Bombay Karachi Halwa - Easy Method

Bombay Karachi Halwa is a very popular Indian sweet dish made from Cornflour, Sugar and Water; flavoured with cardamom and ghee. This recipe of Cornflour Halwa does not involve any stirring like traditional Halwas and also does not use maida or khoya or any sugar syrup.

A perfect Indian dessert recipe for everyone to try easily.

Halwas are some of the most loved and a common dessert in Indian households during festival season. Soft and gooey, they have a way of melting in your mouth, leaving you wanting more.

And that is why you will love this recipe:

• Simple recipe

• Easy to prepare

• No stirring needed

• Minimal ingredient

Who wouldn't want to make a classic Indian delicacy at home?

Not only this in fact, I have a post on 23 plus Indian sweets recipes that can be prepared in less than 30 mins and this Bombay Karachi Halwa is one amongst them - a popular diwali sweets recipe collection.

What is Karachi Halwa made of?

This sweet has a soft and chewy texture that is made with cornflour, sugar and water. Usually it's coloured orange or red and flavored with cardamom and ghee. The texture is very similar to fudge or toffee—it's soft and chewy at room temperature.

Why is it called Karachi halwa?

Bombay Halwa sounds like an Indian dessert, but it actually has its origins in Pakistan. The name of this dessert comes from the city of Karachi in Pakistan. It is also known as Bombay Karachi Halwa and was popularized by halwais moving from Karachi to Bombay, India after partition.

Ingredients needed:

• 1/2 cup Cornflour
• 1.5 cups Sugar
• 2 cups Water
• 3 tbsp Ghee
• 2 tbsp cashewnuts
• big pinch of cardamom powder
• food colour (optional)

Step by Step Instructions:

Pre-Preparation.

Grease a 7x7 or 8x8 inch square pan with some ghee making sure to grease the sides of the pan too. Alternatively line the base with butter paper or parchment paper.

Not mandatory to use a square pan you can grease any plate or any bowl that is available. Set this aside.

Step 1: Roast the Cashewnuts:

In a small pan heat 2 tbsp ghee.

Once hot add in the cashewnuts and fry until golden brown in colour over medium heat.

Set this aside.

Step 2: Preparing Karachi Halwa in Microwave

• In a microwave safe bowl mix combine together half a cup corn flour, 1.5 cup sugar and 2 cups of water until lump-free (image 1).
• Add in the cardamom powder and few drops of orange food color (Preferably use orange or red food color). Mix to combine. (image 2)
• Microwave this cornflour mixture for 6 mins, stirring every two minutes.

• After the first 6 mins, add in the roasted cashewnuts (from step 1) and the remaining 1 tbsp of ghee. Mix to combine.
• Microwave for 6 minutes, stirring every three minutes.

• After 6 mins remove the bowl out, give a final stir and microwave for a final 6 mins.
• Please note every time you microwave the mixture will be bubbly and steaming; but after giving a stir using a spatula or spoon it should resemble halwa consistency.

Once done, pour into the prepared pan. Top it with more nuts or melon seeds as garnish if you prefer and press it down gently.

Allow it to cool for 10-15 mins before slicing into squares.

Isn't it the easiest corn flour halwa recipe made using easily available ingredients?

Storing Instructions:

Unlike other sweet treats, Karachi Halwa lasts a long time.

In fact, you can store it in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks!

This is perfect if you're looking to make it ahead of time—for instance, if you're putting together for special occasions like a mithai box for Diwali, Eid, or Christmas.

Definitely consider bookmarking this as part of your Diwali recipes

Best Tips:

1. Roasting the cashewnuts brings in a whole new flavour to any Indian dessert recipe. You can try this trick with any of your favourite sweet recipe, in fact, my gajar halwa recipe stands out because of this simple addition.
2. Do not skip on ghee that is clarified butter. The flavour of ghee is what brings this recipe together.
3. Make sure that you are starting with lump free batter no one wants to bite on to bits of cornflour right!!
4. Do remember to stir the halwa in regular intervals to distribute the heat evenly as we are making this in a microwave.
5. Remember to grease the pan in which you are setting the Halwa so that it is easier for you to unmould the same. You can use any greased plate to do the job you really do not need any special pans or baking pans for the same.

What does it taste like?

When you bite into the warm sticky halwa, the first taste is all about that burst of melted ghee. You want to hold the moment, but when you swallow, it’s gone.

Unlike other halwa varities like Moong Dal Halva or Gajar Halwa this Bombay Karachi Halwa recipe is not grainy in fact it has a smooth melt in mouth feel and yet is firm enough to cut into slices.

A very tasty halwa recipe with minimal efforts.

Is Turkish Delight and Karachi halwa same?

Turkish delight and karachi halwa are both sweet treats made from starch and sugar. Turkish delight is a softer, less sticky version of karachi halwa, but coated with powdered sugar to keep it from sticking together. Turkish delight is smoother than karachi halwa due to the fact that it's boiled longer than karachi halwa. Like Turkish delight, karachi bombay halwa is often cut into bite-sized cubes or rhomboids and served in boxes or bags.

You can call karachi halwa a distant cousins of Turkish delight because they share many similarities but do not taste the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Recipes:

1. Gajar Halwa Shots
2. Easy method to make Badam Halwa
3. 23 Indian Sweets under 30 mins

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This recipe was originally published on August 24,2017 and modified on 01 March, 2022 to add step by step collage images tutorial along with best tips, storage instructions and calories count.