Karachi Halwa carries its history in both its names. In Mumbai it is sold as Bombay Halwa; in Karachi it is sold as Karachi Halwa — and the reason for both names is the same: Sindhi confectioners who had made this translucent corn flour sweet in Bombay before Partition carried the recipe across the new border to Karachi in 1947, where it became an institution in the Kharadar and Saddar sweet shops they established. It is a jewel-bright, chewy, translucent confection — not a soft halwa but a firm, candy-like set piece — made from corn flour, ghee and sugar cooked to the right temperature, studded with pistachios and coloured bright with food colouring that is part of its cheerful identity. It is a confectioner’s sweet, not a home sweet, and it is the edible trace of a Partition migration.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 300 ml water (to dissolve the cornflour)
- 250 g sugar
- 200 ml water (for the syrup)
- 4 tbsp ghee
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 –3 drops food colouring (orange, green or pink)
- 3 tbsp pistachios (slivered)
- ghee for greasing
METHOD
- Dissolve the cornflour in 300ml water until smooth. Set aside.
- Make the syrup: combine the sugar and 200ml water in a heavy pan. Bring to a boil, add the lemon juice, and cook to a one-thread consistency.
- Pour the cornflour mixture into the hot syrup in a slow, steady stream, stirring vigorously. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, adding the ghee a tablespoon at a time as you stir.
- Add the cardamom and food colouring. Keep stirring and cooking for 15–20 minutes. The mixture will become very stiff and pull away from the sides of the pan — this is the sign it is ready.
- Grease a flat tray with ghee. Pour the halwa out quickly and smooth to about 1.5cm thick. Scatter the slivered pistachios over and press in gently.
- Cool completely, at least 2 hours, until set firm.
- Cut into diamond or square shapes. The halwa should be translucent, jewel-like and firm enough to hold its shape. Store in a tin between layers of greaseproof paper.
