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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

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.........

17 comments:

  1. deepaboli'r anek shubhechha tomader sabaike. katokichu baniecho tumi. balushai darun hoeche.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tumader sobaike deepawalir shubecha Sayantani..hugs

      Delete
  2. wow Jaya...kii shundor hoyechhe, ekhuni banate ichhe korchhe, kintu shomoy neyi :-(
    Happy Diwali to you and your family too, enjoy :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hain seyi to Tuesday is working day..deepawali weekend e hoto to khub bhalo hoto ..ki kora jabe ..wish you same loads of happiness on this deepawali and many more to come..hugs

      Delete
  3. Very tempting sweet. Looks so perfect

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you and wish you a happy deepawali..hugs

      Delete
  4. Badushah looks awesome.
    Happy Diwali to you and Family!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks and wish you a very happy Diwali ..hugs

      Delete
  5. Wish everyone a very Happy Happy Diwali....

    Kindly visit my first recipe event @ "I love my Mom's Recipes"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wish you also a very happy diwali Santanu..

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  6. Happy Deepavali.. My kids favourite..
    great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Veena and wish you loads of happiness in this festive season...

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  7. Dint know of 'choto deepawali' interesting, I can hardly get back to last 5 generations, time to ask of the family tree :)
    I am a part of a food group on FB where Balushai is a rage right now, everyone is trying their hand on it, I would have never thought of making this .. but may be for Gudi Padwa (in march 2013) I may make it. Am already thinking of the next year's festivals .. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh! yeah Choto /Choti Diwali is a celebration of lighting 14 diyas prior to main Deepawali night..kind of warming up to main festival..oh! you are doing great then I can't even recall beyond my Grandfather's father name..and there are so many food groups in FB that I find it extremely difficult to be part of all of them..never mind festivals do keep us many excuses to over-indulge in sweet things and planning comes with it :-)..hope you try it someday..hugs

      Delete
  8. Belated diwali wishes to you and your family.Love those diyas, never know about that chotto diwali,quite interesting to know about this.

    Balushahi looks damn cute and prefect Jaya.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Belated happy diwali to you and your family...cute diyas and delicious balushahi.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Feel like picking one,..:) never tried this,...

    ReplyDelete

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