Gulab Jamun

Looks like I didn't make it to the next round of Project Food Blog. Originally, I thought I did because I was listed first on the winners announced page. Then when I tried submitting, it told me I didn't make it. Did anybody else have this confusion? Or am I just dumb? Why would Foodbuzz list me on the winners announced page if I didn't make it?

Well I ended up making an entry anyway, which is ok because I burnt them. Round two was to tackle a classic ethnic dish you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar making. Immediately I was thinking Indian or Asian of some sort. My friend suggested samosas. Then she thought of gulab jamun. The challenge never specified dinner or dessert, and gulab jamun is a classic Indian dessert. When I read I had to use khova, I knew this made me a little uneasy. With no Indian stores anywhere close, I opted to make my own.



Khova is milk cooked down to a paste-like consistency, which takes between 1-2 hours, depending on how much milk you are reducing. This made me nervous because either my milk was going to burn really bad or I wouldn't get the correct consistency. Who wants to waste all that milk and time for nothing? The recipe I used (found at Cooking 4 All Seasons) called for 1.5 liters, which is about 6 cups of milk. Yikes. Since it's just me, I cut the recipe in half and used 3 cups, which is 3/4 quart. My khova took about 75 minutes to make, and I was getting excited towards the end because it actually looked like khova. I found a nice pictorial reference at Flavours and Tastes.


Look at how tiny! 3 cups of milk = 1/4 cup khova

Then you mix your fresh khova with some flour and baking soda and divide into small balls. While you are waiting for the oil to heat up, make your syrup. Boil together sugar and water. Then add cardamon and rose water (ick). I thought I had ground cardamon but realized it was actually coriander. Fortunately, I had green cardamon pods from Marx Food a lonngggg time ago, so I brought out my mortal and pestle and crushed them.



Since I only made four balls, I fried them all at once. They were in about two minutes when I realized they were burnt. Crap. I mixed them with the syrup anyway. Maybe I could eat the inside. Turns out I put too much cardamon in the syrup, so it was a little overpowering. I only took a picture of the inside because I'm too embarrassed to show them burnt. I guess there's always next time, right?



The gulab jamun recipe I used was from Aayi's Recipes. Please check out her blog for pictures of yummy, not burnt gulab jamun.

Project Food Blog - Now Voting!

Voting for the first round of Project Food Blog is now open! If you enjoy reading my blog (and I know I've been slacking), could you please take a few minutes to vote? Click on this link. You will see a Food Buzz toolbar up top. There should be a link that says "Vote For This Entry."

Project Food Blog - Ready, Set, Blog!

In case you haven't heard yet, Food Buzz is hosting the first annual Project Food Blog Challenge! Featured FB publishers are competing in multiple challenges to be the top blogger in the Food Buzz realm. There are about 2,000 participating bloggers, and only 400 will make it to round two.



How am I different than the average blogger? I don't have a family. I don't have a boyfriend, fiancee, husband. I don't have kids, nieces, nephews. Right now, I live alone. New job, new town, just me. Not even ol' Murray made it.



What I'm trying to say is I'm an independent cook. Sometimes, it's a struggle to make dinner because I get home from work and want to lay down forever. Most people would opt for boxed mac and cheese, ramen noodles, pretty much anything convenient. Not me. I want freshness. I want flavor. Most of the time, it's cheaper to make than to buy. Healthier to make homemade cheese sauce than using the who-knows-what orange powder. It's not like you go out of your way, either. Cheese sauce - melt cheese, milk, butter, flour. Done. Fajita seasoning? Mix together a bunch of spices and put in a jar. Done.

So if most of my readers have families, how do my recipes pertain to them? For starters, you can easily double the recipes I use, mainly because I cut them in half in the first place. The exception would be with baked goods, unless I made mini versions of something. Also, I have a tight income. I may only be feeding myself, but that doesn't mean I can spend my money freely. In the end, making homemade saves money for everyone.



Why should I be the next food blog star? I have a lot of passion for food. When I met everyone at my new job, they asked, what are your hobbies? I answered I love to be in the kitchen. My dream job would be a video editor on a Food Network production. If not FN, then at least for a food-related show or company. I spend money on ingredients and supplies rather than movies and shoes. Food is my life. It helps me with my loneliness, both when I studied abroad and now with my new life. Just this past weekend, I found a new favorite food store because they had ingredients I have never seen in person, including dragees.