Celebrate the Diwali festive vibes with - Balushahi | Badusha

Balushahi | Badusha | Makkhan Vada is a crunchy sweetened Indian doughnut-like dessert prepared during festivals like Diwali. It has a flaky texture that just crumbles and melts in your mouth.

With Diwali around the corner and preparations in full swing, I thought of sharing a simple yet delicious sweet recipe, which you can prepare at home. This time I was behind the camera and my mother-in-law became the head cook and taught me the Balushahi recipe. It turned out to be perfect and delicious.

Let's check out the recipe which I learned.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 bowl all-purpose flour (maida)
2. 2 tbsp curd
3. 1 bowl sugar
4. 1/4th bowl ghee
5. 1 pinch baking soda
6. 1 pinch salt
7. 1 bowl water
8. 1 tsp cardamom powder
9. 2 bowls oil for frying
10. Sliced pistachio for garnishing

Servings: 14-15 balushahis

Cuisine: North Indian

Total time: 45 mins

Method

You can check out the video recipe here -

Preparing dough

1. Combine 1 1/2 bowl of maida, a pinch of salt, and baking soda in a wide container.
2. Add 1/4th bowl of ghee.
3. Mix well. To check for the correct quantity of ghee, try to make a ball roughly. If you can mold, it means the ghee quantity is perfect. Checkout the video to see it in action.
4. Add 2 tbsp of curd to the mixture.
5. Add little water and make a dough.
6. Cover it for 20-30 minutes.

Preparing sugar syrup

1. Heat 1 bowl of water.
2. Add 1 bowl of sugar and 1 tsp cardamom powder.
3. Stir well.
4. Bring the mixture to boil on high flame for 10 minutes. Keep stirring.
5. The syrup becomes sticky. Check for 1 string consistency by taking a small quantity between your fingers. Check out the video to see 1 string consistency test.
6. After getting the right consistency, switch off the gas and keep it aside.

Preparing balushahis

1. Remove the cover from the dough. Pinch small/medium sized ball.
2. Roll the ball gently and lightly between your palms.
3. Make a small dent in the center and keep it aside.
4. Repeat the procedure for the rest of the dough.
5. Heat oil in a pan on low flame.
6. Drop 3-4 balushahis in a pan. Fry them on a low flame till they turn golden brown on both sides. Each batch takes 10-12 minutes.
7. Remove the balushahis from oil and place over the tissue paper.
8. Drop them in sugar syrup and soak for about an hour.
9. Remove them from the syrup and place on a plate.
10. Garnish with dry fruits and enjoy the delicious balushahis.

Tips

1. Do not knead the dough otherwise, the flakey texture of the balushahis would be lost.
2. Fry the balushahis on medium flame so that they are cooked properly from inside.
3. To remove impurities from sugar, add 1 tsp milk. After some time the impurities will float on the top and should be removed.