Badusha is a doughnut-like south Indian sweet: soft and fluffy inside with a sugary glaze coating it. The scent of cardamom makes these extra special.
It was always the sound of fireworks that woke me up each Diwali morning, well before the sun was up. Powerful Lakshmi bombs that could rip off an eardrum, rockets whistling out of empty glass soda bottles to explode in a shower of lights, zameen chakkars swirling in a moment of frenzied glory before dying into blackened and burnt-out little discs on the floor.
Outside the window, the still-dark morning sparkled with a billion lights. Kandeels, colorful paper lanterns, surrounded by strings of tiny bulbs twinkled in the windows of each apartment. On the sills and outside doors were little earthen oil lamps, or diyas, their live flames traditional and indispensable symbols of the great festival of lights. At their front doors, the women in the neighborhood, beautiful in saris fringed with gold, anklets tinkling, moved around to create rangolis-- designs of multicolored sand poured through deft fingers-- to welcome the gods.
As a child, from the moment I opened my eyes, I would be filled with anticipation for the next five days into which, it seems, were crammed all of the most wonderful things in the world.
Once I was past what then seemed like the ordeal of an oil bath (my mother rubbing oil into my hands and legs and hair which would then be washed off with a fragrant herbal paste called utane-- a must for Diwali), I could run off to join my friends all dressed up in my new clothes, my own box of firecrackers in hand. My parents usually did not let us get the more dangerous firecrackers (and some of them could be pretty dangerous), but I was happy enough with the uncomplicated ones like sparklers and anaars that burst into a pretty fountain of colored lights.
All the time, what I really couldn't wait for was the food which would be brought out once all the adults were bathed and ready and had gone through the ritual of a Diwali pooja.
Women in India start planning for and preparing Diwali snacks, or pharaal (in Marathi), weeks ahead. The types of sweets prepared vary with each state and region boasting its own specialties.
In my part-Konkani, part-Maharashtrian home we made chakali (a savory, swirly snack that is unequivocally my favorite food in the world-- you know, what I'd eat for my last meal), chivda (another savory snack that's a mix of flattened rice or poha and peanuts and dry coconut and all kinds of goodies), sweets like karanji (a half-moon shaped, fried dumpling stuffed with coconut and jaggery), rava and besan laddoos, all kinds of burfis (a milky Indian fudge) and many many more amazing sweets. The treats would all be stored away in large boxes until Diwali day when we could eat all we wanted. Diwali is also about the spirit of sharing and once we were done eating, I'd be dispatched to each neighbor's home with a big plate filled with goodies.
The following days would each bring more fun and food. There was Bhau Bij, a celebration of the bond between brother and sister, which was always celebrated at my aunt Akka's home along with all of my father's siblings and their families and a delicious vegetarian dinner (most Hindus, including meat-eating ones, adopt vegetarianism for the duration of religious festivals because, let's face it, we all know the gods really wouldn't want us to eat their kids!). Then there was Lakshmi Pooja, the celebration of the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The fourth day of Diwali is also celebrated by some Hindus as the beginning of the new year, and there would be more fesitivities to go with it.
I've not seen Diwali in India in more than 13 years now. Here, in the Washington region, there's usually a Diwali mela organized by the local Indian community and some other events, but I rarely make it to those because, frankly, it's just not the same. I do light some diyas, though, and make a sweet on Diwali day because there are some traditions you just don't want to let go of, and for me Diwali is definitely one of those.
Diwali begins this week, on Friday, Oct. 17, but I wanted to start the celebration a little early by sharing with you a sweet that was part of Desi's Diwali celebrations when he was growing up: a classic south Indian sweet named badusha (or padusha).
Badusha is kinda like an Indian donut: it's a floury fritter that's deep-fried and then dunked in a sugar syrup that first soaks into it and then glazes the top. When you bite into a badusha, your teeth first crackle their way into a crusty, sugary coating and then sink into a soft, tender, juicy interior. Can you think of anything more delicious than that?
So here's the recipe for my vegan badusha-- it's just as delicious as one made with tons of ghee, not to mention less unhealthy, and best of all it's cruelty-free. Now the gods would have to love that!
Here's wishing all my readers a very happy Diwali and a great and prosperous year ahead!
Love Indian sweets? Try this vegan carrot halwa or Vegan Almond Kheer (badam kheer).
Ingredients
- For the fritters
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoon zero-transfat shortening like Crisco
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon powered cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Some soymilk for mixing the dough
- Oil for deep frying
- For the sugar syrup:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon powdered cardamom
Instructions
- To make the fritter dough, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and cardamom powder in a bowl. Now add the oil and the shortening. Using your fingers, break the shortening into the flour until you have a fairly grainy mix.
- Add a little soymilk at a time, mixing with a fork, until you have a dough that comes together and holds together but is not sticky.
- Place the dough in the bowl, cover and set aside.
- To make the syrup, mix the sugar and water in a saucepan along with the cardamom and bring to a boil. Let it continue to boil until it easily coats the back of a spoon. To test if it's ready, pour a drop on a greased plate and pick it between your thumb and forefinger. Slowly separate them. If the syrup forms a single thread that holds together for a few seconds, it is ready. If it doesn't form a thread, it needs to boil some more.
- To shape the badushas, divide the dough into fifteen pieces. Now roll each piece between your palms to get a smooth ball.
