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Diwali, widely known as the festival of lights, is a celebration of positivity over negativity. It’s the most widely marked festival in India and resembles the atmosphere of holiday festivities abroad. The occasion is linked to sparklers and fireworks, brilliant shades, continuous festivities and countertops straining under the sheer weight of culinary delights and sweets. Not a single Diwali is finished without packages of confections and dehydrated fruits passed around kin and companions. In the UK, we keep those traditions alive, dressing up, going to places of worship, narrating ancient Indian stories to the kids and, most importantly, gathering with friends from all walks of life and faiths. For me, Diwali is about community and offering dishes that feels special, but won’t leave you in the cooking area for extended periods. This bread-based dessert is my take on the decadent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are excellent for giving or to savor alongside some chai after the meal.

Effortless Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are among the most iconic Indian sweets, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop bursting with confectioneries of all forms, tint and measurement, all skillfully made and liberally topped with clarified butter. Ladoos often take centre stage, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for giving to gods and goddesses at temples. This particular recipe is one of the simplest, needing only a few components, and can be made in no time.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 50 min plus cooling
Makes 15-20

110g ghee
250 grams of gram flour
1/4 teaspoon of ground green cardamom
a pinch of saffron (optional)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, heated and broken into pieces
180 to 200 grams of granulated sugar, to taste

Heat the ghee in a non-stick skillet on a medium heat. Reduce the temperature, add the gram flour and simmer, with constant mixing to integrate it into the heated clarified butter and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Keep cooking and stirring for half an hour to 35 minutes. At the start, the combination will appear as wet sand, but as you keep cooking and stirring, it will become similar to peanut butter and give off a rich nutty scent. Don’t try to rush things, or neglect the mixture, because it can burn very easily, and the gradual roasting is critical for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the confectioneries.

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

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the room temperature ladoo mix, stir completely, then tear off small chunks and roll between your palms into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Place these on a dish with some distance between them and allow to cool to ambient temperature.

You can now serve the ladoos immediately, or place them in a tight-lid jar and keep at room temperature for up to a week.

Traditional Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a food that is commonly created by cooking bread in clarified butter, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is made by boiling rich milk for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. This adaptation is a healthier, easier and quicker alternative that requires a lot less tending to and enables the oven to take over the task.

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

12 slices old white bread, edges trimmed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
A 397-gram tin thickened milk
150 grams of sugar, or to taste
a small pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (as an option)
40g almonds, broken into pieces
1.5 ounces of raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the clarified butter on each side of each piece, then arrange the triangles as they land in an oiled, about 8x12 inches, rectangular ovenproof container.

Within a sizable container, whisk the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sugar melts, then mix in the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom and nutmeg, if added. Pour the milk mixture consistently across the bread in the dish, so it all gets soaked, then allow to soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Set the oven temperature to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Heat the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and a pick stuck into the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a little pot over medium heat, then cook the almonds until lightly browned. Extinguish the flame, incorporate the raisins and leave them to cook in the remaining warmth, blending steadily, for one minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the dessert and offer heated or cooled, just as it is or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.