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Diwali, widely known as the festival of lights, marks the triumph of light over darkness. This is the most extensively celebrated festival in India and resembles the atmosphere of the Western Christmas season. It’s synonymous with fireworks, brilliant shades, continuous festivities and dining surfaces groaning under the substantial bulk of dishes and sweet treats. No Diwali is whole without containers of mithai and dehydrated fruits shared among kin and companions. Across the United Kingdom, these customs are maintained, wearing traditional clothes, going to places of worship, sharing tales from Indian lore to the little ones and, most importantly, assembling with pals from diverse cultures and beliefs. For me, the festival centers on unity and distributing meals that feels special, but doesn’t keep you in the cooking area for extended periods. The bread pudding is my interpretation of the rich shahi tukda, while these ladoos are ideal for presenting or to savor alongside some chai after the meal.

Effortless Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are among the most famous Indian confections, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop filled with treats in various shapes, tint and measurement, all professionally prepared and generously laden with clarified butter. Ladoos often take centre stage, rendering them a favored option of gift during auspicious occasions or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This version is one of the most straightforward, needing only a few components, and can be made in no time.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min plus cooling
Makes 15 to 20

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

Melt the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium heat. Lower the flame, mix in the chickpea flour and cook, stirring constantly to integrate it into the liquid ghee and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. Initially, the mixture will look like damp sand, but with further heating and blending, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and smell wonderfully nutty. Do not attempt to speed it up, or neglect the mixture, because it might burn rapidly, and the gentle heating is vital for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the sweet balls.

Turn off the heat and take the pan, mix in the cardamom and saffron, if included, then leave to cool until moderately warm on contact.

Incorporate the nuts and sugar to the cooled ladoo mixture, mix thoroughly, then break off small pieces and roll between your palms into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Put these on a plate separated a bit and let them cool to normal temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos right away, or store them in an airtight container and store in a cool place for up to a week.

Traditional Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by cooking bread in clarified butter, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is produced by heating full-fat milk for an extended period until it condenses to a fraction of its original volume. My version is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that demands minimal supervision and allows the oven to handle the work.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4-6

Twelve slices day-old white bread, crusts removed
100g ghee, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
One 397-gram can sweetened condensed milk
150g sugar, or to taste
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (optional)
40 grams of almonds, roughly chopped
1.5 ounces of raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, spread all but a teaspoon of the ghee on both faces of every slice, then set the triangular pieces as they land in an oiled, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

Within a sizable container, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar melts, then blend the saffron and the milk it was soaked in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if added. Pour the milk mixture uniformly onto the bread in the pan, so it all gets soaked, then leave to steep for 10-15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Bake the pudding for half an hour or so, until the surface is golden brown and a pick stuck into the center exits without residue.

In the meantime, melt the remaining ghee in a little pot over medium heat, then cook the almonds until golden. Extinguish the flame, incorporate the raisins and allow them to heat in the remaining warmth, mixing continuously, for a minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the pudding and present hot or cold, just as it is or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.