Badusha / Balushahi (Indian Doughnuts) step-by-step recipe with photos.
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About this recipe
Badusha or balushahi - flaky and crunchy from outside, soft and melt-in-mouth from inside, these Indian doughnuts are to die for. While they are called Indian doughnuts, the taste and texture are nowhere near a doughnut. In terms of ingredients, it matches a glazed doughnut. It is known as balushahi in North Indian and badusha in South India.
I make them for festivals like Diwali and Ugadi and it is always an absolute hit. Definitely a hero of any festive food. Trust me it is not as difficult to make as it sounds.
Ingredients
Plain flour: Badusha is made with plain flour (maida).
Ghee: I use homemade ghee to make badusha.
Yogurt: Use room temperature yogurt while making the dough.
Sugar: Both plain and raw sugar work well to make sugar syrup.
Tips for making the best badusha
It is very important not to overdo the dough. Else the badusha will not be flaky.
Make a deep indent at the center while shaping the badusha. Else, they will puff up when fried.
Do not add water while kneading the dough. Yogurt is sufficient to bring the dough together.
The oil should be just hot for frying. To test if the oil is ready, drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil. It should start sizzling but should not immediately raise to the top.
Do not flip the badusha many times while frying. Badusha initially sinks to the bottom of the oil and slowly raises to the top. Once you see golden colour at the bottom side (approximately 4-5 minutes depending on the flame), flip it once and fry for another 5 minutes.
Always fry on low flame. It takes approximately 9-10 minutes to fry each batch.
Do not overcrowd the oil as badusha tends to expand while frying.
Make sure to coat the badusha completely with sugar syrup. Don’t leave the badusha in the sugar syrup for a long time as the syrup tends to crystallise once it cools down
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Step by step instructions
1. Add ghee to the flour mix and rub it to make it crumbly
2. Lightly knead the dough and let it rest
3. Shape the dough once it is rested
4. Deep fry in hot oil (see notes)
5. Drain on a kitchen towel
6. Dip the cooled badusha in warm syrup for 2 minutes
7. Remove from the syrup and let it rest for 30 minutes
Recipe card
Badusha/balushahi
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together flour and baking soda. Add ghee and rub it with the flour until it is crumbly
- Whisk the yogurt and add to the flour mixture. Lightly knead into a soft dough by adding little water. Make sure not to overdo the dough. It has to just combine and come together
- Cover with a damp kitchen towel and rest the dough for 45-50 minutes
- Once it is rested, take a lemon-sized dough and shape it into a ball. The ball will have dents around it and that is fine. Make a small dent in the center of the ball using your thumb. (I made 15 balls with the entire dough)
- Cover all the balls with a kitchen towel and rest for 15 minutes
- Heat oil in a deep fry pan or kadhai. Carefully slide the balls into the oil in batches
- Deep fry on low heat until both sides are golden brown. Do not flip the badusha many times while frying
- Drain them on a kitchen towel and let it cool
- Meanwhile, make the sugar syrup. Boil sugar with ½ cup water in a thick bottom saucepan. Let it simmer until it reaches 2 string consistency. Turn off the heat
- Dip the cooled badushah in warm syrup for 2 minutes. Remove from the syrup and let it rest for 30 minutes
- Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve
Notes
- It is very important not to overdo the dough. Else the badusha will not be flaky
- The oil should be just hot for frying. To test if the oil is ready, drop a small piece of dough into the hot oil. It should start sizzling but should not immediately raise to the top
- Don’t flip the badusha many times while frying. Badusha initially sinks to the bottom of the oil and slowly raises to the top. Once you see golden colour at the bottom side (approximately 4-5 minutes depending of the flame), flip it once and fry for another 5 minutes. Always fry on low flame. It takes approximately 9-10 minutes to fry each batch
- Don’t overcrowd the oil as badusha tends to expand while frying
- Make sure to coat the badusha completely with sugar syrup
- Don’t leave the badusha in the sugar syrup as the syrup tends to crystallise once it cools down
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