*This post was written as a part of MasterChef India 2 Contest*Let me start by saying I am a sucker for gulab jamun. I cannot, I mean absolutely CAN NOT stop myself the moment I see one of those reddish-brown/brownish red dripping beauties soaked wet with sugar. So much so that when I don’t have money on me, I avoid passing the sweet shops. Every place I go, I make it a point to taste gulab jamun in the nearest sweet shop I can find. Ditto for lassi but it’s not what this post is all about.
When I was a kid, I didn’t like sweets. I preferred chocolates. It all started with that party and those gulab jamun’s and things changed.
I don’t remember the occasion but dad had thrown a big party for some reason. And there were some 25 odd guests in the house. Caterers were called for food. We kids were required to NOT fool around and basically stay away from food. The faint memory that I have is someone offered me a gulab jamun, which was bought from a shop especially for the occasion and was kept in a stainless steel round airtight box. It was strictly for the guests. I LOVED it. After that I forgot what I was doing that night and ended up eating every single piece of gulab jamun in some half an hour or so before I realized that dad is going to look for this any moment now. I was scared just to imagine dad’s face when he finds out that there is NO sweet dish at all.
My mind was almost screaming to me: 'GO TO SLEEP YOU IDIOT, or else prepare to get thrashed.'
So by 9 ‘ o clock I was in bed and I could almost hear my dad say to my mom
‘yahin to rakhhe the yaar, pata nahin kahan gaye’ (I kept them here itself.wonder what happened?)
When I got up in the morning, my mom was all smiles and It struck me like lightning
‘GULAB JAMUNS’ ‘PARTY’ ‘D-A-D’
But before I could say something, my mom said
‘itna pasand tha to batana tha naa? Main mangwa deti aur. Papa ko nahin bataya maine’ (if you liked it so much, you could have said so. don’t worry, I didn’t tell your dad)
Lesson learnt: mom knows everything
Those were the BEST gulab jamun’s I have had in my life. After that incident whenever I am at home my mom makes it a point to keep a box of gulab jamun’s in the refrigerator. I have tasted it from every shop imaginable in every part of India I have gone to and it just doesn’t match. but I haven’t lost hope. I keep trying.
So here’s a hint to get me to do a favor for you: send me gulab jamun’s
Do you know a famous sweet shop guy in your neighborhood? Have a similar fascination for a sweet?
Do share
haha gulab jamun chor! oh i love them too - they just melt in your mouth ummm but i throw away the syrup. i tried making them at home but all my 3 attempts failed- they either turn too hard or become like kheer!
ReplyDeleteyes mother knows everything - that was sweet
btw,the pic is mouth-watering. its 8.15 a.m, yours is the first blog i opened & this is the pic my eyes fell on. now i need to go on a hunt :)
Nice Post :) :).The first thing I am gonna do after reading this post is get some gulab jamuns :) :) .Nice Sirji ;)
ReplyDeleteOooooooooooooooooooooh I looove gulab Jamuns toooo!! Thr is this shop BAJRANG at my place, which has the awesomest gulan jamuns ever! So many varitiessss!!
ReplyDeleteThe pic is making me drown in my own drool!
Me and Dubey Ji also love Gulab jamun a lot, though I don't dare to compete with Dubey ji as far as eating sweets are concerned. There is an Agaarwal Sweets @Kalusarai, where we guys used to hang in during our JEE prep time. I donno if u have tried it there as well. If not just give it a chance, i don't assure anything but ya it was nice..
ReplyDeleteNice post, first amongst the many that I've come across not training me to be a chef! And what a pick, of all the things, a sweet and that too Gulab Jamuns!
ReplyDeleteAll the best.
I too love gulaaab jamuns! There is a shop called Jain sweets where they have amazingly delicious soft hot gulaaab jaamuns.. Mouth watering ones.. Now you have got me craving!
ReplyDelete@sujatha...slurrp slurrp.you know they have to be just right.else it s a lil weird :( glad i made someone's day
ReplyDelete@bharath...hehehehehe i ll take that as a compliment
@redhanded....u didnt mention the city,state its in.on my to-try list now
@prabhat...agrawal sweets to bohot hai ncr mein.gurgaon mein bhi 2-3 hain.try kara jayega
@pooja....that is so sweet of you.thanks for reading
@maithili....jain sweets.which city, state? i ll take that as a compliment :)
Few people ever can resist Gulab Jamuns.
ReplyDelete:D huhuhuhuhuhuhuhu :D
ReplyDeleteI love gulab jamun too....once I tried cooking and boy, I could have used those gulab jamuns instead of bricks for building a house...
and, mums know every damn thing that happens in the house :D
I don't have a sweet tooth, I have sweet teeth! We Bengalis have our own versions of GJ's - ledikeni, langcha(the oblong ones).
ReplyDeleteAnd I prefer my gulab jamuns dark! Try Sindhi Sweets at Old Rajendra Nagar market - even the inside was a beautiful honey colour and they were always piping hot.
BHOPAL.... :D
ReplyDeleteOoohh, dammit. You awoke the lust for lassi in me. I looooooove lassi. Especially mango lassi. I'd donate my kidneys to you if it means having a whiff of that sinful delight.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all that lassi, I am now a mooti.. It was worth it though. SLLLUURRPP!
@blunt...you could have done that and named the house 'gulab-o house' :)
ReplyDelete@purba...on it lady :) i like them a little light but doesnt matter as long as they taste good
@red .... shit i have been to the city so many times.next time pakka
@darsh... hehehehehe oh my god... LASSI, *runs to the shop* same pinch
My mother is addicted to Gulab Jaman in the same way you are.
ReplyDelete