Badusha/ Balushahi
Servings 3
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- A fat pinch baking soda
- 2 tbsp melted ghee
- 3 tbsp cold yogurt
- FOR SUGAR SYRUP:
- 1/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 strands saffron
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/2 lemon's juice
Instructions
- Whisk the ghee and yogurt in a bowl.
- Sieve the flour and soda together into the wet ingredients.
- Bring together to make a dough, add little water if necessary - I did not add any water.
- Keep aside the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Bring all ingredients except the lemon juice to boil.
- Cook on low flame stirring occasionally till the syrup thickens and comes to a one-string consistency. When you take the syrup in your spoon and try to pour back, it goes down as a drop.
- Switch off and add the lemon juice, this step is to avoid the syrup from crystallizing. Set aside.
- Transfer the dough onto a well oiled surface. Knead it well till there are no cracks, approximately 10 minutes.
- Divide into six equal portions and roll into a disc, without cracks. Pinch in the centre using your thumb.
- Heat sufficient oil in a frying pan. You can test the readiness of the oil by putting a pinch of dough. If it sinks and then sizzles up, the oil is ready.
- Slide in a badusha, it will start to sizzle. Immediately lower the flame to the lowest. Cook both the sides patiently till golden brown, almost 10 minutes. Do not be in a hurry or else you would have uncooked centers!
- Drain the badusha onto a kitchen towel and then transfer into the sugar syrup.
- Allow it to soak up one side for five minutes,
- Flip and allow the other side to soak up for a couple of minutes. Transfer into a clean plate.
- Repeat this process with all badushas. Allow the badushas to rest and soak up all the sugar syrup, for at least an hour. Garnish with crushed pistachios and devour!
Notes
Knead the dough well, so that they don't have any cracks. A crack may break up the badushas while frying.
If you are worried about the consistency of the syrup like me, then just keep boiling it till it becomes thick. When you lift some syrup with your wooden spoon, the syrup would drop from it as one drop each rather than a stream. This is a good indicator.
For frying the badusha, keep the flame medium high, put the badusha, it will start to sizzle. Immediately push the flame to the lowest. Keep frying on lowest till, flipping to ensure both sides get the same color. Cooking on low flame longer will ensure that the badusha is well cooked inside.
If you are worried about the consistency of the syrup like me, then just keep boiling it till it becomes thick. When you lift some syrup with your wooden spoon, the syrup would drop from it as one drop each rather than a stream. This is a good indicator.
For frying the badusha, keep the flame medium high, put the badusha, it will start to sizzle. Immediately push the flame to the lowest. Keep frying on lowest till, flipping to ensure both sides get the same color. Cooking on low flame longer will ensure that the badusha is well cooked inside.