TO MAKE THE SAVORY GULAB JAMUN BALLS:
Add salt to taste and jeera to the dry gulab jamun mix.
Mix in milk, a few tablespoons at a time until you get a soft dough.
Make it a bit sticky as the mixture will absorb the milk and become dry.
Keep aside for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, knead lightly to form a soft dough that does not stick to your hands.
If needed, add more milk and if the dough is too sticky, stir in some maida or flour.
Heat oil/ghee on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes and then lower the heat to medium-low.
Grease your hands with some oil and make tiny smooth balls of the dough. The trick is to keep pressing the dough ball ever so lightly and then form smooth, crack-free balls.
Once the oil becomes warm (add a small piece of the dough into the oil and if it rises immediately, the oil is too hot and if it settles to the bottom, it is too cold; the dough balls should rise gently and then simmer in the warm
Keep flipping the dough balls continuously in the oil to fry evenly all over.
When golden brown, remove and place on oil-absorbent paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Continue with the rest of the dough.
TO MAKE THE TOMATO PASTE:
Make a fine paste of tomatoes, green chilies, ginger and cashew.
Keep aside.
TO MAKE THE GRAVY:
Heat oil/ghee in a large deep saucepan and once the oil is hot, add the dry spices: jeera, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and bay leaf; sauté on medium high for a few seconds.
Stir in the tomato paste and fry well for a few minutes until the oil starts to separate. At this point, you can remove the whole spices (cloves, cardamoms and bay leaf); optional.
Then add the dry spice powders: red chilli powder, haldi, coriander and cumin powders.
Give it a good mix and saute again for a few seconds until the oil separates.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the whipped curd/yogurt along with hing and kasoori methi powders.
Give it a good stir.
Cook, stirring continuously (this prevents the yogurt from curdling).
Close with a lid and cook on low heat for a few minutes until you see the fat/oil separating.
Add salt to taste along with sugar (to balance the acidity of the yogurt). Mix well.
Stir in enough water/milk to make slightly watery gravy as once you add the gulab jamuns, they will soak up the gravy quickly!
Adjust the salt and sugar to suit your taste.
Gently add the fried savory gulab jamuns (just before serving) into the simmering gravy and heat for about 5 minutes.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with methi laccha paratha or some phulkas, parathas, roti, naan etc.
Notes
The fried gulab jamun balls can be fried ahead of time and then added to the gravy later.
Adjust the amount of spices according to personal preference.
If you like onions and garlic, you can add one grated onion and 2 cloves of grated garlic just before adding the tomato paste. Fry for a few minutes and then add the tomato paste.
Leftover fried, unsoaked gulab jamuns can be stored in the fridge to make gravy or sugar syrup and enjoy later as a sweet or savory dish!
Make sure your gravy is diluted well before adding the gulab jamun dough balls
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
