BOMBAY HALWA | CORN FLOUR HALWA | SOFT HALWA

Bombay Halwa/ Karachi Halwa is done using Corn flour/Corn Starch along with Sugar. Instead of adding artificial food colour, sugar has been caramelised to get a tinge of colour since corn flour is white in colour. Even Saffron can be added to get a tinge of yellow colour. There is no string consistency for sugar syrup, but this recipe needs stirring and mixing for atleast 20 to 25 minutes to get the required result. So, there should be no interruption while we are into this recipe. 

Corn flour has the tendency to get thicker in quick time, so it has to be continuously stirred. Lemon juice is added to prevent crystallization. The recipe is really soft and melts in mouth. Almonds and nuts of desired choice can be used for garnishing. Here, Cashews have been used. See blog for

• Papaya Halwa
• Wheat Halwa

Video recipe of Corn Halwa/ Bombay Halwa

INGREDIENTS:

Corn flour - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Water - 1 cup for dissolving sugar

Ghee - 3 tsp

Lemon Juice - 1/4 tsp

Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp

* Water - 3/4 cup for dissolving Corn flour

* Sugar - 1 tsp for Caramelisation

METHOD:

• In a bowl, add corn flour and water, mix well without lumps.
• In a tawa, add a tsp of sugar.
• Saute well for 2 to 3 minutes for it to caramelise.
• Light brown starts to appear.
• Add 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup of water to the same tawa and allow to boil.
• The caramelised sugar will get blended together while boiling.
• When it starts boiling, mix the corn flour mixture and add to the syrup.
• Keep on stirring to avoid lumps.
• Add lemon juice and keep on stirring.
• The mixture will start to thicken.
• Add a tsp of ghee and keep on mixing.
• The mixture will become transparent, add ghee and mix again.
• Add ghee at regular intervals till it turns glossy.
• It will take 20 minutes approximately to reach the consistency.
• Add cardamom powder and mix again.
• Add chopped cashews and mix well.
• After some more minutes, the halwa starts to come together and ghee releases.
• Transfer to a grease tray/plate and level it.
• Garnish with chopped Cashews and level with a spoon.
• Cool for an hour and cut as desired.
• Soft and melting Bombay Halwa/ Corn flour Halwa is ready.

Step wise recipe with pictures:

1. In a bowl, add corn flour and water, mix well without lumps.

2. In a tawa, add a tsp of sugar.

3. Saute well for 2 to 3 minutes for it to caramelise.

4. Light brown starts to appear.

5. Add 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup of water to the same tawa and allow to boil.

6. The caramelised sugar will get blended together while boiling.

7. When it starts boiling, mix the corn flour mixture and add to the syrup.

8. Keep on stirring to avoid lumps.

9. Add lemon juice and keep on stirring.

10. The mixture will start to thicken.

11. Add a tsp of ghee and keep on mixing.

12. The mixture will become transparent, add ghee and mix again.

13. Add ghee at regular intervals till it turns glossy.

14. It will take 20 minutes approximately to reach the consistency.

15. Add cardamom powder and mix again.

16. Add chopped cashews and mix well.

17. After some more minutes, the halwa starts to come together and ghee releases.

18. Transfer to a grease tray/plate and level it.

19. Garnish with chopped Cashews and level with a spoon.

20. Cool for an hour and cut as desired.

21. Soft and melting Bombay Halwa/ Corn flour Halwa is ready.

CARROT HALWA using Pressure Cooker

This method comes under cook and serve type. I prepared this recipe, without khoa, condensed milk, milk powder. The grated carrot gets caramelised in the cooking process.

