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Diwali, often called the festival of lights, symbolizes the victory of good over evil. It stands as the most widely marked Indian festival and has a similar vibe to the Western Christmas season. Diwali is characterized by fireworks, brilliant shades, endless parties and tables creaking under the substantial bulk of culinary delights and sweets. Not a single Diwali is whole without containers of mithai and dried fruit exchanged between friends and family. In the UK, the practices are preserved, dressing up, visiting temples, reading Indian mythology to the kids and, above all, assembling with pals from every background and religion. Personally, the festival centers on unity and distributing meals that seems extraordinary, but won’t leave you in the cooking area for extended periods. This bread-based dessert is my version of the indulgent shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are perfect to gift or to savor alongside some chai after the meal.

Easy Ladoos (Pictured Top)

Ladoos are one of the most recognizable Indian desserts, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop filled with sweets of every shape, colour and size, all expertly crafted and generously laden with traditional butter. Ladoos often take centre stage, making them a popular choice of gift during auspicious occasions or for offering to Hindu deities at religious sites. This version is one of the simplest, calling for a small set of items, and is ready quickly.

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

110 grams of ghee
9 ounces of chickpea flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
1 pinch saffron (if desired)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, heated and broken into pieces
180-200g granulated sugar, as per liking

Melt the ghee in a Teflon-coated pan on a medium heat. Reduce the temperature, incorporate the gram flour and heat, while stirring continuously to combine it with the melted ghee and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Persist with cooking and blending for half an hour to 35 minutes. At the start, the combination will appear as damp sand, but with further heating and mixing, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Don’t try to rush things, or neglect the mixture, because it may scorch quickly, and the gradual roasting is vital for the distinctive, nutty taste of the sweet balls.

Remove the pan from the stove, blend the cardamom and saffron, if added, then leave to cool until moderately warm on contact.

Incorporate the nuts and sugar to the room temperature ladoo mix, stir completely, then tear off small chunks and shape with your hands into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Place these on a dish separated a bit and let them cool to room temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos immediately, or place them in a tight-lid jar and maintain at room temperature for up to a week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from Hyderabadi shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by frying bread in ghee, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is created by simmering rich milk for a long time until it thickens to a reduced quantity from the start. My version is a healthier, easier and quicker alternative that demands minimal supervision and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour or more
Serves 4 to 6

A dozen slices stale white bread, crusts cut off
100 grams of ghee, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
A 397-gram tin thickened milk
150 grams of sugar, or to taste
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (optional)
40 grams of almonds, broken into pieces
40g raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the ghee over both sides of each portion, then place the triangles as they sit in a buttered, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

Within a sizable container, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sweetener incorporates, then stir in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the spices including cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Pour the milk mixture uniformly onto the bread in the dish, so each piece is saturated, then allow to soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Bake the pudding for half an hour or so, until the surface is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre emerges clean.

In the meantime, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a little pot over medium heat, then cook the almonds until golden. Switch off the stove, incorporate the raisins and let them simmer in the remaining warmth, stirring constantly, for a minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the pudding and serve warm or chilled, simply on its own or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.