Balushahi recipe with step by step pictures

Nothing is more delicious than a perfectly made Balushahi. A dessert, especially of North Indian origin ( similar type of sweet with name Badushah is also made in Southern India ), is a royal treat for your taste buds. It is being specially made in bulk during marriages and festivals across northern India.

The key to perfect melt in mouth Balushahi is patience. All things need to be cooked on a very slow flame and dessert require a lot of resting time before its finally ready to be served. Presenting below my version of this delectable dessert aka Balushahi recipe, it’s a simple and time-consuming task, but the end result will make you delightful.

Balushahi recipe Ingredients:

2 cups of refined flour (Maida)

1/4 teaspoon of soda-bicarb (Baking soda/Meetha soda/ Khane ka soda)

1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1/3 cup of Clarified Butter (Ghee)

1/2 cup of fresh Yogurt (Taza Dahi)

2 cups of Sugar

1 cup of water

8-9 Pistachios, blanched and finely chopped

Additional clarified Butter (Ghee) for frying Balushahi

Balushahi recipe Method:

1. Take flour in a bowl and add Soda-bi-carb((Baking soda/Meetha soda/ Khane ka soda) into it.

2. Now add baking powder into it and mix it will along with a spoon such that both baking powder and Soda-bi-carb get evenly mixed. You can sieve the mixture together if you want.

3. Add a 1/3rd cup of Clarified Butter (Ghee) into the flour mix.

4. Mix it gently with fingers of your hands such that it achieves crumbling consistency. They key is not to mix it vigorously if you want your Balushahi to be soft.

5. Add Yogurt (Dahi) into the crumbled mixture.

6. Again slowly and gently mix it to form a Balushahi dough, remember, do not work on it or mix it for long as this will activate the Gluten in flour and will turn your dish really messy.

7. The final, lightly mixed dough should be of consistency as shown in below picture. Wrap the dough in foil or cling wrap it. Refrigerate the dough for about half an hour.

8. Meanwhile, take another pan and add water and sugar into it.

9. Bring Sugar and Water mix to a boil on high heat, stirring continuously.

10. Turn the flame to low and cook it till small bubbles come out of the syrup or it achieves one string consistency. Switch off the flame and allow the syrup to cool down.

11. After half hour of refrigeration, take the Balushahi dough out and make small balls out of it, make sure not to overdo the process of creating balls. Then, press ball lightly between your hand’s palm.

12. Press it just enough such that the ball gets flattened a bit.

13. Apply pressure at the center of the flattened ball using your thumb and index finger, such that a crater is formed at its center.

14. Repeat this process of creating flattened balls of all the remaining dough. The number of balls will depend on the size of balls. I have made around 22 balls out of the dough.

15. Heat clarified Butter (Ghee) in a frying pan on low flame.

16. Double ensure that clarified Butter (Ghee) is not too hot and is on very low flame. Put prepared Balushahi balls into it.

17. The temperature of Clarified Butter (Ghee) is to be at such level that when you put balls into it, very small bubbles should come out of the Butter as shown in below picture.

18. Cook them on very low flame till they turn brown from the side immersed in Clarified Butter (Ghee).

19. Flip it to other side and cook it again on very low flame till another side also get cooked or turn light brown. It is very important that Balushahi to be fried on a very low flame if at some point you feel clarified Butter (Ghee) is getting too hot, remove it from flame for few second to control its temperature.

20. Remove cooked Balushahi from the Pan and fry all the remaining balls in batches and place them over tissue paper.

21. Put all fried balls in a pan or large bowl arranging them in a single layer and let them cool down for about an hour.

22.  Now check the temperature of previously prepared Sugar syrup, and make it a bit warmer (if not) by heating it for few seconds, and pour it evenly over the Balushahi arranged in a layer as shown below.

23. Allow Balushahi to soak the sugar syrup for about 2.5 hours. This will make Balushahi moist and sweet.

24. After 2-3 hours of soaking in Sugar syrup, take them out of the liquid and arrange them on a plate as shown below in the picture.

25. Garnish Balushahi with blanched Pistachio slices by placing a few in center of each piece.

26. Leave Balushahi as it is for 4-5 hours or till a nice translucent white coat of sugar covers the Balushahi as shown in below picture.

Super tasty and melt in mouth Balushahi is ready to be consumed. Refrigerate it and serve it to your family and friends as and when required. Trust me, no one will believe that it is homemade….

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