Bombay ice halwa, also known as paper halwa, is a popular Bombay specialty sweet topped with chopped dry fruits. This sweet dish is much easy and simple to make with just few ingredients such as milk, semolina (rawa), clarified butter (ghee) and sugar. The cooking process is simple but it requires 4 – 5 hours to set. Traditionally, this halwa is made of corn flour but here I have used semolina (rawa).
You can also check other sweet dish recipes:
Stepwise recipe to make Bombay Ice Halwa:
- Slice dry fruits (pistachios, almonds and cashews) for topping and keep it ready. Also, grease a sheet of butter paper with 1 teaspoon of ghee and keep it ready.
- In a small bowl, take 1 tablespoon warm milk and add 8 – 10 saffron strands to soak them (optional).
- In a pan add 2 cup milk
- Add 1 cup semolina (rawa) in the same pan.
- Add 1 cup sugar in semolina – milk mixture.
- Now add ⅛ cup clarified butter (ghee).
- Mix everything well and heat the pan on medium flame.
- Keep stirring while heating till the mixture starts to thicken. When the mixture starts to thicken, add remaining clarified butter (ghee)
- When the mixture starts to bubble, add the saffron – milk mixture prepared in step 2. Adding saffron is completely optional and you can skip it if you want white-colored halwa. I have added saffron to add yellow color to halwa. To get other colors such as green or pink, you can use food colors instead of saffron.
- Stir well.
- Keep stirring till the mixture thickens more and starts to leave the sides of the pan. It will take around 20 – 25 minutes for the mixture to come together to form a lump and leaves the sides of the pan.
- To check if the mixture is correct, take a small amount of mixture in between your fingers and roll to form a small ball. If it doesn’t stick to your fingers, it means that the mixture is correct.
- Switch off the gas and stir for 3 – 5 minutes so that the mixture cools down.
- Transfer the mixture on butter paper greased with ghee.
- With a rolling pin, roll the mixture with a very light hand. Roll it just thin but not too thin as it will break after drying.
- Sprinkle with sliced dry fruits and cardamom seeds (elaichi). Gently press with the rolling pin.
- Allow it to sit for 4 – 5 hours till it is stiff to handle.
- After it gets set, cut into small squares with kitchen scissors along with lined butter paper.
- Serve immediately or keep it in an airtight box at room temperature. Remove butter paper before serving.
Here is complete stepwise photo guide on how to make Bombay ice halwa
- ¼ cup semolina (rawa)
- 2 cup milk (full fat)
- 8 – 10 saffron strands (kesar)
- 1 tablespoon milk (to soak saffron)
- ¼ cup clarified butter (ghee)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 -4 pieces pistachios (thinly sliced)
- 3 -4 pieces almonds (thinly sliced)
- 3 -4 pieces cashews (thinly sliced)
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds (elaichi)
- 1 sheet butter paper
- 1 teaspoon ghee (for greasing butter paper)
-
Slice dry fruits (pistachios, almonds and cashews) for topping and keep it ready. Also, grease a sheet of butter paper with 1 teaspoon of ghee and keep it ready.
-
In a small bowl, take 1 tablespoon warm milk and add 8 – 10 saffron strands to soak them (optional).
-
In a pan add 2 cup milk.
-
Add 1 cup semolina (rawa) in the same pan.
-
Add 1 cup sugar in semolina – milk mixture.
-
Now add ⅛ cup clarified butter (ghee).
-
Mix everything well and heat the pan on medium flame.
-
Keep stirring while heating until the mixture starts to thicken. When the mixture starts to thicken, add remaining clarified butter (ghee).
-
When the mixture starts to bubble, add the saffron – milk mixture prepared in step 2.
-
Stir well.
-
Keep stirring till the mixture thickens more and starts to leave the sides of the pan.
-
To check if the mixture is correct, take a small amount of mixture in between your fingers and roll to form a small ball. If it doesn’t stick to your fingers, it means that the mixture is correct.
-
Switch off the gas and stir for 3 – 5 minutes so that the mixture cools down.
-
Transfer the mixture on butter paper greased with ghee.
-
With a rolling pin, roll the mixture with a very light hand. Roll it just thin but not too thin as it will break after drying.
-
Sprinkle with sliced dry fruits and cardamom seeds (elaichi). Gently press with the rolling pin.
-
Allow it to sit for 4 – 5 hours till it is stiff to handle. After it gets set, cut into small squares with kitchen scissors along with lined butter paper. Serve immediately or keep it in an airtight box at room temperature. Remove butter paper before serving.