredients
– Mawa (khoya) 1 1/2 cups
– Chenna 1/4 cup
– Soda bicarbonate 1/4 teaspoon
– Refined flour (maida) 3 tablespoons
– Green cardamom powder 1/4 teaspoon
– Sugar 2 cups
– Ghee to deep fry
Method
* Grate khoya and mash chenna and keep aside. Mix the two along with soda bicarbonate, refined flour, green cardamom powder and a little water to make a soft dough.
* Divide into 16 equal portions and shape into balls. Prepare a sugar syrup with sugar and two cups of water. Clear the syrup by removing the scum, if any.
* Heat ghee/oil in a pan. Add the balls and deep fry on low heat till golden-brown in colour. Drain and soak in the sugar syrup for at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
“Temperature of the oil should be low or the jamuns will remain uncooked from inside. You may stuff gulab jamuns with saffron and pistachio nuts or mishri,” the chef wrote.
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