Balushahi Recipe – Balushahi (also called Badusha in Southern India) is a sweet dish made using all purpose flour. A look at this sweet will be enough for you to find its similarities to Doughnuts. The only difference between the two being the glazy look of Balushahi.
The glazed look of Balushahi is courtesy the final step in the process where it is dipped in sugar syrup. This sweet is my husband’s favorite, thanks to it being low on sweetness and the flaky texture that it has.
Balushahi is primarily a north Indian sweet but somehow at some point in time, it looks like it crossed over to the Southern part with a slightly different name. You will find this sweet in parts of Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh as well.
If you love doughnuts, then you are sure to love Balushahi. On that note let’s jump straight into the recipe. I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Ingredients
- Refined flour maida - 1 1/2 cups
- Soda bicarbonate cooking soda - 1/4 teaspoon
- Ghee/butter - 4 tablespoons
- Yogurt - 6 tablespoons whisked
- Pistachios - 4-5 finely chopped
- Oil/ghee - to deep fry
To make Syrup:
- Sugar - 2 cups
- Milk - 2 tablespoons
- Elachi powder - a generous pinch optional
- Water - 1 cup
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl sift the flour and soda bicarbonate together.
- Add four tablespoons of ghee or butter into the flour mixture and rub with your fingertips till it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Now add yogurt/curd and knead it into a soft dough.(do not kneed to much like you mix dough usually, the dough should look a little flaky)
- Cover the dough with a wet cloth and allow it to rest for about forty minutes.
- Divide the dough into twelve equal portions and make a round shape .
- Make a slight dent or hole in the middle with your thumb. Keep the balls covered and set aside.
- Heat sufficient ghee or oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Once oil is hot slide in the prepared dough balls slowly, three to four at a time, and deep-fry on low heat.
- In sometime you can see that the balushahi will start floating to the top.
- Flip it to other side, once it gets browned on one side.
- Fry until golden brown (Do not fry in high flame).
- Follow the same procedure for frying the remaining badushas.
- Once done remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
- Set aside to cool till they reach room temperature.
- Mix the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan and set up to boil, on a medium flame.
- When the sugar is all dissolved, add the milk to the syrup (the milk causes any impurities to surface and be removed) and allow to boil for some more time.
- A scum will be formed on the surface.
- Collect the scum with a ladle and discard. Continue to cook till the syrup attains a two-string consistency.(If you like less sweet then you can cook till one thread consistency)
- Soak the cooled balushahi in syrup for about two hours.
- Slowly take out the balushahi from the sugar syrup and place on a serving plate.
- Garnish with chopped pistachios.
- Keep it aside for two to three hours until the sugar syrup forms a thin white coating on the balushahi and enjoy.
Notes
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