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Diwali, often called the celebration of illumination, marks the triumph of good over evil. It stands as the most extensively celebrated celebration across India and resembles the atmosphere of the Western Christmas season. Diwali is characterized by sparklers and fireworks, brilliant shades, continuous festivities and dining surfaces groaning under the immense load of food and desserts. Every Diwali celebration is complete without containers of mithai and dehydrated fruits exchanged between loved ones and relatives. In the UK, these customs are maintained, wearing traditional clothes, going to places of worship, reading Indian mythology to the little ones and, above all, meeting with companions from diverse cultures and beliefs. For me, the festival centers on togetherness and sharing food that appears unique, but won’t leave you in the cooking area for extended periods. The bread pudding is my take on the indulgent shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are excellent for giving or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the banquet.

Effortless Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are some of the most iconic Indian sweets, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop bursting with confectioneries of all forms, tint and measurement, all professionally prepared and generously laden with clarified butter. These sweets frequently occupy a prominent position, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for offering to Hindu deities at religious sites. This version is one of the most straightforward, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be made in no time.

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

110g ghee
250g gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a small amount of saffron (if desired)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180 to 200 grams of granulated sugar, to taste

Liquefy the clarified butter in a Teflon-coated pan on a medium flame. Lower the flame, add the gram flour and heat, while stirring continuously to blend it with the melted ghee and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Continue heating and mixing for 30 to 35 minutes. At the start, the mixture will look like damp sand, but as you keep cooking and blending, it will become similar to peanut butter and smell wonderfully nutty. Don’t try to rush things, or neglect the mixture, because it might burn rapidly, and the gradual roasting is critical for the typical, roasted flavor of the ladoos.

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

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the cooled ladoo mixture, mix thoroughly, then break off small pieces and shape with your hands into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Set these on a platter separated a bit and let them cool to normal temperature.

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

Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a recipe that is usually prepared by cooking bread in clarified butter, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is made by boiling rich milk for an extended period until it condenses to a fraction of its original volume. 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 hour or more
Serves 4-6

Twelve slices day-old white bread, edges trimmed
100g ghee, or heated butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
1 x 397g tin thickened milk
5 ounces of sugar, or to taste
1 pinch saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (as an option)
1.5 ounces of 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 every slice, then set the triangular pieces as they fall in a greased, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

Using a big bowl, whisk the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then blend the saffron and the milk it was soaked in, the spices including cardamom and nutmeg, if added. Pour the milk mixture consistently across the bread in the dish, so everything is immersed, then let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and a pick stuck into the center exits without residue.

At the same time, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a little pot over medium heat, then fry the almonds until golden brown. Switch off the stove, add the raisins and allow them to heat in the leftover temperature, stirring constantly, for a minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the dessert and present hot or cold, simply on its own or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.