Bombay Ice Halwa

if you ever wanted to try a totally innovative halwa, Bombay ice halwa is the right thing to make to impress your family and friends. As for me, this ice halwa is super cool to make and to dish out and seeing the kids excitement was awesome. I made this Bombay ice halwa as prasadham for Ugadhi and i love the creativity of peel off halwa. The vibrant is a feast for eyes and the chopped nuts enhance the flavor and taste of this delicious halwa. I used pistachios and almonds you may use any nuts as your liking.

Ingredients

2 cups  + 6 tbsp whole milk
1/4 cup corn flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 cup chopped nuts
Pinch of yellow food coloring
Pinch of saffron


Methods

Add 2 tbsp milk to saffron and keep aside.

Dilute cornflour with remaining 5 tbsp milk. Keep aside.

Boil milk in a pan, add sugar, saffron diluted in milk and yellow food coloring. Stir till sugar completely dissolved. Add cardamom powder and stir.

Reduce heat to medium=high and add diluted corn flour and keep stirring.

Add ghee and continue stirring till the mixture thickened.  Cook till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and form a big mass on the pan.

Add 2 tbsp ghee and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Spoon the mixture over a parchment paper greased lightly with ghee, top with another parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, gently roll into a medium thin. Remove the top parchment paper and sprinkle the halwa with chopped nuts.

Gently place back the parchment paper and roll lightly for the nuts to stick to the mixture. Let the halwa cool for 1-2 hours.

Remove the top parchment paper and using a sharp knife, slice into squares.

Serve

Cream Bun

I'm a fan of cream bun especially something with vanilla cream and who can resist the luscious silky smooth cream piped into a freshly baked soft buns. My memory with cream buns goes a long way thru my childhood whereby, an old Indian uncle selling breads make his rounds in our neighborhood with his motorbike fully loaded with assorted loaves and buns. We kids will eagerly wait every evenings for his cream buns. The taste of buttery sweet cream buns still lingers even after so many years. Childhood  food memories remained.

Ingredients

4 cups bread flour
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup + 1 tsp granulated white sugar
1/3 cup butter,melted
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg,slightly beaten
1 tsp salt

For The Buttercream

1 cup butter,room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
2-3 tbsp milk,room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch o\f salt
Chocolate chips for garnishing


Methods 

Using a stand mixer, fitted with dough hook add lukewarm water,yeast and 1 tsp sugar to the bowl. Stir and let the yeast to bloom for 5-10 mins.

In another mixing bowl, mix in melted butter,egg and milk. Add the mixture to the yeast. dd flour,salt and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar. Turn on the machine.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with clean kitchen towel. Let the dough to rest in a warm place for 90 mins.

Punch down the dough and lightly dust a clean working surface with flour. Place the dough on working surface and divide them equally into 12-15 oval shaped balls.

Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover the dough with  it clean kitchen towel and let it rest for another 30 mins in a warm place.

Preheat oven at 350'F or 180'C and bake the oven in the middle tray of the oven for 20 mins till golden. Remove from oven and cool the buns on cooling rack.


In a bowl of stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed till smooth. Scrap the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce speed to low and gradually add in the confectioners sugar. Increase speed to medium and continue beating for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 tbsp milk and continue beating. The mixture shouldn't be more too runny or too thick. Add vanilla extract and salt and keep beating on high speed for another 1-2 minutes.

Make a slit on the cooled buns and piped generously with vanilla butter cream and garnish with chocolate chips