- Place the ball on one palm and flatten it into a disc with the fingers of the other hand, around 1 ½ inches in diameter. With your thumb, make a depression in the center of the disc. Set aside and shape the remaining badushas.
- Heat about 1 ½ inches of oil in a cast-iron or steel pan, preferably with a rounded bottom. When the temperature reaches around 350 degrees, immerse one or more badushas, taking care not to crowd them. I have a cast-iron skillet about six inches in diameter that I use for deep-frying and I fry around 4 at a time. The oil should not be too hot or the outside will cook faster than the inside, and you don't want that. It should take at least a couple of minutes for each side of the badusha to turn golden-brown.
- Remove the fried badushas from the oil with a slotted spoon, let the excess oil drip off, and drop into the sugar syrup. Make sure both the badushas and the syrup are hot or they won't absorb the syrpu. Let them stay immersed for at least four minutes. Flip over if required to ensure that the syrup distributes evenly.
- Remove the badushas to a rack placed on top of a plate and allow them to cool until the sugar syrup hardens up.
- Enjoy!
Alpana
Droolworthy Badusha's Vaishali......& your writeup takes me back in time. How aptly you described each moment & activity.
The author of this blog is
Here's the link to the post where I cite your blog:
The author of this blog is
Great post and blog...I'm a Jewish vegetarian, but I've also been a devotee of Sri Nisarghadtha Maharaj ever since I read "I Am That" 28 years ago...not sure that I'm convinced enough to make the move to veganism, but I am against the exploitation of animals in most contexts - medical research probably being the biggest single exception because I know if my body (or that of my children or partner)could be saved by a drug that was developed with animal testing I'd probably want it to be. But of course there is lots of unecessary research on animals, stupid research, and where ever viable alternatives exist (cell and tissue cultures, computer modelling) those are obviously preferrable. I don't like fireworks because of the havoc they wreak each year with animals, and I avoid cosmetics that are tested on animals or that contain animal derived products. But I do wear leather shoes...ideally if the leather came from animals that had died naturally I can't see a problem with this...the issue is when humans use their superior intellect to keep and kill animals in indistrialised factory farms and abbatoirs...so a lot depends on how the animal product was sourced, and the manner of the animals life and death. Everything dies, the question is how, and even more importantly perhaps, how things live. I'll put a link to your blog on mine, which is a blog focussed on sustainability Justalittlegreen
Shal-om shanti shanti
Immanuel
Chandra Karthikeyan
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. Looks really tasty and i am gonna try this on my son's star birthday, this sunday
Preeti Kashyap
Awesome looking badushas. Just perfect. My grandpa's fav!
Anonymous
Hi Vaishali
I am already craving for your Badushas.
I was discussing Diwali Rituals-Abhyanga Snan using oil, utane with my Mother in the morning.
Actually Diwali has already started. It was Vasu-Baras on 14th Oct 09 where you worship a Calf and a Cow on Goraj Muhurat. (Vasu means cow and Goraj Muhurat is a holy time when Cows and Calves would be returning their home). Except Vegans everyone needs to make sure is it worth worshiping them and harassing them later either for milk or for meat or for leather?
Oct 15th- Dhanteras/Dhanatrayodashi
Then there are days that you have already mentioned on Oct 17th and Oct 19th.
Divya Kudua
Happy Diwali Vaishali..:)
I almost felt I was reading my own post.Reading through your post reminded me of my childhood,some of which I had tried to put across through my Diwali post which is still in my drafts!!
I am a fellow Konkani too..:)Hope you have a funfilled Diwali:)
Cham
The only one sweet I love because it is mild in sugar (usually I remove the sugar coating and eat the doughnut)
Happy Diwali !
Prathibha
They look droolworthy dear..looks yummy
Sharmila
I thought they were called balusha .. but then what's in a name. I love these ... but have always shied away from making them at home ... all that deep fry. Good one for Diwali Vaishali! Happy Diwali! 🙂
Srivalli
wow, that is really so delicious!..I wont' dream of attempting it!..:)
Pavani
They look super delicious Vaishali. Wish you and your family Diwali in advance.
Dibs
Happy Deepawali Vaishali! I love the way you veganize everything. The badushas look wonderful. We've posted the unhealthy ghee version at our blog, along with a twist as well 🙂
Zengirl
Vaishali,
These looks delicious, I got to try this! Indian Donuts, almost like Gulab Jamun!!
jocelyn
What a wonderful post! This is my new favorite blog.
BangaloreBaker
My oldest sister is the queen of this kind of sweets. She never uses ghee to make these though. She always uses dalda (indian equivalent to shortening). The only difference is in the appearance. We usually flute the edges so that it rises kind of a ring. Can't explain very well but kind of pie flute. Pictures so pretty I am tempted to make them right away.
Mints!
Hi Vaishali - Wish you a very happy diwali and prosperous new year!
As usual the writing is great and recipe is a keeper 🙂
Vaishali
Anonymous, In our home they are usually gone in a couple of days, but refrigerated they should last at least a week. 🙂
Priya, Thanks!
Priya
Droolworthy badushas, looks fantastic Vaishali!
Anonymous
I love badushas. I never tried to make badushas though. Thank you so much for sharing the recipes. Badushas bring so many wonderful memories of Diwali and my sister Wedding. Thanks again.
Radha
Anonymous
Thanks for the recipe! How long do these keep for?