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Diwali, widely known as the festival of lights, symbolizes the victory of good over evil. This is the most extensively celebrated festival in India and has a similar vibe to Christmas in the west. It’s synonymous with sparklers and fireworks, vibrant hues, non-stop gatherings and dining surfaces groaning under the substantial bulk of food and desserts. Every Diwali celebration is finished without boxes of sweets and dehydrated fruits shared among loved ones and relatives. In the UK, we keep those traditions alive, dressing up, visiting temples, sharing tales from Indian lore to the little ones and, crucially, meeting with companions from diverse cultures and beliefs. Personally, Diwali represents community and distributing meals that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t keep you in the kitchen for hours. The bread pudding is my take on the decadent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are ideal for presenting or to savor alongside some chai after the banquet.

Easy Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are some of the most recognizable Indian desserts, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop filled with confectioneries of all forms, colour and size, all skillfully made and generously laden with clarified butter. Ladoos often take the spotlight, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for presenting to divine figures at religious sites. This adaptation is one of the most straightforward, needing only a few components, and is ready quickly.

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

110 grams of ghee
9 ounces of chickpea flour
1/4 teaspoon of ground green cardamom
1 pinch saffron (if desired)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, heated and broken into pieces
180 to 200 grams of granulated sugar, according to preference

Heat the ghee in a Teflon-coated pan on a medium flame. Reduce the temperature, add the gram flour and simmer, with constant mixing to blend it with the heated clarified butter and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Continue heating and mixing for 30 to 35 minutes. To begin with, the mix will resemble moist granules, but as you continue cooking and blending, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and smell wonderfully nutty. Do not attempt to speed it up, or leave the mix unattended, because it can burn very easily, and the gradual roasting is critical for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the confectioneries.

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

Add the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, mix thoroughly, then break off small pieces and roll between your palms into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Put these on a plate separated a bit and leave to cool to ambient temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos right away, or store them in an airtight container and store in a cool place for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by cooking bread in clarified butter, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is made by boiling full-fat milk for an extended period until it condenses to a small portion of its initial amount. The recipe here is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that needs much less attention and enables the oven to take over the task.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 1 hr+
Serves about 4-6 people

A dozen slices old white bread, edges trimmed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or liquid butter
1 litre whole milk
A 397-gram tin thickened milk
5 ounces of sugar, or as preferred
a pinch of saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (optional)
40g almonds, roughly chopped
1.5 ounces of raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the clarified butter on each side of each piece, then arrange the triangles as they land in an oiled, roughly 20cm x 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, condensed milk and sugar until the sugar melts, then mix in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if added. Pour the milk mixture uniformly onto the bread in the container, so everything is immersed, then let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Heat the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a skewer placed in the middle exits without residue.

Meanwhile, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a little pot over medium heat, then sauté the almonds until golden. Switch off the stove, mix in the raisins and leave them to cook in the leftover temperature, stirring constantly, for one minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the dessert and offer heated or cooled, just as it is or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.