Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour (maida or plain flour)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup unsalted butter cold cut into small pieces or cold clarified butter ghee
1/4 cup yogurt cold(curd, dahi)
Syrup
1 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
4 cardamom pods crushed
For Garnish
About 1 tablespoons sliced pistachios
Method
Syrup
In a sauce pan add water, sugar, and cardamom over medium heat, bring it to a boil. Let it simmer until syrup is almost to one thread on candy thermometer it should be 215 degree. Set aside.
Balushahi
In a bowl mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
Add butter mix with your fingers, mixture should be crumby.
Add the yogurt slowly as needed making into soft dough. Do not knead the dough.
Cover the dough and let it sit for about half an hour.
Take the dough and knead just enough to hold it together.
Divide the dough into 12 equal parts.
Make the dough balls, Balls will not be very smooth and will have cracks all around; make a deep dent in the center of the balls.
Heat the oil in a flat frying pan over low heat.
The frying pan should have about 1 ½ inch of oil. To check if oil is ready put a little piece of dough in the oil. It should make oil lightly sizzle, if dough float oil is too hot.
Place the Balushahi in the frying pan don’t overcrowd as Balushahi will expend to about 1-1/2 time and they should not overlap.
It should take about 2 minutes before Balushahi will come up. Wait another 3-4 minutes before turning over Balushahi should be light brown from bottom. Fry the Balushahi until they are golden brown from both sides; do not turn more then three times. This should take about 10 minutes. Balushahi will look very flakey If the Balushahi are fried on high heat, they will not be cooked inside.
Take them out over layered of paper towel so it can absorb the extra oil.
Dip Balushahi in the syrup all around and remove them. Don’t leave them in syrup.
Mouthwatering flaky Balushahis are ready and looking great read. Garnish them with pistachios.
Source: Manjulas Kitchen
Prepared, tried and tested by: Preshana Singh
