It's been a long I was craving for the halwai style Balushahi. Needless to say, it is not possible to order the famous Indian sweetmeat during the lockdown. Though in Kolkata, Swiggy and Zomato services are available, however, offerings are for sure limited. This is when I decided to make it at home! It took me no time to make a batch of 12.
We as a family are true blue Bangali and hence, we crave mishti on and off. These days, I am trying to make dishes that are easy to make yet tasty. I learned to make this long back during our stay in Gurgaon from a neighbor who was from Bikaner. The recipe is a tried and tested one and I do not change it as it gives me the perfect crispiness as well as properly syrup-soaked Balusahi.
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What is Balushahi?
Balushahi is a fried dessert with its origin in Northern India. You may find it in UP, Bihar, NCR, and Rajasthan quite easily. They call it Makhan vada in Rajasthan. In South India, a similar dessert is prepared which is known as Badusha or Bhadushah. Structurally Balushahi resembles Doughnut though there is no similarity in taste. Prepared with all-purpose flour and then soaked in sugar syrup, this dessert is a marriage special in India, especially on the northern side.
The Balushahi making Video recipe!
Is Balushahi a lockdown-friendly recipe?
Surprisingly this rich delicacy calls for very common ingredients that are available in Indian households. You do not need to procure exotic materials to make Halwai-style Balushahi at home! Moreover, you can store it for more than seven days easily at home. Needless to say, all these features make it a lockdown-friendly recipe. The calorie though is another case!
A few important tips!
- I have already mentioned that the recipe calls for very basic ingredients.
- Try to follow the ingredient list as mentioned to get the ideal texture.
- I use Ghee to make the dough and oil (with little ghee) to fry. You can for sure use only ghee or oil based on your preference.
Recipe Card
Balushahi Recipe | Halwai Style Balushahi
Balushahi is a fried dessert with its origin in Northern India. You may find it in UP, Bihar, NCR, and Rajasthan quite easily.
Ingredients
To make the dough:
- 250 g All-purpose Flour/ Maida
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 50 g Ghee
- 75 g Plain Curd Cold
- 2 tablespoon Cold Water
To make the Sugar Syrup:
- 250 g Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- 3 Green Cardamom
- 20 strands Saffron
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
To fry:
- Vegetable Oil sufficient for deep frying
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
To garnish:
- 10 Pistachios chopped
Instructions
Dough:
- Take All-purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and also Salt in a bowl and mix those.
- Now add Ghee to it and mix using the fingers until the mixture turns sand-like.
- Add Curd and gather the mixture in one place.
- Do not over-knead it as over-kneading may lead to gluten formation.
- If needed add very little water while kneading.
- The entire kneading process should not take more than 2 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a cloth for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into twelve equal portions.
- Give those around shape however do not press much.
- If the dough ball is having a few cracks on it, let those be as it is.
- Now using your thumb make an impression in the mid so that there's a hole.
- It would look like a small doughnut.
- Shape the rest of the Balushahis.
Sugar Syrup:
- Take Sugar along with water in a pan.
- Add Green cardamom and also saffron to it and bring it to boil.
- While boiling add lemon juice.
- Remove the impurities from the top if needed.
- The syrup should be of two-string consistency.
- It will take around 8-9 minutes to make the syrup.
Frying the Balusahi:
- Now heat oil in a pan.
- Add 2 tablespoon Ghee to it.
- Keep the flame on the lower side.
- The oil should not be over-heated.
- Put 4-6 balusahis at one go depending on the size of the pan.
- The balls should be dipped in the oil halfway through.
- You need to fry those at low temperatures.
- It will take 12-14 minutes to fry one batch.
- The balls are super soft and hence you cannot turn those much while frying.
- You can turn after the first three minutes of frying and then after every three minutes.
- After 12-14 minutes the balls should have a nice golden brown color.
- Strain those from the oil.
Soaking in Syrup!
- In the meanwhile, warm the syrup. It should not be excessively hot.
- Put around 5 Balusahis in one go and coat with the syrup.
- Turn after 3 minutes and let it soaked.
- It will take 10 minutes of soaking.
Garnishing!
- Garnish the Balusahi with chopped Pistachios.
- Dry those in room temperature before storing in an air-tight container.
Video
Nutrition
Lockdown recipes from Debjanir Rannaghar!
- Paneer er Dalna (Also known as Niramish Paneer Er Torkari)
- Chicken Salad (Also known as cold chicken salad)
- Instant Mawa Recipe with three Ingredients (Also known as homemade khowa)
- Banana Peanut butter Ice cream (Also known as homemade banana nicecream)
- Dalgona Coffee Recipe (Also known as Whipped Coffee)
- Kolar Bora (Also known as Bengali Banana Fritters)
- Birista Pulao (also known as Piyaz Beresta Pulao)
- Bengali Niramish Khichuri (also known as Bhoger Khichuri or Bengali Khichuri)
- Shobji diye Shutki Macher Jhol (Also known as Dry fish curry with veggies)
- Neem Begun (Also known as Stir-fried Neem leaves and Eggplant)
- Potol Bata (Also known as Bengali-style Pointed Gourd Paste)
- Pishpash (also known as Anglo-Indian Rice and Chicken Hotchpotch)
- Kalojira Bhorta (Also known as Bengali style Nigella seed paste)
Have you tried the Balushahi recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
Do let me know how it came out. Also, I would love to see a picture of the same which you can share here at [email protected]. Meanwhile, on Instagram, you can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.
Here's the Balusahi aka Badushah Pin for your Pinterest Board!
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
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