Craving for sweets?? Then why wait for an occasion or festival, when you can prepare this sweet right at home with easily available ingredients and an easy recipe like this .

Craving is not limited only to the ‘expected women’ , it’s like a see and feel disease. 😀 .It spreads infectiously. On the instance of one of my expecting friends, I made these Balushahi. Balushahi, a famous North-Indian (I tasted it first in Budhana, a small town in Muzaffarnagar. Back then I was too young to understand the texture of this sweet. :D) sweet with flaky layers inside , crispy layers outside and melt in mouth, crumbling texture are some of its symptoms . It is also known as “Badusha” in some states. The last and the most dangerous symptom is : you are drawn towards its aroma and are compelled to try once more . 😉

This time I followed “Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe” with a little twist and they came out better than my last attempt. Now I know why.
To know more , let’s go to the recipe..

Video Recipe here :

Written recipe With step-by-step pictures :

INGREDIENTS:
For the Dough>>
1. White Wheat flour / All purpose flour (Maida) – 3 cups
2. Baking Soda (Meetha soda) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
3. Baking Powder – ¹⁄₄ tsp
4. Clarified butter (Desi ghee) preferably cold or at room temperature – 12 tbsp or ³⁄₄ cups
5. Home-made yogurt or fresh cold yogurt (Dahi) – 8 tbsp or ¹⁄₂ cup
6. Water – a few drops or 2 tsp if needed

For Sugar Syrup>>
1. Sugar (cheeni) – 3 cups
2. Water – 1 cup
3. Cardamom pods (elaichi dane) – 2 tsp
4. Saffron strands (kesar) soaked in 1 tsp water – 25 to 35
5. Lemon squeeze or juice – 1 tsp

For Frying>>
Clarified butter (Desi Ghee) – 3 cups

For Garnishing>>
Sliced or crushed pistachios(pista) – 10 to 20
Sliced almonds – 10 to 20

METHOD:
| Preparation time : 5 + 15 mins | Cooking time : 30 to 45 mins | Makes approx 42 small size Balushahi|

1. We begin with making our dough. For the dough we sift maida, baking soda and baking powder through a colander (chhalni) in a tureen (paraat). Make sure not to change these quantities. I have tried using more soda for a flakier version ,but all of the balushahi crumbled while frying in the wok itself.
   [Note: We have used baking soda to activate the butter and dahi for the flakiness in the dough. But baking soda’s effect wouldn’t last long. So to slow down the process of rising ,we use baking powder. ]

2. Now add the ghee to make a bread-crumb kind of dough consistency. Mix this ghee well with the dry mixture.

3. Add all the yogurt and mix it with the dough and try to just combine it enough to form a soft rough dough. Don’t knead the dough or try to make it smooth. Sprinkle some water if needed and just cover the dough with a wet cloth or plate and allow it to rest on the counter for 15 to 20 mins.

dough

1. While our dough is resting, we can make our sugar syrup. For this take a pan and add sugar and water in it. Add as much water as is needed to cover the sugar. Let it come to a boil on high heat.

boiling sugar syrup

1. Soak some saffron strands in warm water for 5 to 10 mins. When the sugar syrup starts boiling lower the heat, start stirring and check its consistency. For 1 thread syrup, to check the consistency, drop the syrup with a ladle back in the pan . If the last drop drops in the form of string , it is ready. Turn off the heat and add the saffron and cardamom pods in it. Stir it well. Also add the lemon juice to avoid crystallization of sugar on cooling.

2. After about 15-20 mins uncover the dough. Flatten it with your palms on a board (chakla) in a rectangular shape. Don’t press too hard. Cut it in half with a knife. Place one half over the other. Again try to make an oblong shape with palms’ pressure. Cut it in half again and place on top of each other.

3. Now cut out two cylinders from the dough. From each cylinder cut out equal portions from the dough to make a round. Take one portion, press it slightly between our palms and make a dent with your index finger in the center. Similarly prepare all the roundels. These peculiar shapes help in deep frying the core and the sides evenly.

roundels

8.Now heat some ghee in a wok(kadhai) at low heat. I would specifically write ghee, this is the basic difference in both of my recipes.(Check my previous recipe here: Balushahi.) Ghee gives a royal, addictive taste to this sweet. You may use oil though for health issues. But remember the taste of Ghee-fried sweets is unmatched. For my burner, I heated it on no.2 (from 1 to 10).

1. The temperature needed for frying balushahis is very low. To check the temperature drop a small pinch of dough in the ghee. If it sinks instantly and then slowly comes up and sizzles , the oil is ready. Start adding balushahi pieces gently in the warm ghee just enough that they get space to swell up and sizzle after 4 to 5 mins. For my wok, I added not more than 6 small shapes.
   
   

1. Turn them on the other side only when you see the sides getting partial brown gently with a slotted spoon(koncha/poni). I turned mine after 8 mins.Be attentive and patient. Good things need time . 😀

2. Don’t over-brown them in the wok for flakiness since, they would turn darker after getting our of the wok and would taste bitter. Fry them on low heat with continuous sizzling. At high temperature they would turn brown quickly , their core would be left uncooked and they won’t swell as much as they can. Take them out on an absorbent paper-towel lined plate with a slotted spoon when fried golden on both sides. Allow them to cool for 5 to 10 mins.

3. While adding the next batch, make a dent again in the center with your fingers, since they tend to rise with time. Gently add them in the ghee and let them sit for at least 8 to 10 mins untouched. Similarly fry all the balushahis and let them cool in a plate.

4. Warm the sugar syrup , and drop the cooled balushahis in the syrup and coat it nicely with two ladles. You may drop one balushahi in syrup, use one ladle to pour some syrup and the other to catch it again. Similarly alternate the pouring and catching of balushahi with these ladles. Or you may simple pour the syrup on the balushahis in a tray.
   [Note: Never pour cold syrup on hot balushahis or warm syrup on warm balushahis. Cold syrup won’t reach the core and the warm balushahis would lose all the flaky texture and get soggy in the syrup.]

5. Garnish it with sliced or crushed pistachios and almonds . Devour them and surprise your guests with these addictive sweets. 😀
   

Don’t pick one, pick two

You can store them on counter in a closed container for 4 to 5 days and in refrigerator for a week . Try them and share your feedback with me! I hope this recipe would be a sure hit in your homes !! Don’t forget to work out these calories after the indulgence , 😉 .
Till then keep cooking..
🙂