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Diwali, widely known as the celebration of illumination, marks the triumph of good over evil. This is the most extensively celebrated celebration across India and feels a bit like Christmas in the west. It’s synonymous with sparklers and fireworks, vibrant hues, endless parties and countertops straining under the substantial bulk of culinary delights and sweets. Every Diwali celebration is complete without containers of mithai and preserved fruits shared among friends and family. In the UK, the practices are preserved, wearing traditional clothes, visiting temples, narrating ancient Indian stories to the little ones and, crucially, assembling with pals from diverse cultures and beliefs. For me, Diwali represents community and sharing food that feels special, but doesn’t keep you in the kitchen for hours. The bread pudding is my interpretation of the decadent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are perfect to gift or to relish with a hot tea after the banquet.

Easy Ladoos (Pictured Top)

Ladoos are some of the most recognizable Indian desserts, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop filled with treats in various shapes, tint and measurement, all skillfully made and liberally topped with ghee. Ladoos commonly hold centre stage, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for presenting to divine figures at temples. This adaptation is one of the most straightforward, calling for a small set of items, and can be made in no time.

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

4 ounces of clarified butter
250g gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
a pinch of saffron (optional)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, heated and broken into pieces
180-200g granulated sugar, to taste

Melt the ghee in a Teflon-coated pan on a medium flame. Turn down the heat, mix in the chickpea 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 to 35 minutes. Initially, the combination will appear as wet sand, 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 walk away from the blend, because it can burn very easily, and the gradual roasting is vital for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the sweet balls.

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

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the cooled ladoo mixture, mix thoroughly, then tear off small chunks and roll between your palms into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Put these on a plate separated a bit and leave to cool to ambient temperature.

You can now serve the ladoos immediately, or place them in a tight-lid jar and keep at room temperature for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by Hyderabadi shahi tukda, a food that is commonly created by cooking bread in clarified butter, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is made by boiling full-fat milk for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. My version is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that demands minimal supervision and allows the oven to handle the work.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 60 minutes plus
Serves about 4-6 people

A dozen slices old white bread, crusts cut off
100 grams of ghee, or heated butter
1 liter of whole milk
A 397-gram tin condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or according to taste
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, broken into pieces
40g raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, spread all but a teaspoon of the clarified butter on each side of every slice, then place the triangles as they land in an oiled, approximately 20cm by 30cm, oblong baking pan.

Using a big bowl, whisk the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then blend the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if included. Pour the milk mixture uniformly onto the bread in the container, so it all gets soaked, then allow to soak for a short while. Set the oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan)/390°F/gas mark 6.

Bake the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a skewer placed in the middle comes out clean.

In the meantime, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a small skillet on moderate flame, then cook the almonds until golden. Extinguish the flame, add the raisins and leave them to cook in the residual heat, blending steadily, for a minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the pudding and offer heated or cooled, plain as it is or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.