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Diwali, often called the celebration of illumination, symbolizes the victory of good over evil. This is the most widely marked festival in India and resembles the atmosphere of Christmas in the west. It’s synonymous with pyrotechnic displays, brilliant shades, endless parties and countertops straining under the immense load of dishes and sweet treats. No Diwali is complete without boxes of sweets and preserved fruits passed around friends and family. In the UK, we keep those traditions alive, dressing up, going to places of worship, narrating ancient Indian stories to the kids and, above all, assembling with pals from diverse cultures and beliefs. Personally, the festival centers on community and offering dishes that appears unique, but won’t leave you in the kitchen for hours. The bread pudding is my interpretation of the indulgent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are perfect to gift or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the meal.

Effortless Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are among the most recognizable Indian desserts, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop bursting with treats in various shapes, tint and measurement, all expertly crafted and liberally topped with clarified butter. Ladoos commonly hold a prominent position, rendering them a favored option of gift during auspicious occasions or for giving to gods and goddesses at religious sites. This particular recipe is among the easiest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be prepared in minutes.

Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook 50 min plus cooling
Makes 15 to 20

110g ghee
250g gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a small amount of saffron (as an option)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
6-7 ounces of white sugar, to taste

Liquefy the clarified butter in a non-stick skillet on a medium heat. Turn down the heat, incorporate the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to blend it with the melted ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Continue heating and mixing for 30 to 35 minutes. To begin with, the combination will appear as damp sand, but with further heating and mixing, it will become similar to peanut butter and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Do not attempt to speed it up, or leave the mix unattended, because it might burn rapidly, and the slow roast is critical for the distinctive, nutty taste of the confectioneries.

Remove the pan from the stove, mix in the cardamom and saffron, if included, then set aside to cool until moderately warm on contact.

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the chilled ladoo blend, stir completely, then pull apart little portions and roll between your palms into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Set these on a platter separated a bit and allow to cool to normal temperature.

They can be served the ladoos immediately, or store them in an airtight container and store in a cool place for about seven days.

Classic Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a dish that’s typically made by cooking bread in clarified butter, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is produced by heating whole milk for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. My version is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that demands minimal supervision and enables the oven to take over the task.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4 to 6

12 slices day-old white bread, crusts cut off
100g ghee, or heated butter
1 litre whole milk
1 x 397g tin thickened milk
150g sugar, or as preferred
1 pinch saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (if desired)
1.5 ounces of almonds, roughly chopped
40g raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee over both sides of every slice, then set the triangular pieces as they sit in a buttered, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar melts, then stir in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the spices including cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread in the pan, so everything is immersed, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for half an hour or so, until the upper layer is browned and a skewer placed in the middle emerges clean.

In the meantime, heat the leftover ghee in a little pot over medium heat, then sauté the almonds until golden brown. Extinguish the flame, mix in the raisins and let them simmer in the remaining warmth, stirring constantly, for one minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the sweet dish and present hot or cold, plain as it is or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.