Balushahi and Happy Diwali

Deepawali, a festival of light invokes many memories. Rangoli making, fireworks and bursting fire-crackers with siblings and neighborhood friends, and also helping Ma in some of her chores. And then doing the lakshmi puja with family.Although these days I generally do not like to burst crackers but my little one likes sparklers and fountains a lot, well so is every kid I guess.

Yesterday was choto deepawali as we would like to call in Bengali .Lighting 14 diyas is customary to remember 14 generations of one’s family, no I cant even recall the names of my forefathers beyond my dadubhai and his father. And so is eating 14 shak/green leafy vegetables. Now I really cant count 14 shak even , I pity myself sometimes, my count always stops at 9.But these days small ready-made packets of 14 shak is available in Kolkata. Many vegetable vendors do keep them. And also if you happen to tell them beforehand, they do keep them  for you even if you come to collect late in the evening .Life is easier now as we don’t have to go out hunting 14 shak in our para/neighborhood anymore. But hardly these days’ people eat shak so leave alone eating 14 shak all at one go.That's another story, and I leave it for some other day.

This year got some decorated diyas from Indian grocery store .Now, I was wondering to switch off the lights for half an hour so that the candles and diyas glow in dark eradicating all the darkness around us and inside us also. Let’s see how things turn out in the evening.

But since today is festival of light, it calls for another sweet recipe.

I have never imagined myself making balushahi/badusha some day. Ten years ago if anybody would have asked me about balushahi, I would have said go, get it from the sweet shop!! But living here in abroad has taught me many things; one is trying out innumerable times till you can make it perfect.

Although this is my first attempt of making balushahi and even I was pleasantly surprised that I could pull it off well. The first thing S asked me after coming from office, how you managed the shape of balushahi; it looks more or less the store-brought. Now my feeble memory says this does look like balushahi otherwise you know how husband can be, when they come home late from office and are in a maneuvering mood.

Here is how I made it, got the recipe from Here.

Balushahi/Badusha

Recipe requirements (measurements are approx)

Makes 14-15 medium size balushahi

• 250 Gms or roughly 2 and half cups of Maida/all purpose flour
• 60 Gms of butter melted
• 1 cup of yogurt
• ¼ tsp of baking soda
• ½ tsp of baking powder
• For the sugar syrup
• Sugar -2 cups
• Water – 1cup

Method

• Sift the flour; add in baking powder and baking soda.
• Now make a well in the flour mixture, add in melted butter .Rub the butter well with flour.
• Add in yogurt, just mixing through, do not knead. Leave aside for 30 mints. Kneading the dough much results in gluten which we don’t want. Remember we are making pastry not bread.
• After 30 mints, come back to the dough and gently mix in and form dough.
• Meanwhile prepare the sugar syrup.
• Add in water to sugar, and add in cardamom powder. Let it simmers.After the syrup is ready , take it off from the flame.Note- I would say prepare the sugar syrup when you are frying the balushahi so that balushahi can soak the sugar syrup when it's still warm, it will help to absorb syrup well.
• Now divide the dough in equal balls. Make a dent in the middle and keep them aside for half an hour.do no worry about cracks, we do need it to absorb the sugar syrup.It would be better if you keep them for 1-2 hr and then deep fry them.
• Now heat up frying pan, add in cooking oil. Deep fry balushahi  for 15 mints at medium –low flame or till they turn nice brown in colour. Do not hurry this frying process, we want to cook the inside portions also.
• Take out and then dunk them in sugar syrup. Let it sit there for 7-8 mints or till the balushahi absorb the sugar syrup.Note- add in 4-5 drops of lemon juice to the sugar syrup.
• Take out from the syrup and decorate as you wish.
• Store them in air tight containers, stays fresh for 1 week in cold climate.
• The Indian donut is ready to be relished.

Leaving with you some of the pictures clicked yesterday.We lighted 14 tealight candles on Choto Deepawali.

Somebody forwarded this message to me ..so sharing here ...

"As the candle light flame,
Your life may always be happiness's claim....

As the mountain high,
You move without sigh...
Like the white linen flair........
Purity is always an affair;

As sunshine creates morning glory ,
Fragrance fills years with flurry..

With the immaculate eternal smile,
attached to you mile after mile;

All the darkness is far away,
as the light is on it's way.............

Wish you all a very very happy and safe Deepawali.... Shubho Deepawali  everybody.........