Ever tried Sweet Potato Gulab Jamuns? I’ve been drooling over all the Diwali sweets being shared here and with only a week left to go, I couldn’t wait any longer to make some of my own. This was my first attempt at making gluten-free and refined sugar-free Gulab Jamuns and I’m very pleased with the outcome. I have to mention, that despite the name and the resemblance, these don’t taste exactly like their traditional counterparts (they ARE made out of sweet potatoes, after all). Nonetheless, they are delicious in their own right. The recipe is shared in the comments below for anyone who’d like to try (do make sure to read the tips I’ve jotted down along with the recipe).

Recipe

Sweet Potato Gulab Jamuns

(Makes 18 small Gulab Jamuns)

Ingredients

300 gms sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tbsp tapioca starch
Ghee for frying
For the syrup:
1/2 cup powdered jaggery/honey (whatever you prefer)
1 cup water
4 cardamom pods, pounded
A large pinch of saffron
1 tsp rose water (optional)

Method

Wash the sweet potatoes and boil/pressure cook until they are soft. Allow to cool.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup. In a saucepan, heat the jaggery/honey with the water, cardamom & saffron. Once the mixture boils, reduce the flame and simmer for another 5 minutes. There is no need to make the syrup too thick. Add the rose water if using, remove from heat and leave to cool at room temperature.

Peel the cooled sweet potatoes and mash them well with a potato masher (I used a potato ricer). Mix in the tapioca starch and knead lightly until well combined.

Roll into 18 equal-sized balls (little smaller than golf balls). Make sure they are smooth with no cracks on the surface.

Heat ghee in a wok and fry the jamuns until they turn a golden brown (do not fry them too dark).

Drain on a paper towel and rest them until they are cool. Then add them to the cooled syrup (please refer to my notes below).

Spoon the syrup over the jamuns to make sure they are well coated. For best results, let the gulab jamuns rest a few hours before eating.

Notes

• These taste best when fried in ghee.

• Because this was a small batch, I used a small tempering pan to deep fry the jamuns. That way I ended up using less oil, but this method is tedious because I can only fry one or two jamuns at a time.

• Avoid the temptation to fry the jamuns deeper than a golden brown. If you fry them darker, they will taste a bit burned.

• Honey will give you a clearer syrup. Since I like the taste of jaggery, I used that instead of honey. This is a personal choice, either will work.

• Don’t soak the fried jamuns in hot syrup. They will shrivel up if you do. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before adding the jamuns.

• Don’t leave them in the syrup too long or they will start to fall apart.

• Allow the jamuns to rest for a few hours before eating them. They’ll taste less like sweet potatoes that way.

• These are best consumed the day they are prepared. If consuming the next day, store refrigerated in an airtight container.