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Diwali, widely known as the event of lamps, symbolizes the victory of positivity over negativity. This is the most widely marked Indian festival and resembles the atmosphere of the Western Christmas season. The occasion is linked to pyrotechnic displays, bright colours, endless parties and tables creaking under the sheer weight of dishes and sweet treats. No Diwali is whole without packages of confections and dried fruit passed around kin and companions. Throughout Britain, the practices are preserved, putting on festive attire, visiting temples, reading Indian mythology to the children and, crucially, assembling with pals from all walks of life and faiths. In my view, Diwali is about community and offering dishes that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t keep you in the culinary space for long durations. The bread pudding is my interpretation of the indulgent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are perfect to gift or to savor alongside some chai after the feast.

Easy Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are some of the most iconic Indian sweets, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop filled with sweets of every shape, hue and dimension, all expertly crafted and generously laden with clarified butter. Ladoos commonly hold a prominent position, establishing them as a top selection of present for festive events or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This version is one of the most straightforward, calling for a small set of items, and is ready quickly.

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

110g ghee
250g gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a pinch of saffron (as an option)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
6-7 ounces of white sugar, to taste

Liquefy the clarified butter in a nonstick pan on a moderate heat. Reduce the temperature, incorporate the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to blend it with the melted ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for 30 to 35 minutes. To begin with, the mix will resemble moist granules, but with further heating and stirring, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Do not attempt to speed it up, or leave the mix unattended, because it might burn rapidly, and the gradual roasting is essential to the characteristic, nutty flavour of the ladoos.

Take the pan off the heat, mix in the cardamom and saffron, if added, then allow to cool until moderately warm on contact.

Incorporate the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, combine well, then tear off small chunks and shape with your hands into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Set these on a platter spaced slightly apart and leave to cool to normal temperature.

They can be served the ladoos right away, or store them in an airtight container and store in a cool place for up to a week.

Classic 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 rich milk for an extended period until it condenses to a reduced quantity from the start. This adaptation is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that needs much less attention and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

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

A dozen slices day-old white bread, crusts cut off
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
A 397-gram tin condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or as preferred
1 pinch saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (as an option)
1.5 ounces of almonds, roughly chopped
40 grams of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the clarified butter on each side of each portion, then place the triangles as they sit in a buttered, about 8x12 inches, rectangular baking dish.

Within a sizable container, mix the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sweetener incorporates, then blend the saffron and the milk it was soaked in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if using. Transfer the milk blend consistently across the bread in the pan, so each piece is saturated, then leave to steep for a short while. Heat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for half an hour or so, until the surface is golden brown and a skewer placed in the middle exits without residue.

At the same time, heat the leftover ghee in a little pot over medium heat, then sauté the almonds until golden brown. Switch off the stove, incorporate the raisins and let them simmer in the leftover temperature, blending steadily, for 60 seconds. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the sweet dish and offer heated or cooled, plain as it is or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.