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Diwali, often called the event of lamps, is a celebration of positivity over negativity. This is the most broadly observed Indian festival and has a similar vibe to holiday festivities abroad. The occasion is linked to pyrotechnic displays, vibrant hues, continuous festivities and dining surfaces groaning under the substantial bulk of food and desserts. Every Diwali celebration is whole without containers of mithai and dehydrated fruits passed around friends and family. Throughout Britain, the practices are preserved, wearing traditional clothes, going to places of worship, sharing tales from Indian lore to the little ones and, above all, meeting with companions from diverse cultures and beliefs. In my view, Diwali is about community and distributing meals that feels special, but doesn’t keep you in the cooking area for extended periods. The pudding made from bread is my interpretation of the rich shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are excellent for giving or to savor alongside some chai after the feast.

Easy Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are among the most recognizable Indian desserts, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop filled with sweets of every shape, tint and measurement, all skillfully made and abundantly coated with ghee. These sweets frequently occupy centre stage, rendering them a favored option of gift during auspicious occasions or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This particular recipe is one of the simplest, 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

110 grams of ghee
250g gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
1 pinch saffron (optional)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
6-7 ounces of white sugar, according to preference

Liquefy the clarified butter in a nonstick pan on a medium flame. Turn down the heat, incorporate the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to integrate it into the heated clarified butter and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Persist with cooking and blending for 30-35 minutes. At the start, the mixture will look like damp sand, but with further heating and mixing, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Avoid hurrying the process, or neglect the mixture, because it may scorch quickly, and the gradual roasting is essential to the distinctive, nutty taste of the confectioneries.

Turn off the heat and take the pan, mix in the cardamom and saffron, if added, then leave to cool until just warm to the touch.

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the cooled ladoo mixture, combine well, then tear off small chunks and roll between your palms into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Place these on a dish spaced slightly apart and let them cool to ambient temperature.

You can now serve the ladoos right away, or place them in a tight-lid jar and store in a cool place for up to a week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a food that is commonly created by sautéing bread in ghee, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is produced by heating rich milk for an extended period until it condenses to a reduced quantity from the start. My version is a healthier, easier and quicker alternative 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

12 slices day-old white bread, crusts removed
100g ghee, or melted butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
1 x 397g tin condensed milk
150g sugar, or to taste
1 pinch saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (if desired)
1.5 ounces of almonds, broken into pieces
40g raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, spread all but a teaspoon of the clarified butter on each side of each piece, then place the triangles as they land in an oiled, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular baking dish.

In a large bowl, beat the milk, condensed milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then blend the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Transfer the milk blend consistently across the bread in the pan, so it all gets soaked, then allow to soak for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Bake the pudding for half an hour or so, until the upper layer is browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre emerges clean.

In the meantime, melt the remaining ghee in a small pan on a medium heat, then cook the almonds until golden brown. Extinguish the flame, mix in the raisins and let them simmer in the residual heat, 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.