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Diwali, frequently referred to as the celebration of illumination, is a celebration of positivity over negativity. It’s the most widely marked Indian festival and resembles the atmosphere of the Western Christmas season. Diwali is characterized by fireworks, brilliant shades, non-stop gatherings and countertops straining under the substantial bulk of culinary delights and sweets. Not a single Diwali is whole without boxes of sweets and dried fruit exchanged between friends and family. In the UK, the practices are preserved, putting on festive attire, attending religious sites, reading Indian mythology to the little ones and, most importantly, meeting with companions from diverse cultures and beliefs. For me, Diwali represents togetherness and distributing meals that feels special, but won’t leave you in the cooking area for extended periods. The pudding made from bread is my take on the decadent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are excellent for giving or to relish with a hot tea after the meal.

Effortless Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are some of the most recognizable Indian desserts, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop overflowing with treats in various shapes, colour and size, all professionally prepared and generously laden with clarified butter. Ladoos often take centre stage, rendering them a favored option of present for festive events or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This adaptation is one of the most straightforward, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and is ready quickly.

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

110g ghee
250 grams of gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
a small amount of saffron (if desired)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, according to preference

Melt the ghee in a non-stick skillet on a medium flame. Lower the flame, incorporate the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to combine it with the liquid ghee and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Continue heating and mixing for 30-35 minutes. Initially, the mixture will look like damp sand, but as you continue cooking and stirring, it will become similar to peanut butter and smell wonderfully nutty. Do not attempt to speed it up, or neglect the mixture, because it might burn rapidly, and the gentle heating is critical for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the ladoos.

Turn off the heat and take the pan, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if included, then allow to cool until moderately warm on contact.

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 x 4cm balls. Put these on a plate spaced slightly apart and let them cool to normal temperature.

They can be served the ladoos right away, or store them in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to a week.

Classic Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a dish that’s typically made by frying bread in ghee, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is made by boiling rich milk for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. This adaptation is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that requires a lot less tending to and allows the oven to handle the work.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4-6

A dozen slices day-old white bread, edges trimmed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
1 x 397g tin thickened milk
150g sugar, or as preferred
a pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (if desired)
40 grams of almonds, roughly chopped
1.5 ounces of raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee on both faces of every slice, then place the triangles as they fall in a greased, about 8x12 inches, rectangular ovenproof container.

Using a big bowl, mix the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sweetener incorporates, then mix in the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Empty the milk combination evenly over the bread in the pan, so it all gets soaked, then let it sit for a short while. Set the oven temperature to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Bake the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a pick stuck into the center comes out clean.

At the same time, heat the leftover ghee in a small skillet on moderate flame, then fry the almonds until golden brown. Turn off the heat, incorporate the raisins and allow them to heat in the remaining warmth, mixing continuously, for one minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the dessert and present hot or cold, just as it is or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.