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Diwali, often called the event of lamps, is a celebration of good over evil. It stands as the most extensively celebrated festival in India and resembles the atmosphere of holiday festivities abroad. Diwali is characterized by fireworks, brilliant shades, endless parties and dining surfaces groaning under the sheer weight of food and desserts. Every Diwali celebration is whole without packages of confections and preserved fruits shared among kin and companions. Across the United Kingdom, we keep those traditions alive, dressing up, visiting temples, sharing tales from Indian lore to the kids and, most importantly, meeting with companions from diverse cultures and beliefs. In my view, Diwali represents unity and distributing meals that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t keep you in the culinary space for long durations. The bread pudding 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.

Effortless Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are some of the most famous Indian confections, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop overflowing with sweets of every shape, hue and dimension, all professionally prepared and liberally topped with ghee. Ladoos commonly hold centre stage, making them a popular choice of present for festive events or for offering to Hindu deities at places of worship. This version is one of the simplest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and is ready quickly.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min plus cooling
Makes approximately 15-20

4 ounces of clarified butter
9 ounces of chickpea flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
1 pinch saffron (as an option)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, according to preference

Liquefy the clarified butter in a non-stick skillet on a moderate heat. Reduce the temperature, mix in the chickpea flour and heat, while stirring continuously to integrate it into the heated clarified butter and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. Initially, the mix will resemble moist granules, but with further heating and stirring, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and give off a rich nutty scent. Don’t try to rush things, or leave the mix unattended, because it can burn very easily, and the gentle heating is vital for the typical, roasted flavor of the confectioneries.

Turn off the heat and take the pan, mix in the cardamom and saffron, if added, then leave to cool until just warm to the touch.

Add the nuts and sugar to the cooled ladoo mixture, mix thoroughly, then break off small pieces and roll between your palms into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Place these on a dish spaced slightly apart and let them cool to normal temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos immediately, or keep them in a sealed container and keep at room temperature for up to a week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by sautéing bread in ghee, 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. This adaptation is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that requires a lot less tending to and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 60 minutes plus
Serves 4 to 6

12 slices day-old white bread, edges trimmed
100g ghee, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
A 397-gram tin sweetened condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or to taste
a pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (as an option)
1.5 ounces of almonds, coarsely chopped
40g raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the ghee over both sides of each portion, then arrange the triangles as they fall in a greased, roughly 20cm x 30cm, oblong baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar dissolves, then mix in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if using. Transfer the milk blend uniformly onto the bread in the pan, so each piece is saturated, then allow to soak for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Heat the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the upper layer is browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre exits without residue.

In the meantime, heat the leftover ghee in a small pan on a medium heat, then sauté the almonds until golden brown. Extinguish the flame, mix in the raisins and allow them to heat in the residual heat, blending steadily, for 60 seconds. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the dessert and serve warm or chilled, just as it is or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.