Bombay Ice Halwa

Halwa is a common delicacy throughout India and the Middle East, and this neat recipe shows how to make the dish, which has complex flavors, in a very simple and straightforward way. All the ingredients are very common, and the chef even gives instructions on how to make it more colorful. Your friends will be dazzled when you pull off this one!

While the prep time is under 10 minutes, note the drying time. This is the secret to having this delicious treat turn out the right way.

Ingredients

1/4 cup fine white semolina
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1 cups sugar
2 cups milk
6 almonds thinly sliced
8 pistachios thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. cardamom granules
2-3 pinches saffron strands crushed (optional)
2-3 drops yellow coloring (optional)
1/4 tsp rose essence

Preparation Process

Add the semolina, ghee, sugar and milk into a large pan. Cook on high heat, stirring continuously as bringing to a boil. (If you want to add a little color, while it cooks you can add 2-3 drops of artificial yellow coloring, then add the saffron after the next step.)

Reduce to medium heat, continuing to heat until the mixture combines into a soft dough.

Remove from heat and add the rose water and another teaspoon of ghee, then knead the dough with a spatula until the dough is smooth

Place the dough on top of a large sheet of aluminum foil, then cover with plastic wrap and roll the dough over the plastic wrap with a rolling pin until the dough becomes as thin as possible without breaking apart

Sprinkle the cardamom, almonds and pistachios on top of the dough, then cover with plastic wrap and roll lightly with a rolling pin to fully combine the cardamom and nuts with the dough

With a pizza cutter, slice the dough into squares in the size of your preference. Let set for 3-4 hours until on side of the dough is dry, then flip over and let dry completely.

When the dough is firm enough, carefully lift each piece and stack on a plate, separating the pieces with wax paper. Store in an air tight container.

Want to make this and need the written instructions? Just click here to download the full recipe.