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Diwali, widely known as the event of lamps, is a celebration of light over darkness. This is the most extensively celebrated Indian festival and resembles the atmosphere of holiday festivities abroad. The occasion is linked to fireworks, brilliant shades, endless parties and countertops straining under the substantial bulk of food and desserts. Not a single Diwali is finished without packages of confections and preserved fruits exchanged between friends and family. Across the United Kingdom, these customs are maintained, putting on festive attire, attending religious sites, narrating ancient Indian stories to the kids and, above all, gathering with friends from diverse cultures and beliefs. For me, the festival centers on togetherness and distributing meals that appears unique, but won’t leave you in the culinary space for long durations. The bread pudding is my take on the indulgent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are excellent for giving or to savor alongside some chai after the feast.

Simple Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are some of the most iconic Indian sweets, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop overflowing with sweets of every shape, tint and measurement, all professionally prepared and generously laden with ghee. Ladoos often take a prominent position, making them a popular choice of gift during auspicious occasions or for giving to gods and goddesses at temples. This version is one of the simplest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be prepared in minutes.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 50 minutes plus chilling
Makes 15 to 20

4 ounces of clarified butter
250 grams of gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a pinch of saffron (optional)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, as per liking

Heat the ghee in a non-stick skillet on a medium flame. Lower the flame, mix in the chickpea flour and heat, while stirring continuously to blend it with the heated clarified butter and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Continue heating and mixing for 30 to 35 minutes. Initially, the mix will resemble moist granules, but with further heating and stirring, it will become similar to peanut butter and smell wonderfully nutty. Do not attempt to speed it up, or neglect the mixture, because it may scorch quickly, and the gradual roasting is critical for the distinctive, nutty taste of the ladoos.

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

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the room temperature ladoo mix, mix thoroughly, then break off small pieces and form using your palms into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Put these on a plate spaced slightly apart and leave to cool to room temperature.

You can now serve the sweets promptly, or keep them in a sealed container and maintain at room temperature for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a food that is commonly created by sautéing bread in ghee, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is produced by heating whole milk for an extended period until it condenses to a reduced quantity from the start. This adaptation 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 min
Cook 60 minutes plus
Serves about 4-6 people

Twelve slices old white bread, edges trimmed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
1 x 397g tin condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or to taste
a pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
40g almonds, roughly chopped
1.5 ounces of raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the ghee over both sides of each piece, then arrange the triangles as they land in an oiled, about 8x12 inches, oblong baking pan.

Using a big bowl, beat the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sugar melts, then stir in the saffron and its soaking milk, the spices including cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Empty the milk combination consistently across the bread in the container, so everything is immersed, then allow to soak for a short while. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for half an hour or so, until the surface 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 little pot over medium heat, then cook the almonds until golden brown. Switch off the stove, mix in the raisins and let them simmer in the remaining warmth, blending steadily, for a minute. Scatter the nut and raisin combination over the pudding and serve warm or chilled, plain as it is or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.