Balushahi

Ingredients

Maida                                           - 2 cups (all purpose flour)
Baking powder                             - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda                                  - 1/4 tsp
Sugar                                            - 1 tsp
Curd                                             - 2 tbsps
Ghee                                             - 1/4 cup, melted
Oil                                                - 1 tbsp
Water                                           - as required for making dough
Pistachio flakes                           - for garnishing

For sugar syrup:
Sugar                                           - 1 1/2 cups
Water                                          - 1 1/2 cups
Lemon juice                                - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom powder                     - pinch (elaichi)

Method:

In a wide bowl, sift maida, baking powder and baking soda. Add sugar and mix well. Make a well in the center, add curd and ghee and mix with the maida. It should resemble to bread crumbs.











Add a little more curd if required. Now slowly add little water and make a soft and pliable dough. Leave aside covered for at least an hour.













In a heavy stainless steel vessel, add sugar and water and allow the sugar to dissolve on medium flame. Reduce flame to low, allow the sugar syrup to thicken lightly. The syrup should be sticky on touch and it should reach one string consistency. Add lemon juice and elachi powder and turn off flame.

After the dough has rested, do not knead. To prepare badusha, pinch off lemon sized dough and roll into balls. Flatten the balls lightly and make a depression in the center using your thumb. Making the depression is crucial, so do not skip this step.

Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel till hot but not smoking hot. Add a small piece of dough into the oil and if it sizzles and comes to the surface, the oil is ready for deep frying. SWITCH OFF THE FLAME. Now slowly add 4-5 balushahi into the hot oil and allow them to rise to the surface of the oil. Do not skip this step. It is similar to how we would fry gulab jamuns.

Once the balushahi surface to the top of the oil, turn on flame to low and cook on both sides till golden brown. The key to a good balushahi is in the deep frying. The balushahi have to cook slowly and do not rush through the process by trying to cook them on high flame as they will remain uncooked inside. It has to reach golden brown color. Do not over cook it to a darker golden shade.
Using a slotted ladle, remove the balushahi from the hot oil and place them gently in the warm sugar syrup. Once the balushahi sits in the syrup, use a ladle and allow it to sink inside the syrup such that it is coated all over. Allow to sit in the syrup till the next batch of balushahi is done. In between do flip over to the other side so that the balushahi absorb the syrup evenly. Remove from the syrup and place them on a plate and allow to come to room temperature.

Garnish them with Pistachio flakes.