Gulabjam from Ricotta cheese

gulabjam in Marathi

Time: Prep. time- 45 to 50 minutes | Cooking time- 30 minutes
Makes: 40 to 45 medium sized gulabjam

Ingredients:
Gulabjam Balls
1 lb ricotta cheese (use lite ricotta)
3 tbsp All purpose flour (maida)
1 pinch of Baking soda
Sugar Syrup
2.5 cups Sugar
2.5 cups water
2 to 3 Cardamoms
1 pinch Saffron
other
Oil for frying gulabjamun

Method:
1) Take a nonstick pan. Add ricotta cheese and cook over medium heat. Stir continuously from the bottom to avoid sticking. Cook till ricotta cheese dries and forms a ball. It will take 30 to 40 minutes approximately. Let it cool down completely.
2) Add 2 tbsp all purpose four, and pinch of baking soda. Knead well. Use a tsp of water only if required. Knead to make a soft dough.
3) In a saucepan, add sugar and water. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn heat to very low. Add saffron and cardamom.
4) Heat oil over medium flame. Divide the dough into marble size balls. Make smooth surfaced balls, so that they won't crack after putting into hot oil.
5) To check the temperature of oil. Put one ball into hot oil. First, ball should sit at the bottom and then rise slowly after 5 to 7 seconds. If the ball rises fast and color changes immediately, then oil is hotter than required. Turn the heat down a little bit and wait for few minutes.
6) Once you get perfect oil temperature, add 8 to 10 balls at a time and fry them. Keep gulabjam balls moving with steel slotted spoon for even cooking.
7) Fry until gulabjam balls get red color. Drain and put them on paper towel for couple of minutes. Now add them into sugar syrup.
8) Deep fry rest of the gulabjam and remember don't put immediately in sugar syrup. First let them rest for 2-3 minutes before adding to sugar syrup.

Soak gulabjam in sugar syrup for atleast couple of hours. Overnight soaking is better.

Tips:
1) Try to use minimum maida. If you add maida more than required, gulabjam will become chewy and they won't soak well in sugar syrup.
2) Cooking and thickening ricotta cheese is a time consuming process. But gulabjam made out of it comes out soft, moist and delicious. The taste is very close to gulabjam made of Khova.
3) If the gulabjam is breaking after adding in the oil, add a tsp or two maida in the dough and knead well. Make gulabjam as usual.