Suwari or Suvari is a unique and traditional snack that can be seen in many Gujarati households during Diwali festival, unfortunately in this modern era, this old school gem is losing its popularity. It’s mildly sweet, crispy, crunchy yet melts in your mouth and these deep-fried thin crackers are my favourite. Suwari translates Smooth. These crackers made using Plain flour, Ghee, Sugar and Sesame seeds. Although these delicious crackers are specially made for Diwali, we don’t serve these to guests. Nowadays it is considered as old fashion but for family members, it’s a favourite tea-time munchies during the festive holiday.
Traditional Suwari is normally made without any flavours, but I made small batch with cardamom flavours along with plain Suwari. If you are a fan of traditional recipes, make it on this Diwali !
You will need :-
- 250 g plain flour
- 75 g sugar
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds lightly crushed
- Pinch Cardamom powder ( optional )
- 4 tbsp.Ghee ( melted )
- Ghee or oil for deep fry
Method :- In 5-6 tbsp. water dissolve sugar and leave it aside. ( I used milk ) In a big plate sieve plain flour and melted ghee and mix well. Add sesame seeds and cardamom powder. Add sugary water and once again mix well. Knead the dough, if you need more water add very little. Knead the dough for 10-12 minutes. Divide the dough into equal pieces. Keep the dough balls covered with a clean kitchen towel. Make balls and roll out in a circle very thinly. Keep them separate on a clean kitchen towel and let it dry little. Repeat with the remaining balls. Heat ghee or oil in kadai on a medium heat. Slip one or two rolled suwari in hot oil or ghee and fry without getting pink or brown. ( fry like papad ) Remove it from the kadai and leave it separate to cool down quickly, once it cools, it will become crispier) Let it completely cool down , then store in a air tight container. Enjoy with glass of milk or masala chai.
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Kesar, Badam and Elychi Balushai / Badusha a delicacy you must prepare on Diwali, A crispy melt in your mouth delicacy with a soft flaky saffron and cardamom centre, a unique taste you won’t forget in a hurry because every mouthful is a truly pleasurable and memorable experience!
Diwali is a time for nostalgia and traditions, for family gatherings and for remembering moments in time and Diwali magic fills your hearts with joy but the sounds, images and the smell make it even more significant.
And amidst the festive atmosphere, I have prepared Kesar, Badam and Elychi Balushai, a slight variation compared to traditional Balushahi. The original Balushai recipe does not have kesar, badam and elychi, but I took the risk to give it a try and it ended up tasting even better. So let’s see the recipe…
Notes :- If you prefer plain Balushahi, omit saffron, cardamom and almond meal. Do not knead dough too much. Fry balushahi on a very low heat to make sure they get well cooked inside. Sugar syrup must to stay on one to one and half string consistency.
You will need :- Dough
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 4 tbsp. ghee melted
- 3 tbsp. yogurt
- 1/4 tsp.soda
- Big pinch saffron
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
- 2-3 tbsp. Chilled water
- Oil for deep frying
- Pistachio slivers and silver foil ( Varq ) for garnishing
You will need :-
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- Few drops lemon juice
- Pinch saffron
- Pinch cardamom powder
Method :-
- Sieve the flour with soda in a big and wide plate.
- Add saffron, cardamom and almond meal.
- Mix well.
- Add melted ghee and yogurt , mix the flour with your fingers and rub til you get crumbly mixture.
- Add very little water and make a soft and pliable dough.
- Cover the dough with clean kitchen towel and rest it for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile make sugar syrup ( chasni ) by mixing sugar and water .
- Bring it to boil and prepare 1 to one and half string consistency.
- Add lemon juice, cardamom and saffron.
- Turn off the heat, but leave the syrup pan near stove.
- Now divide the dough in equal size balls and slightly make depression in the centre using thumb.
- Heat oil in a kadai over medium heat.
- Gently slip 3-4 balushahi in hot oil, keep heat very low at this step and fry it until golden brown. ( One batch should take at least 7-8 minutes to fry )
- Once cooked , remove it from the oil and add them in the sugar syrup.
- Leave it for couple of minutes and remove.
- Place them on the butter paper.
- Garnish it with pistachio slivers and silver foil.
- Once cooled completely store in a air tight container.
- Enjoy !
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