Karachi Halwa | Bombay Halwa

Karachi halwa recipe with step by step photos. Soft and melt in the mouth is karachi halwa which is also known as Bombay halwa. Karachi halwa is made with basically four ingredients – corn flour, ghee, water and sugar. Overall an easy sweet that you can prepare for a festive time.

I had got some recipe requests to share karachi halwa, hence sharing the recipe. Making karachi halwa is easy and does not take much time also.

Karachi halwa is not your everyday sweet, so best to make during festive occasions or special occasions. The recipe shared here gives you a soft and super delicious halwa. It does not have a chewy texture.

The smooth, gelatinous texture of the Bombay Halwa is well balanced with the crunchiness from the dry fruits or nuts that are essentially used in it. Once the halwa is set, it is usually cut into pieces and sold as a mithai.

While making karachi halwa you can add

1. Your choice of dry fruits in the halwa. I have added almonds and cashews.
2. Instead of ghee you can use oil. But I would say that, use ghee as it imparts a really good taste and aroma.
3. For the color, you can use orange, yellow, red, pink or green color. I have used natural orange color extract. Do avoid using artificial food colors. You can also use saffron strands for a yellow color.

The corn flour used in making karachi halwa is the white colored corn flour. This white colored corn flour is called as corn starch in western countries. In India we call it as corn flour. So if you live in Europe or America, use corn starch to make karachi halwa.

Karachi halwa can be served as a festive sweet or as a sweet after meals. Wishing all our readers and well wishers a happy and prosperous Diwali.

How to make Karachi Halwa

1. First take 1 cup of corn flour (100 grams) in a mixing bowl.

2. Add 1 cup water.

3. Mix very well with a wired whisk. There should be no lumps. Keep aside.

4. Line a tray or pan with butter paper or parchment paper. Alternatively you can grease the pan on the bottom and sides with some ghee. Keep aside.

Preparing sugar solution

5. In a heavy kadai take 1 cup of sugar (200 grams).

6. Add ½ cup water.

7. Add 5 to 6 drops of natural orange color extract. You can use any natural color extract like yellow, red, pink, green. you can also use about 1 pinch of saffron strands for a faint yellow color.

8. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

9. Mix well and keep the pan on a stove top.

10. Keep the flame to medium-low and begin stirring the solution, so that the sugar solution dissolves. Then reduce the flame to a low or sim. Keep the flame to its lowest.

11. Let the sugar solution come to a boil.

Making karachi halwa

12. Now take the corn starch solution and stir it again as the corn starch settles down at the bottom, so you have to mix everything again before you add in the sugar syrup.

13. Add a part of the corn flour solution. Add corn flour solution in two to three parts.

14. As soon as you add mix very well with a wired whisk.

15. Then add the second part of the corn flour solution.

16. Mix and stir very well.

17. Continue to mix and stir at non stop on a low flame. Now use a spatula or a spoon for stirring instead of wired whisk.

18. The corn flour will begin to become sticky and thicken. Keep on stirring.

19. Stir and mix till the entire mixture thickens.

20. Once the entire mixture thickens, add ¼ cup ghee in two to three parts.

21. As soon as you add ghee, mix well so that all of the ghee is incorporated in the corn flour mixture.

22. All of the ghee should be mixed well.

23. Then add the second portion of ghee.

24. Mix again.

25. Continue to stir and mix when adding ghee in parts.

26. Add the last portion of ghee.

27. Stir and mix again and cook for 1 to 2 minutes stirring often, till the mixture gathers in one mass. By this time the mixture must have already left the sides of the kadai or pan. You will also see ghee releasing from the sides.

To check the doneness of karachi halwa

28. Take a small portion of halwa in a plate.

29. Then check if you can form into a ball. If yes then the karachi halwa is ready. While checking you have to be quick and not keep the halwa cooking in the kadai.

So either cool the halwa portion by placing it in water or use a napkin and with the help of the cotton napkin shape the halwa.

30. Once the mixture gather in one mass and has a translucent appearance, switch off the flame and quickly add 1 tablespoon sliced almonds, 1 tablespoon chopped cashews and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder.

31. Then quickly add 1 teaspoon rose water. Rose water can be skipped if you don’t have it.

32. Mix immediately.

Setting karachi halwa

33. Quickly add the mixture in the lined or greased tray.

34. Begin to spread the karachi halwa mixture in the tray.

35. Then level with a spatula.

36. Level neatly.

37. Then add 2 teaspoons sliced almonds and 2 teaspoons sliced cashews all over the karachi halwa.

38. Press the nuts with spatula so that they stick to it.

39. Allow the halwa to cool at room temperature.

40. Once cooled, remove the karachi halwa.

41. Then slice it in squares.

42. Serve karachi halwa as a festive sweet or an after meal sweet. Leftover can be stored in an air tight box and then refrigerated.

For more sweets recipes you can check this collection of Diwali sweets recipes.

More halwa recipes

1. Atte ka halwa
2. Rava kesari
3. Gajar ka halwa
4. Badam halwa
5. Besan halwa

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Karachi Halwa post from the archives, originally published in October 2017 has been updated and republished on January 2023.