Badusha or balushahi are soft, flaky deep-fried pastries dunked in a sticky cardamom and rose flavored syrup. Celebrate Diwali with this delicious homemade Indian sweet!
You will need:
For the dough,
All-purpose flour - 1½ cups
Salt - ½ tsp
Baking soda - ½ tsp
Butter - 1½ tbsp, cold
Yogurt - 4 tbsp
Cold water - as needed
Oil - for deep-frying
For the syrup,
Sugar - 1½ cups
Water - ½ cup
Saffron - a generous pinch
Cardamom powder - ½ tsp
Rose water - ½ tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Slivered almonds - 1 tbsp, for garnish
Dried rose petals - 1 tbsp, for garnish
How to:
Dough: Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add small pats of cold butter and mix with your fingers to make a crumbly mass, like sand.
Add yogurt and start mixing to form a dough. Sprinkle cold water, a little at a time, to form a very soft dough.
Knead with your palm for a couple of minutes to smoothen it. Cover and allow to rest for at least half an hour.
Syrup: Make syrup while dough is resting. Take sugar and water in a wide, thick-bottomed pan. Boil on medium-high heat till sugar dissolves and syrup thickens slightly, 4-5 minutes.
Add saffron, cardamom, rose-water and lemon juice to the syrup and allow to steep while you fry the badusha.
Frying & Glazing: Form small lime-sized balls of dough. Flatten each dough ball slightly and make an indentation in the center with your finger.
Heat oil in a large pan. When the oil is hot (a small piece of dough will immediately sizzle and rise up when oil is hot), add a couple of the shaped badusha and fry on medium-low heat till golden on both sides.
Meanwhile, place the prepared syrup on the stove on low heat to warm it up.
Drain the fried badusha from oil and soak in warm syrup for at least 10 minutes. Repeat till all the dough is used up.
Decorate syrup-soaked badusha with almond slivers and rose petals. Store in an airtight container once cooled. Badusha with a soft glaze can be stored on the countertop for a day and must be refrigerated for longer storage.
Notes:
1. Butter greatly improves the flavor and texture of the badusha. But use only the amount suggested here. If too much butter is used, badusha may not hold its shape in the oil. 2. Make sure to fry badusha on medium-low flame only. If flame is too high, badusha will brown rapidly and the insides will still be raw.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2017/09/30/badusha-balushahi/