CARROT HALWA 

INGREDIENTS:- ( use same cup for measuring)
Carrot grated -  4 cups
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1& 1/2 cup
Ghee - 5 tsp
Cardomom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashews, Almonds, Raisins - 5 nos. each




METHOD:-
Boil Milk in a pan, till it reduces to half of its quantity. Scrap the sides while boiling. It took nearly half an hour, that is 3/4th cup of milk  is ready to prepare the halwa.
Now, in a pressure cooker (i used 3L pressure cooker), add 4 tsp ghee and melt it.
Roast the cashews, almonds and raisins, remove it and restore it in a bowl.  Add the grated carrot, milk, sugar, cardomom powder and 1 tsp of ghee to the Cooker.

Cover the cooker with lid. Place it on the burner and cook for 5 minutes in High flame, 5 minutes in Medium Flame and 10 minutes in sim flame, irrespective of whitsles. The idea of adding milk is to avoid burnt and to give the taste of khoa.
(Note:-For 4 cups of  grated carrot, 3/4th cup of milk and 3/4th cup of sugar)

Let it release the pressure on its own.

Now, place the cooker on the burner in medium flame and cook till there is no water content.

Caramalised Carrot Halwa is ready to be served. Garnish with fried dry fruits and nuts.

PAPAYA HALWA

PAPAYA HALWA

INGREDIENTS:- (use the same cup for measuring all the ingredients)

Smashed Papaya/Papaya puree  - 2&1/2 cups
Wheat Flour - 1/4 cup
Dry Roasted Broken wheat rava - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1&1/2 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cashews & Almonds  sliced - as required




METHOD:-

Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan, add cashews and almonds. Fry  it and replace it in a container, in which we will use for halwa. In the same pan, add 2 tsp of ghee and fry the wheat flour, till a nice aroma arises. Restore the same along with cahews.
 

Add the papaya puree in the pan, (I used non-stick utensil), and cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes in low flame. Water starts to ooze out. Now, add the dry roasted broken wheat rava. Mix well. Cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes in low flame.
  

Then, add the wheatflour along with cashews and mix well, so that no lumps formed. Cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes in low flame. The flour helps to bind.


Now add sugar, and mix well till the sugar dissolves.


Hereafter, the flame should be in high. Stir continuously. Add a tsp of ghee, for every 5 minutes. Total time for cooking in high flame is 20 minutes. So, 4 tsp of ghee will be used. While adding ghee, keep the flame in low/sim, to avoid burnt.

After the stipulated time, (adjust the time accordingly),  the halwa will leave the sides and it will be  dough. Switch off the flame and restore it in a container.


Drop a tsp of ghee over the top, and smear evenly using spoon, to give a texture to the halwa.
Delicious Papaya Halwa is ready...

Note:-
Increase the time from 20 minutes to 30 minutes (no need to add ghee further), to cut the halwa into pieces.

MOONG DHAL HALWA | INSTANT HALWA

Moong dhal halwa is a special and classic delicacy of Rajasthan. This dessert is creamy with exotic aroma and done using split moong dhal (yellow dhal), nuts and lots of ghee. The authentic way of cooking is  time consuming and takes lots of mixing and stirring. But here, I have done using roasted and powdered moong dhal and can be done quickly with the same taste.

• Badam Halwa
• Carrot Halwa
• Kasi Halwa 
• Beet root Halwa
• Asoka Halwa 

INGREDIENTS:

Moong dhal - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 and 1/4 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Water - 1 and 1/2 cup

Cardamom - 1 tsp

Kesar/ Saffron - a little

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Cashew

Badam

Pistachios (optional)

METHOD:

1. Wash moong dhal well and pat dry for few minutes.

2. Add little ghee and dried moong dhal and saute on low flame until nice aroma comes out.

3. The colour of the moong dhal should change into orange red. Allow to cool and grind to a little coarse powder  and keep aside.

4. In a thick tawa, add little ghee and roast the nuts and almonds and keep aside.

5. In the same tawa, add powdered moong dhal and little ghee and stir on low flame for few minutes. See that the moong dhal is well coated with ghee.

6. Heat the given quantity of milk and water in a pan and add to the moong dhal little by little, since it will splutter.

