SAAT/BALUSHAHI -FLAKY MANGALOREAN PASTRY

Saat or Mangalore style ((from India) badusha/balushahi/pastry/sweet – flaky, melt-in-your-mouth balls of cardamom flavored fried dough coated in sugar syrup.

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup ghee/Clarified Butter

2 cups Sugar

1 tsp crushed Cardamom powder (leave some coarse)

Oil/Ghee for deep frying

Place 4 cups flour in a large bowl, add 1 tsp crushed cardamom and 1 cup melted ghee to it.

Mix gently with your fingers and then make a soft and pliable dough.

If needed, add a few teaspoons of water. This measurement usually makes a perfect soft dough which does not need any additional water.

Keep it aside, covered for about 1 hour. After one hour, make small smooth balls of the dough; flatten them slightly.

Meanwhile, make thick 1-string sugar syrup.

Add just enough water to cover the sugar and boil until you get 1-string consistency.

You will know it is done when the syrup forms a long string between your forefinger and your thumb.

Heat oil in a large wide saucepan on medium low heat.

Once the oil becomes lukewarm (it should be slightly warm and you should still be able to dip your fingers in it comfortably), slowly slide in a few balls of saat dough into it.

It will settle to the bottom, but they will slowly rise! This is the temperature you need to fry them.

You want to make sure that the dough balls get cooked all the way through.

You will notice small bubbles forming.

After some time, flip them over.

Deep fry on low heat until the saat turns light golden brown on both sides and the bubbles are almost gone.

This took me around 35 to 45 minutes for each batch!! Be patient; results are amazing; a flaky, crispy texture!

Once all the bubbles subside and the saat is golden brown, you know it is cooked all the way through. Remove them from the oil and gently slide into prepared sugar syrup.

Coat the fried pastry in the slightly thickened sugar syrup. I have placed the hot syrup in a bowl of water to cool it slightly. This ensures a slightly thick sugar coating to the pastry. If the syrup becomes too thick, loosen with some hot water.

Gently remove with a slotted spoon and place on a greased or foil-lined pan.

Once the sugar has set and the saat is cooled, gently slide it out of the pan sideways, remove and serve warm or at room temperature.

Store crispy, flaky, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth Konkani delicacy “Saat” in an airtight container. (If storing for a longer time, it is better to refrigerate it).

Happy Cooking!

If the sugar syrup starts to thicken, place on stove again, stir in a few teaspoons of water and loosen it again.

Store saat in an airtight container. Do not knead the dough, no gluten formation needed here. Make sure the flame is on very low.