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Diwali, often called the festival of lights, symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. It stands as the most widely marked celebration across India and feels a bit like the Western Christmas season. It’s synonymous with fireworks, bright colours, non-stop gatherings and tables creaking under the immense load of culinary delights and sweets. Every Diwali celebration is complete without packages of confections and dehydrated fruits passed around loved ones and relatives. In the UK, we keep those traditions alive, putting on festive attire, going to places of worship, reading Indian mythology to the children and, most importantly, assembling with pals from every background and religion. Personally, the festival centers on togetherness and sharing food that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t keep you in the culinary space for long durations. This bread-based dessert is my take on the decadent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are ideal for presenting or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the banquet.

Easy Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are among the most famous Indian confections, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop filled with treats in various shapes, tint and measurement, all skillfully made and generously laden with clarified butter. Ladoos commonly hold the spotlight, rendering them a favored option of present for festive events or for presenting to divine figures at temples. This version is one of the simplest, calling for a small set of items, and is ready quickly.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 minutes plus chilling
Makes approximately 15-20

110 grams of ghee
250g gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
a pinch of saffron (optional)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180 to 200 grams of granulated sugar, as per liking

Liquefy the clarified butter in a nonstick pan on a moderate heat. Turn down the heat, add the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to combine it with the heated clarified butter and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. Initially, the combination will appear as damp sand, but with further heating and blending, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Don’t try to rush things, or leave the mix unattended, because it may scorch quickly, and the slow roast is vital for the distinctive, nutty taste of the sweet balls.

Turn off the heat and take the pan, blend the cardamom and saffron, if added, then set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Add the nuts and sugar to the room temperature ladoo mix, combine well, then pull apart little portions and form using your palms into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Set these on a platter separated a bit and leave to cool to ambient temperature.

You can now serve the sweets promptly, or place them in a tight-lid jar and store in a cool place for about seven days.

Classic Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by Hyderabadi shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by frying bread in ghee, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is produced by heating whole milk for a long time until it thickens to a small portion of its initial amount. My version is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that needs much less attention and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4 to 6

Twelve slices day-old white bread, crusts cut off
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or heated butter
1 litre whole milk
1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or according to taste
a small pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (optional)
1.5 ounces of almonds, coarsely chopped
40 grams of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the clarified butter on each side of every slice, then set the triangular pieces as they land in an oiled, roughly 20cm x 30cm, rectangular baking dish.

Within a sizable container, beat the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sugar melts, then stir in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the spices including cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Transfer the milk blend uniformly onto the bread in the pan, so each piece is saturated, then let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Set the oven temperature to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for half an hour or so, until the upper layer is browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre exits without residue.

At the same time, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a small skillet on moderate flame, then sauté the almonds until golden. Turn off the heat, add the raisins and allow them to heat in the residual heat, blending steadily, for 60 seconds. Scatter the nut and raisin combination over the sweet dish and serve warm or chilled, plain as it is or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.