Balushahi / North Indian Doughnuts/Tikari

Balushahi ressembles as much as like our South Indian popular Badushah aka sugar glazed maida flour doughnuts. Actually Balushahi is a traditional dessert/sweet in North Indian cuisine, Pakistani cuisine, Nepali and Bangladeshi cuisine. Balushahis are simply prepared with maida, clarified butter aka ghee with baking powder, baking soda. When deep fried and dipped in sugar syrup, these balushahis makes an excellent dessert or sweet to share or eaten with other savories or sweets.However i found that there were some differences between the Badushah and this balushahi, yes the dough for Balushahi goes for curd, baking soda,baking powder and ghee with maida while badushah is prepared mostly with dalda or ghee,maida with baking soda. However the shape and method is quite similar apart from the kneading part. Badushah goes for a smooth kneaded dough while balushahi's dough doesnt go for kneading. Baking powder and baking soda helps a lot to give a flaky texture to this Balushahis.

This Balushahis goes for  this month's Indian Cooking Challenge,a monthly event where we cook dishes from various regions of India.For this month's challenge, Srivalli suggested us this popular dangerously addictive Balushahis.I followed Manjula's recipe and prepared these gorgeous Indian doughnuts and enjoyed thoroughly,none cant just stop with one inspite of maida,ghee and sugar.

1cup All purpose flour/Maida
1/4tsp Baking powder
1/8tsp Baking soda
1/4cup Cold calrified ghee/Butter
1/4cup Yogurt (cold)
1cup Sugar
1/3cup Water
1/2tsp Cardamom powder
1tbsp Chopped pistachios
Oil for deepfrying

In a bowl, take the flour,baking soda,baking powder together, add the cold clarified ghee and mix until the mixture turns crumbly.

Slowly add the cold yogurt and mix everything to form a dough, dont knead the dough.

Cover the bowl and keep aside for half an hour.

Meanwhile take the sugar, water in a pan and heat in medium flame, bring it to boil.

Add in the cardamom powder, let it simmer until the syrup turns one thread constitency.

Take the dough knead for few minutes, and divide the dough into 10 equal balls.

Roll the balls and make a deep dent in the center of the balls.

Heat oil for deep frying in medium heat, once the oil is hot enough, drop balushahis one by one, dont overcrowd.

Cook on both sides until they turns golden brown (dont turn the balushahis more than three times).

Remove the fried balushahis and drain the oil with a paper towel.

Now drop the balushahi into the already sugar syrup, let them sit for few seconds, remove them and let it cool completely.

Garnish the balushahis with the pistachios.

Serve.