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Diwali, often called the event of lamps, symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. It stands as the most widely marked festival in India and feels a bit like Christmas in the west. It’s synonymous with sparklers and fireworks, vibrant hues, non-stop gatherings and dining surfaces groaning under the sheer weight of dishes and sweet treats. Not a single Diwali is finished without boxes of sweets and dried fruit exchanged between kin and companions. Across the United Kingdom, these customs are maintained, dressing up, visiting temples, reading Indian mythology to the little ones and, above all, meeting with companions from every background and religion. Personally, Diwali is about community and offering dishes that feels special, but won’t leave you in the culinary space for long durations. The pudding made from bread is my take on the decadent shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are perfect to gift or to relish with a hot tea after the feast.

Simple Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are one of the most recognizable Indian desserts, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop filled with sweets of every shape, hue and dimension, all expertly crafted and abundantly coated with clarified butter. Ladoos commonly hold a prominent position, rendering them a favored option of gift during auspicious occasions or for offering to Hindu deities at places of worship. This adaptation is among the easiest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be prepared in minutes.

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

110g ghee
250 grams of gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
1 pinch saffron (if desired)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, as per liking

Liquefy the clarified butter in a nonstick pan on a medium flame. Lower the flame, mix in the chickpea flour and heat, while stirring continuously to combine it with the melted ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Continue heating and mixing for 30 to 35 minutes. To begin with, the combination will appear as damp sand, but as you keep cooking and blending, it will become similar to peanut butter and give off a rich nutty scent. Avoid hurrying the process, or leave the mix unattended, because it might burn rapidly, and the slow roast is critical for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the sweet balls.

Remove the pan from the stove, mix in the cardamom and saffron, if added, then leave to cool until slightly warm when touched.

Add the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, mix thoroughly, then pull apart little portions and form using your palms into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Place these on a dish spaced slightly apart and leave to cool to normal temperature.

They can be served the ladoos right away, or place them in a tight-lid jar and maintain at room temperature for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by cooking bread in clarified butter, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is produced by heating whole milk for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. This adaptation is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that requires a lot less tending to and allows the oven to handle the work.

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

Twelve slices stale white bread, crusts removed
100g ghee, or liquid butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
A 397-gram tin sweetened condensed milk
5 ounces of sugar, or according to taste
1 pinch saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (if desired)
40g almonds, broken into pieces
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 place the triangles as they land in an oiled, roughly 20cm x 30cm, oblong baking pan.

Using a big bowl, mix the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sugar melts, then mix in the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if using. Empty the milk combination evenly over the bread in the pan, so everything is immersed, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Set the oven temperature to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Heat the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the upper layer is browned and a pick stuck into the center exits without residue.

At the same time, heat the leftover ghee in a small pan on a medium heat, then fry the almonds until lightly browned. Turn off the heat, incorporate the raisins and allow them to heat in the residual heat, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds. Scatter the nut and raisin combination over the dessert and serve warm or chilled, plain as it is or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.