Soft, melt-in-the-mouth sweet potato gulab jamuns soaked in fragrant saffron sugar syrup. A unique twist on the classic Indian dessert, perfect for festive occasions.
Sweet Potato Jamuns are originally a Bengali version of Gulab Jamun, lovingly known as Mishti aloo'r Pantua or Ranga aloo'r Pantua. Before making them I googled to find out more about this recipe and found few versions of it, also I came to know that this recipe can be prepared with or without any dairy products and they can be filled with nuts or milk solids ( khoya ).
Instead of boiling sweet potatoes, I microwave them without any water, reason for doing this that sweet potato are almost without any moisture thus less plain flour needed to form the dough.
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Gulab Jamun (with Kewra Sugar Syrup)
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Balls
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 to 3 tablespoons plain flour as needed, depending on moisture
- 1 tablespoon semolina
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder optional
- pinch salt optional
- pinch baking powder
- sunflower oil for deep frying
Kewra Sugar Syrup
- 600 grams sugar
- 800 millilitres water
- 8-10 saffron strands
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
Garnish
- nuts chopped
- saffron strands optional
Instructions
Prepare the Sugar Syrup
- In a large pan, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil.
- Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the syrup slightly thickens.
- To test, the syrup should fall from a spoon in a thin single thread.
- Turn off the heat and add cardamom powder and saffron strands.
- Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
Prepare the Sweet Potato Mixture
- Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly and pierce them with a fork or knife.
- Microwave or cook until completely soft, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Peel and mash until completely smooth with no lumps.
- Add plain flour, semolina, cardamom powder, salt, and baking powder.
- Mix well to form a soft dough. If the dough is dry add 1 teaspoon milk.
- Rest the dough briefly, then knead again for a few seconds.
- Shape into even golf-ball-sized portions.
Fry and Soak
- Heat sunflower oil in a deep pan, then switch off the heat briefly to reduce temperature slightly.
- Add a few balls at a time and allow them to rise to the surface.
- Turn the heat back on and fry on low heat until medium golden brown.
- Remove and immediately prick each jamun with a fine needle.
- Place into the prepared sugar syrup whilst jamuns are warm.
- Repeat with remaining jamuns.
- Allow to soak for 6 to 7 hours before serving.
Notes
- Ensure the sweet potato mixture is smooth to avoid cracks while frying.
- Maintain low oil temperature for even cooking.
- Jamuns must be soaked while warm for best absorption of syrup.
- Store soaked jamuns in syrup in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Share on Facebook Pin This Recipe
Hayley Dhanecha says
The sweet potato gives these gulab jamun such a beautifully soft texture and a lovely natural sweetness that works so well soaked in that fragrant cardamom and saffron syrup, this is one of those Diwali sweets that always disappears from the platter the fastest in our house.
Sandhya Hariharan says
Lovely! I am drooling Jagruti... Some great pictures in this post.