Halwai Style Balushahi Recipe

Balushahi, also known in South India as Badusha is a classic sweet dessert similar to a glazed doughnut in terms of ingredients. This simple traditional mouth watering sweet is a gem among North Indian sweets which can be found in every street corner sweet shop.

Balushahi is made with all purpose flour and stuffed with dry fruits and nuts and then soaked in the sugar syrup. Some sprinkle them with cocoa powder, chips of pistachios or powdered sugar. Many also add a little cardamom to raise the taste

It is prepared on special days and is a mostly common sweet for auspicious occasions like marriages, Diwali, Teej and other festivals.

This traditional Indian sweet is very easy to prepare and is also a constant presence of the festivals that take place in South India. It is not very sweet, but it is tasty thanks to its slightly brittle texture. In South Asia, especially in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, balushahi is a popular sweet that is made in the same way as the iced donut cake from Western cultures except that there is not a hole in the middle.



Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories per serving: 425 calories per 100 gms

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup clarified butter
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp curd
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
Oil

Recipe Method:

Mix the flour and soda in a bowl. Add the ghee and curd to this and knead a smooth, soft dough. Add water if required. Keep covered aside for an hour.

Knead the dough again until smooth and soft. Take small portion of dough between your palms and roll into a long log. Pinch off small gooseberry doughnut sized balls of the dough and make into smooth balls. Flatten each between your palms with just one press, press in the middle. Set aside.

Heat enough oil in a wide pan. Drop in as much balls as you can without overcrowding them. They should be able to float without overlapping. Once you have added the balls, reduce the flame to low and fry until both sides turn golden brown. Drain and set aside.

In a pan, heat sugar and water. Cook down the sugar syrup until it's thick and coats the back of the spoon. Reduce flame to low. Add the fried balls to the sugar syrup and mix them well together until the sugar thickens and crystallizes and coat the balls evenly.

Transfer the hot badusha to another plate. Cool completely and transfer to airtight containers.