Balushai / Balushahi

There's nothing better than homemade Balushahi. It's much easier than you think.

Ingredients

Dough

White plain flour 1 1/2 cup

Baking soda 1/4 tsp

Baking powder 1/4 tsp

Ghee 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Ice cold water 1/2 cup

Mawa

Powder milk 1/4 cup

Powder (Icing) sugar 2 tbsp

Pinch of nutmeg and mace

Ghee 1 tbsp

Sugar syrup

Sugar 2 cup

Water 1 cup

Cardamom 3 pcs

Lime juice 1/2 tsp

Directions

Mawa

In a mixing bowl, take powdered milk, powder (icing) sugar, pinch of nutmeg and mace.
Add 1 tbsp of ghee and mix everything together with fingers until you get a crumbly-sandy texture.
Place mawa on a flat plate and set aside to be used as donut filling and coating.

Sugar Syrup

In a flat frying pan, heat water and add sugar. Stir and mix everything together.
Slightly break apart cardamom pieces and add them to the syrup.
Add a few drops of lime juice, this prevents the syrup from crystallization.
Once it begins to boil and water reduces, turn off heat and keep aside.
Right before coating the donuts, warm the sugar syrup on low-medium heat.

Dough

In a mixing bowl, add all purpose white flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt to taste
Add ghee and mix everything with your fingers until you get a crumbly or sandy texture.
Add ice cold water in small quantities, mix everything to make a soft flaky dough. The ice cold water will create the flakiness in baalushai donuts. Do not knead the dough.
Cover the dough with wet towel and rest for 15 -30 mins.
After resting, knead dough lightly ( just enough to hold it together) and divide into 12 equal parts.
Make small dough balls, by rolling and pressing between the palm of your hands. Make a dent in the middle. Add small amount of mawa inside, pull the ends from side of dough and roll into round balls.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the baalushai balls slowly.
Baalushai has a flaky texture, they need to be fried over low-medium heat to cook evenly inside.
Fry one side for 5 mins over low-medium heat until golden brown. Carefully turn to other side and fry until golden brown. Do not turn more than 3 times, or else they will break apart.
Remove and drain excess oil on paper towel.
While still hot, dip them in sugar syrup on all sides. Do not leave them in the syrup for too long or it'll get too sweet
Remove and roll on mawa to coat evenly on all sides. Ready to serve!

You can even garnish them with pistachios. Enjoy the deliciousness of Balushai!

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