Author : This recipe is a guest post from Your Everyday Cook

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1   cup all purpose flour ( maida)
  • 1/4 cup curd
  • 1/4 cup butter ( chilled)
  • A pinch of  baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • Saffron strands
  • 1 cup sugar for syrup
  • water just enough to immerse the sugar
  • Pinch of green cardamom powder
  • 1/2 tsp lime juice.
  • some pistachio  flakes or almond flakes  for garnishing
  • Oil for deep frying.

PREPARATION METHOD:

  1. Take a bowl, add the dry ingredients , maida, baking powder, soda , mix well,or  better sieve it .
    To that add the chilled butter and mix them together  till you get a bread crumb like texture. Mix with fingers till the dry ingredients are coated well and appear crumbly.Next add curd and mix lightly , not kneading them too much as you need the dough to be light , so just bring the dough together by adding little drops of water till you get a non sticky light dough.
    Cover and keep for 20 minutes.
  2. In the meanwhile keep your sugar syrup ready. Take a pan ,add the sugar and water just enough to immerse the sugar, add the lime juice. clear out scum if any, then add the cardamom powder, saffron  threads.
  3. The sugar syrup should be of a one string consistency or if you want the crystallized effect, make it nearly 2 string consistency.. Your  badushas will get the white crystallized sugar coating on  top. after it is cooled. You can see such badushas in the shops.
  4. Now keep a pan with oil to heat  on a medium flame, start preparing the badushas.
  5. You will notice after 20 minutes the dough would have become lighter and when you pull apart the dough with fingers you will see the rough texture inside just like bread dough after it has risen.
  6. Pinch off small balls and dont press them too hard or roll too smooth like the chapati dough, just a rough ball , make a dent in centre with the thumb, make all the badushas this way.If you have the time and patience do the fancy crimping like we do for the karchikais. by twisting and turning the ends of the badusha. I kept them simple doughnut style
  7. Check to see if oil is hot enough, drop a small ball of dough, it should  come up , so it is time to slide the prepared badushas one by one carefully into the oil without overcrowding.
  8. Let them cook on a medium to slow flame as they need to cook  well inside too, it will take time so patience is the key .
    when they turn golden and look crispy with the flakes showing, time to remove , drain on a paper towel.
  9. Let these fried badushas cool a bit and then drop into the warm sugar syrup for 2 minutes.
    Take them out after 2-3 minutes and keep aside. After  cooling you will see the badushas look shiny and sugar coated.
  10. For a more powdery sugar coated effect, dip them once more and take out to cool.You will get the white crystallized effect .
  11. When you bite into the badusha, you will see them flaky inside.
    That s the correct texture..
  12. Enjoy Diwali by making a traditional sweet .