7. Keep on stirring while adding the hot milk and water.

8. The moong dhal will be well cooked and froth a bit and will absorb the water and milk in few minutes.
 9. Add sugar and kesar, remaining ghee and mix well and cook on low flame.

10. At first, it will turn watery and later the sugar will be absorbed.

11. Add Cardamom powder, mix well and cover with a lid and cook on low flame for few minutes.

12. The Halwa will start to leave the sides of the pan. Add roasted nuts and almonds and mix well.

13. Tasty and delicious MOONG DHAL HALWA is ready.

Note:

• See that the moong dhal is not very coarse. It will not be cooked well while adding water and milk.
• If adding only ghee is not preferred, oil can be replaced.
• Milk can be avoided and water can be used instead.

WHEAT HALWA / GODHUMAI HALWA

The traditional way of making Godhumai/Wheat Halwa is done by soaking whole wheat, grinding it again and again to extract milk, which is very difficult. When I referred some cookery blogs, I came across the easy way of doing this halwa using wheat flour. I never thought preparing wheat halwa will be so easy, eventhough it took around 45 to 50 minutes, keeping on stirring all the way through. But this recipe needs our full attention without any disturbances.It was very hard for me to keep stirring along and click pictures. My hands started paining, but the end result made me so happy. It is somewhat a long procedure to prepare this recipe. This recipe is not much complicated but needs continuous stirring. The entire recipe should be done on low flame.

See also for Badam Halwa, Kasi Halwa, Carrot Halwa, Beetroot Halwa, Asoka Halwa

INGREDIENTS:

Whole wheat/Godhumai flour - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Ghee - 3/4 cups

Cardamom - 1/2 tsp

Cashew nut - 10

Sugar for caramelisation - 3 tsp

Saffron - 10 strands

Milk - 1 tsp

METHOD:

1. In a wide bowl, add wheat flour and knead to a dough by adding needed water as we do for chappathis.

2. Add 4 cups of water to the same bowl and soak the dough for 4 to 5 hours.

3. Heat little milk and soak the saffron strands.

4. In a big thick bottomed tawa, add little ghee and roast the cashews and keep aside.

5. Add 3 tsp of sugar and start mixing on low flame. At one stage the sugar dissolves and browning starts to appear. 

6. Switch of the stove, add little water. Don't mind if it crystallizes, when it cools down it will turn watery, which is brown in colour. Transfer it to a vessel/cup.

7. Mean while, mix the dough thoroughly with hands in the soaked water till it dissolves without any lumps. 

8. Using a strainer, strain the water and discard the left out residue.

9. Add the wheat flour milk to the same tawa, place it on the stove and start stirring.

10. Keep on stirring, till it reaches the porridge state and starts thickening. It will take approximately 7 to 8 minutes.

11. We should keep on stirring continuously, otherwise there is chance of lump formation.

12. Add saffron milk, caramel sugar syrup mix well for a minute.

13. Add sugar, and keep on stirring. At first it will turn watery and then starts to bubble.

14. At first small bubbles starts to appear. Add 2 tsps of ghee and mix well.

15. The ghee gets fully absorbed while stirring and looks more transparent.

16. Just add ghee then and there and mix continuously for 15 to 20 minutes.

17. Slowly it reaches a glossy texture after some more time  and comes together.

18. Add roasted cashews and cardamom powder and mix well.

19. Grease a bowl/plate with little ghee and transfer the Halwa.

20. Tasty and delicious Wheat Halwa is ready. 

Note:

• I used anodised kadai, which was very helpful.
• Better to use non stick kadai, since the end result can be reached easily.
• I decided to avoid food colour and added caramel sugar. If found difficult, a pinch of food colour can be added. But, it is advisable  to avoid artificial colours.
• Add ghee in regular intervals. 
• Always it is safe to do this recipe on low flame.
• The wheat flour milk should not be thick to fasten cooking process. 
• It should be thin to avoid raw smell of the flour