Ice Halwa is an Bombay specialty sweet. The halwa is also know as mahim halwa or paper halwa. It is available all over India, and is a very famous sweet in mithai shops. These thin square slabs are melt in mouth kind of sweet, with the crunchy nuts topping this taste divine. Mahim is a island near Mumbai and this halwa is set to be originated there. I have some nostalgic childhood memories surrounding these , This halwa was and is my favorite sweet , though I am not a big sweet tooth this halwa used to be my favorite it is been years as tasted this halwa and finally I made them. Traditionally these halwa are made with cornflour ,I have tried making this halwa with cornflour, all purpose flour, and semolina .
When I was listing out recipes to do for the marathon the first letter I chose was ” I ” and I instantly wanted Ice halwa for this letter,Though I had no much time to make this prior finally made them and it kept for drying , Hubby did the QC already and told it taste so yummy as. I piece of halwa in your mouth will melt down and cool the tummy , If you have tasted the halwa you will know what am talking about. Living in chennai we never missed this halwa as my papa used to bring these from mithai shops in sowcarpet. They are just perfect treat to the soul, I loved making them and experimenting them with all the possibilities. I make the yellow halwa with saffron flavor , the white one is rose flavored and the orange one is the crazy idea of mine to use custard pd a vanilla flavored ice halwa. I have experimented the white halwa with semolina flour , semolina flour is totally different from the white semolina we use in Indian cuisine..Semolina flour is yellow and looks fine than the semolina but when cooked gets gritty. Semolina flour are made which durum wheat. For this halwa fine variety of semolina works well but if you don’t have the fine but have the coarse variety then just grind it in the mixier and make it fine. This is my first recipe under my 4th theme which Indian sweets 🙂
Theme ~ Indian Sweets
I for Ice Halwa
Ingredients
- Semolina (Or semolina flour)- 1/4 cup
- Ghee – 1/4 cup
- Milk – 1 1/2 cup
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Rose Essence – Few Drops
- Yellow color – few drops( optional)
Toppings
- Cardamom pd
- Pista and Badam chopped
- Rose petal ( optional)
Method
- I had some Coarse semolina so grounded the semolina in mixier to make fine semolina.
- Tear a long sheet of parchment paper and keep it ready, also keep the topping ready to sprinkle before you start the halwa making process.
- In a sauce pan Mix semolina, ghee, milk together and Mix them well.
- Turn on the heat to medium and keep string continuously.
- At one stage it will start to thicken and this is were you have be cautious and swiftly stir the mixture.
- The mixture should start leaving the sides and should form a dough.
- Turn off the stove and mix the mixture so that is thickens and also cools a little bit.
- Transfer the mixture to the parchment paper , line another parchment paper on top and start lightly rolling the dough with a rolling pin.
- Roll it slightly thin , not very very thin as the halwa might break easily after drying. Thin halwas taste better than thick ones.
- Sprinkle the topping on the rolled dough , press or roll with a rolling pin so that the topping is well fixed to the dough and doesn’t fall.
- Using a pizza cutter or a knife to cut the uneven ends and cut square or rectangle shapes.
- Use a scissor cut the halwa with the parchment paper spread it over a plate .
- Keep the Halwa in Refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours to dry .
- These halwa taste yummy even before drying but for the best authentic taste dry them up .
- Once the halwa’s are store it in a air tight container. It keeps well for a week.
- Semolina - ¼ cup
- Ghee - ¼ cup
- Milk - 1½ cup
- Sugar - 1 cup
- Rose Essence - Few Drops
- Yellow color - few drops( optional)
- Toppings
- Cardamom pd
- Pista and Badam chopped
- Rose petal ( optional)
- I had some Coarse semolina so grounded the semolina in mixier to make fine semolina.
- Tear a long sheet of parchment paper and keep it ready, also keep the topping ready to sprinkle before you start the halwa making process.
- In a sauce pan Mix semolina, ghee, milk together and Mix them well.
- Turn on the heat to medium and keep string continuously.
- At one stage it will start to thicken and this is were you have be cautious and swiftly stir the mixture.
- The mixture should start leaving the sides and should form a dough.
- Turn off the stove and mix the mixture so that is thickens and also cools a little bit.
- Transfer the mixture to the parchment paper , line another parchment paper on top and start lightly rolling the dough with a rolling pin.
- Roll it slightly thin , not very very thin as the halwa might break easily after drying. Thin halwas taste better than thick ones.
- Sprinkle the topping on the rolled dough , press or roll with a rolling pin so that the topping is well fixed to the dough and doesn't fall.
- Using a pizza cutter or a knife to cut the uneven ends and cut square or rectangle shapes.
- Use a scissor cut the halwa with the parchment paper spread it over a plate .
- Keep the Halwa in Refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours to dry .
- These halwa taste yummy even before drying but for the best authentic taste dry them up .
- Once the halwa's are store it in a air tight container. It keeps well for a week.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87
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Wow! What an awesome dessert! I always thought this was difficult to prepare and never even looked up the recipe. You have made it sound simpler than I though! And amazing clicks btw.
I have heard of this halwa but never got an opportunity to try. Looking at the thin halwa sheets, these must taste so yum. I am bookarking this to try later..
I loved it too when I made it for AtoZ Maharastrain Sweets, never knew it was available here as I am not very fond of sweets..You have really got it done so well and love the texture..great job!
Wow, you have nailed it ,Manjula. Ice halwa looks so prefect and looks exactly like mittai shop ones. I can’t take my eyes off from the screen,it’s so good,i’m literally drooling here. It’s in my todo list for long time, will try your version, bookmarked it. As usual the pictures are great and catchy!!!
What a prefection, those slices of Ice halwa looks absolutely stunning and just awesome. Actually am searching words to praise you. They came out extremely fantabulous Manju. What an incredible halwa dear. Wish i live near you to enjoy these alluring beauties.
Wow! You make it sound so simple. Always thought it was super difficult to achieve the store bought look 🙂
Rockstar you are ,made it to perfection. I always dream of making this Ice halwa.. im drooling now!!
Ice Halwa looks absolutely wow..right from a store!..perfectly made and perfectly cut and garnished. This halwa is a treat by itself . You have mastered a difficult sweet , and presented it beautifully.
Wow…. How many days store dis Mumbai halwa and how…
Hi Avi,
Am sorry for the delay in replying. You can store it at room temperature for a month in an airtight container.
I have heard about this recipe, but never tried it. This semolina idea is great. More like fine kesari rolled 😉 Will try this out in summer. 🙂 Great share. In spite of time crunch, you made it and that’s awesome.
What is the amount of sugar in it. There is no sugar mentioned in this recipe.
Oh thank you 🙂 Updated the post..
Omg I am speecless again. You presented this so difficult sweet like it is a piece of cake but I am sure it must be difficlut, for me atleast. Love the beautiful pictures and presentation.
Such a generous topping, making the ice halwa look so delicious. A few years back tried making ice halwa at home and failed. I’m bookmarking your recipe as I love the simple step by step explanation.
nice that you could make this, Manjula. Looks exactly like store bought ones…
Superb Manju! So pretty, gorgeous toppings, picture perfect!! I have heard about this sweet but have never tasted it! Now first on the check list after reaching Chennai is to check this ice halwa!
How gorgeous your clicks are Manjula. I have this in my to do list for a long time. I need to make them soon. I have not tasted this ice halwa before, so looking forward to getting a taste of it soon.
I.heard lots about ice halwa.. but never tried or taste.. looks so inviting and tasty.. click also awesome.
Superb recipe. Loved it. I will try it for sure.