Balushahi is one of traditional Indian sweets made using all purpose flour, ghee and yoghurt. This sweet is crispy from outside, and has a soft and flaky texture from inside. It is usually made for the weddings and festivals in India. Moreover, this popular Indian cuisine dessert can be stored for a few weeks without getting spoiled. Here is how to make Balushahi Recipe at home.
What is Balushahi?
Balushahi also known as Badusha or Badhusha is a traditional Indian sweet which is soft and flaky from inside and crispy from outside. It is a sweet from the state of Uttar Pradesh but is now made in other regions as well.
In Rajasthan, it is known as Makhan Vada.
It is mostly made for Indian festivals or wedding. It keeps well at room temperature for 8-10 days.
How to prepare Balushahi at home
Making Halwai style Balushahi at home is not as difficult as you would have imagined. Follow my tried and tested recipe and get Balushahi just like your favourite Mithai shop.
- Take all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, ghee and yogurt in a bowl.
- Add ice cold water and make a soft dough from this mix. Do not over knead the dough.
- Now cover the dough and let it rest for good 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough in to equal pieces. Make small size balls as the balushahi will increase in size after frying.
- Finally, in a heavy bottom pan add ghee and fry the dough but not on a high heat. This is the most important step while making balushahi. They must be fried on ver low heat so that they are cooked until inside.
- Dunk the fried Balushahi in sugar syrup and let it cool.
- Follow my recipe for further instructions.
It is darn easy to make Balushahi at home. Therefore I really think you should try it out and serve it as an offbeat dessert during house parties or festivals like Diwali, Rakshabandhan et al. Take a note of my recipe and try it out whenever you feel like:
Tips to make best Balushahi
Making Balushahi at home is very easy. Also, by keeping a few tips and tricks in mind, you can make this delicious sweet in your kitchen.
The first thing to keep in mind for the recipe for Balushahi is to fry it on a very low heat so that it gets cooked nicely from inside. If the heat is high, Balushahi gets browned from outside but is still raw from inside.
Each batch takes approximately 25-30 minutes to fry and please do not overload your pan while frying. Fry the balushahi in batches. Keep the remaining balushahi covered with a cloth until they are ready to be fried.
Another thing to keep in mind is the consistency of sugar syrup. It should be of 1 string consistency otherwise it will not set.
You can fry the Balushahi in oil as well but the real taste comes when it is fried in ghee.
Do not over knead the dough and even while making the rounds, they should be a little asymmetrical.
Use chilled water to knead the dough. You can add a few ice cubes in water if chilled water is not available.
If sugar syrup is getting cooled and set while dipping the balushahi, re heat it once again until it is liquid.
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How to make Balushahi Step by Step
Sieve maida, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl.
Add ghee and mix nicely with your finger tips.
Add yogurt and mix well.
Now add water and knead to make a soft dough.
Cover the dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Make 20-22 equal sized balls from the dough. Do not smoothen them much. Press in the centre of the dough ball with your thumb.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
When the ghee is slightly hot, drop the Balushahis in the ghee very gently. Do not heat the ghee too much otherwise the Balushahi will fry from outside but will remain raw from inside. Fry on very low heat till golden brown.
Remove from heat once done in a plate and let cool completely.
For sugar syrup, heat sugar, water, cardamom powder and saffron in a pan.
Cook till the syrup reaches a 2 string consistency. Dip the balushahi in the sugar syrup and remove on a plate.
Let them dry for 2-3 hours.
Balushahi Recipe
Balushahi
Balushahi is a traditional Indian sweet which is made using all purpose flour, ghee and yogurt. It is crispy from outside and soft and flaky from inside.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Maida/ All purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 cup Ghee/ Clarified butter At room temperature
- 1/4 cup Yogurt Chilled
- Ice Cold water To knead teh dough
- Ghee for frying
For the sugar syrup
- 2 cups Granulated sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
- 1 pinch Saffron crushed
Instructions
Sieve maida, salt and baking soda in a bowl.
- Add ghee and mix nicely with your finger tips.
Add yogurt and mix well.
Now add cold water and knead to make a soft dough.
Cover the dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Make 20-22 equal sized balls from the dough.
- Do not smoothen them much.
Press in the centre of the dough ball with your thumb.
- Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
When the ghee is slightly hot, drop the Balushahi in the ghee very gently.
Do not heat the ghee too much otherwise the Balushahi will fry from outside but will remain raw from inside.
- Fry on very low heat till golden brown.
- Keep changing the sides while frying, but be very gentle.
- Do not overload the pan.
- Fry the Balushahi in batches.
- Each batch will take around 25-30 minutes for frying.
Remove from heat once done in a plate and let cool completely.
For sugar syrup
- Heat sugar, water, cardamom powder and saffron in a pan.
- Do not stir much.
Cook till the syrup reaches a 1 string consistency.
To check the syrup consistency, take a little syrup in a spoon and let it cool slightly.
- Touch the syrup with your forefinger.
- Now touch your forefinger and thumb and pull apart.
It should make 1 string.
Remove the pan from heat once the syrup reaches the desired consistency.
Dip the balushahi in the warm sugar syrup and remove on a plate.
- Let them dry for 2-3 hours.
- Garnish with silver foil and pistachio slivers.
- You can store balushahi in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes
The first thing to keep in mind for the recipe for Balushahi is to fry it on a very low heat so that it gets cooked nicely from inside. If the heat is high, Balushahi gets browned from outside but is still raw from inside.
Each batch takes approximately 25-30 minutes to fry and please do not overload your pan while frying. Fry the balushahi in batches. Keep the remaining balushahi covered with a cloth until they are ready to be fried.
Another thing to keep in mind is the consistency of sugar syrup. It should be of 1 string consistency otherwise it will not set.
You can fry the Balushahi in oil as well but the real taste comes when it is fried in ghee.
Do not over knead the dough and even while making the rounds, they should be a little asymmetrical.
Use chilled water to knead the dough. You can add a few ice cubes in water if chilled water is not available.
If sugar syrup is getting cooled and set while dipping the balushahi, re heat it once again until it is liquid.
Are you making this recipe? I LOVE to see your creations so snap a photo and tag Whiskaffair on Instagram with the hashtag #Whiskaffair and please give a star rating below ★. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for more such easy recipes.
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