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Diwali, widely known as the event of lamps, is a celebration of light over darkness. It stands as the most widely marked festival in India and has a similar vibe to Christmas in the west. It’s synonymous with pyrotechnic displays, brilliant shades, continuous festivities and dining surfaces groaning under the immense load of culinary delights and sweets. No Diwali is complete without boxes of sweets and preserved fruits passed around kin and companions. In the UK, these customs are maintained, wearing traditional clothes, visiting temples, sharing tales from Indian lore to the kids and, most importantly, assembling with pals from every background and religion. In my view, Diwali is about togetherness and offering dishes that appears unique, but doesn’t keep you in the cooking area for extended periods. The bread pudding is my take on the rich shahi tukda, while these ladoos are perfect to gift or to savor alongside some chai after the feast.

Effortless Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are among the most recognizable Indian desserts, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop filled with treats in various shapes, hue and dimension, all skillfully made and liberally topped with traditional butter. Ladoos commonly hold a prominent position, making them a popular choice of offering for propitious moments or for presenting to divine figures at temples. This adaptation is among the easiest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be made in no time.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 minutes along with cooling
Makes approximately 15-20

110g ghee
250 grams of gram flour
1/4 teaspoon of ground green cardamom
1 pinch saffron (if desired)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, as per liking

Liquefy the clarified butter in a non-stick skillet on a moderate heat. Turn down the heat, add the gram flour and heat, while stirring continuously to combine it with the heated clarified butter and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for half an hour to 35 minutes. Initially, the combination will appear as damp sand, but as you keep cooking and mixing, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and smell wonderfully nutty. Avoid hurrying the process, or neglect the mixture, because it can burn very easily, and the gentle heating is vital for the distinctive, nutty taste of the confectioneries.

Remove the pan from the stove, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if included, then leave to cool until just warm to the touch.

Add the nuts and sugar to the room temperature ladoo mix, stir completely, then break off small pieces and shape with your hands into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Put these on a plate separated a bit and allow to cool to ambient temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos right away, or store them in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for as long as one week.

Traditional Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from Hyderabadi shahi tukda, a food that is commonly created by sautéing bread in ghee, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is created by simmering rich milk for an extended period until it condenses to a fraction of its original volume. This adaptation is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that demands minimal supervision and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4 to 6

12 slices day-old white bread, edges trimmed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or liquid butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk
150g sugar, or according to taste
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (if desired)
1.5 ounces of almonds, coarsely chopped
40g raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the clarified butter on each side of each piece, then place the triangles as they land in an oiled, roughly 20cm x 30cm, oblong baking pan.

Within a sizable container, mix the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sweetener incorporates, then blend the saffron and the milk it was soaked in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if using. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread in the container, so everything is immersed, then allow to soak for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Heat the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the upper layer is browned and a pick stuck into the center comes out clean.

At the same time, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a little pot over medium heat, then fry the almonds until golden. Turn off the heat, mix in the raisins and allow them to heat in the residual heat, blending steadily, for a minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the pudding and present hot or cold, simply on its own or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.