Badusha Balushahi Recipe
Diwali sweets

Festival foods - Indian sweets Recipe

Badusha or balushahi recipe is a traditional Indian sweet recipe. It is popular as a Diwali sweet. It generally is a part of the festival gift box. Balushahi has a long shelf life.

Balushahi/Badusha is prepared at festivals such as diwali as well as wedding feasts and any other festive occasion. In North India it is known as balushahi, and in South India, it is refered to as badusha.

Balushahi is available in sweet shops but it is quite easy to make it at home. As it has a long shelf life, you can make it in advance for a festival or a party. and keep it for 3-4 weeks without refrigeration

Because of the long shelf life as well as yummy taste, it is a popular sweet to add to the Dasara or diwali sweets gift box.

How to make Balushahi - Badusha at home

Ingredients For Balu Shahi - Badusha

2 cups refined flour
1/4 cup ghee(melted) or refined vegetable oil
3 tbsp yogurt (slightly sour is alright)
1 pinch baking powder(optional)
2-3 tbsp. warm water, as needed
ghee or refined vegetable oil for deep frying

Ingredients for syrup:

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Optional ingredients for decoration and seving

Grated kopra or desiccated coconut.(you may add a little orange or green food color to this)
tuti fruity
Cloves

Preparation to do before cooking balusha

Sieve the flour and the baking powder(if adding) in a mixing bowl and add the heated/melted ghee.
Rub the mixture with your fingers till it becomes like crumbs.
Add curd and mix again.
Add warm water little by little and mix into a stiff dough. Do not knead it too much.
Wet a clean cloth, wring out all water. Keep the dough covered with the wet cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.

Preparing the sugar syrup for balushahi - badusha

Mix the sugar and water together in a wide pan. Stir once in a while.
Heat it till it starts boiling. Reduce heat and continue boiling till it becomes thick and sticky. (test this by putting a drop of syrup on a plate, let cool a little and touch with you finger.)
Once it is sticky, switch off the flame. Keep the syrup aside. It should remain warm.

Method to cook/ fry Balushahi - Badusha

Make lime sized balls of the dough.
Press between your palms to flatten. Make a depression / dent in the middle of the flattened circle. You may also fold the edges inwards if you have time and want to make the badusha more decorative.
Keep all the balls covered with the wet cloth till frying time.

Frying Balushahi - Badusha

Heat the ghee/oil in a frying pan. Once the oil/ghee is hot, reduce heat to minimum.
Add a 5-6 balushahis to the hot oil. How many you add will depend on the amount of oil you have in the pan. Do not add too many. The balusha should not overlap when they float.
Fry the balushahi on low flame. They will float when they are almost done. Turn in once in a while.
Fry until they are golden brown.When they are golden brown, take them out of the oil and drain well.

Putting balushahi in sugar syrup

After draning the balushahi, put the fried badusha in the warm syrup for a few minutes. Shake the syrup pan if necessary, to let badusha coat well with syrup.
Take balushahi out from the syrup pan and place on a plate till they cool completely.