Balushahi with Pistachio Coulis and Orange Blossom Labneh

By Chef Swati Khanna Gulati from Biteclub.in

Ingredients for Balushahi

Flour – 2 cups

Ghee – ¼ cup

Baking soda – ¼ tsp

Yogurt – ¼ cup

Sugar - 3 cups

Ghee for frying

Method

·         Mix together Flour, Ghee, Baking Soda, Yoghurt. Make a dough using little warm water. Let bit rest for 20 minutes.

·         After resting time, knead the dough again and make lemon sized balls out of it. Flatten the balls a little and pinch in the centre with your thumb to make depression.

·         Fry them in heated ghee on medium hot flame to ensure they are cooked through.

·         Add 3 cups of sugar in 1 ½ cup water and make sugar syrup of one string consistency. To this syup add few strands of kesar to add colour and ½ tsp cardamom powder to give a nice aroma.

·         Dip the hot balushahis in the hot syrup. Leave each of them in it for about 5 minutes and take out on a plate.

·         Decorate with chopped almonds in the centre

Orange Blossom and Ginger Labneh

500g yoghurt 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons grated ginger 1 heaping tablespoon of honey and 1 tsp of orange blossom. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place the colander over a bowl. Line it with the muslin cloth.

Add the yoghurt mixture to the cloth. Tie the ends of the muslin cloth into a knot.

Place in the fridge overnight or 24 hours. Transfer the cheese to a serving dish, cover and keep in fridge till ready to serve. Labneh becomes sourer as it ages.

Pistachio Coulis

Ingredients

Unsalted Pistachios          1/2 cup

Betel Leaves                       2

Unsalted Butter                1 tbsp

Cream                               1/4 cup

Honey                               Tbsp

Silver warq                                    1-2

Method

Blanch the pistachios in 2 cups hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and put them in a blender with Betel leaves and puree it.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a pan and add this puree. Cook for a minute and add honey. Stir well.

Tip in cream and cook till sauce like consistency is achieved.

Cool it, and add a drop of rose essence and stir. Decorate with Silver foil.

Plating –up

Take a white plate for the colours to come out vibrantly. Leaving a little border space, make a swirl on its circumference with the green coloured Pistachio Coulis. Place 2 Balushahis in the centre of the plate, one overlapping the other. Spoon some sugar syrup on them to add glaze and sprinkle saffron strands and almond flakes. Dot the Balushais with sweet Labneh quenelles and sprinkle chopped pistachios on the white Labneh dollops. To make it further look glamorous and royal, add the bling of silver foil here and there. Serve for any festivity including Janmashtami. It is bound to leave your guests gasping.