As we transition from the murky winters to balmy summers, our taste preferences change from warm to cool foods. Warming soup paves way for refreshing salads, and hot gajar ka halwa sets aside for cooler desserts. Is the heavenly taste of your favourite moong dal halwa or gajar ka halwa or sooji halwa still lingering in your mind? And, you just can't jerkily shift to ice creams? Here is a unique dessert that will sit perfectly with your sweet cravings. Bombay ice halwa is not your quintessential halwa but certainly carries the essence of it, and is ideal for warmer climate.
Bombay ice halwa is also known as Mumbai halwa, Mahim halwa or paper halwa, and looks almost like Karachi halwa. Its origin can be traced back to a small island of Mahim near Mumbai. The recipe idea of this sweet was floated by Mohanlal Mithaiwala who are said to be the first ones to sell this mithai years ago. Later, it started selling in mithai shops all over Mumbai, and gradually traversed boundaries and found fame in other parts of the country as well. Now, you can find this sweet delicacy almost everywhere in India, though it remains a signature dish of the city of Mumbai. Basic taste remains same everywhere but colour and thickness may vary from place to place.
Ice halwa is a layered sweet prepared with a mixture of cornflour and milk. Traditionally, corn starch is added to this sweet to give it some depth but many people replace it with semolina (sooji) or all-purpose flour (maida). This recipe makes it the traditional way to let you enjoy ice halwa in its most elementary form. The paper-thin melt-in-mouth halwa with crunchy nuts dressing is perfect to whet your sweet tooth this season. Here's how you can make it at home.
(Also Read: This Indian sweet From Mumbai is Being Made for Over 225 Years!)
Bombay Ice Halwa Recipe
Ingredients -
2 tablespoons corn flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1 tablespoon food colour of your choice
2 tablespoons chopped dry fruits of your choice
Half teaspoon cardamom or elaichi powder
Method -
1. Heat ghee in kadhai and add milk. Wait for it to get warm, and then add cornflour. Make sure to stir corn flour continuously on low flame to prevent it from forming lumps.
2. When the mixture turns coarse, add sugar, cardamom, food colour, and mix well.
3. Next add a smattering of ghee and mix well. Turn off the gas.
4. Spread the halwa mixture on greased butter paper. With the help of a rolling pin, thin out the mixture into paper-like thickness. Sprinkle chopped dry fruits and let it cool down for a couple of hours.
5. Cut the halwa mix into several square shapes along with the butter paper; and that's it - your Bombay ice halwa is ready.
The Bombay ice halwa can stay good for upto seven days if stored in a refrigerator. Make this mouth-watering Bombay-special sweet this season and enjoy a sweet, shiny spring and summer ahead.