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Diwali, often called the festival of lights, is a celebration of light over darkness. This is the most widely marked celebration across India and feels a bit like the Western Christmas season. It’s synonymous with pyrotechnic displays, brilliant shades, endless parties and dining surfaces groaning under the substantial bulk of culinary delights and sweets. Every Diwali celebration is whole without boxes of sweets and preserved fruits shared among friends and family. In the UK, we keep those traditions alive, putting on festive attire, going to places of worship, sharing tales from Indian lore to the little ones and, crucially, gathering with friends from every background and religion. In my view, Diwali is about community and distributing meals that feels special, but won’t leave you in the culinary space for long durations. The bread pudding is my version of the decadent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are perfect to gift or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the banquet.

Effortless Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are some of the most famous Indian confections, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop bursting with sweets of every shape, tint and measurement, all professionally prepared and abundantly coated with traditional butter. Ladoos commonly hold the spotlight, establishing them as a top selection of gift during auspicious occasions or for presenting to divine figures at places of worship. This adaptation is among the easiest, needing only a few components, and can be made in no time.

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

110 grams of ghee
9 ounces of chickpea flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
a small amount of saffron (optional)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, roasted and coarsely chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, as per liking

Melt the ghee in a non-stick skillet on a medium heat. Lower the flame, incorporate the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to blend it with the heated clarified butter and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. To begin with, the mixture will look like damp sand, but as you keep cooking and stirring, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and smell wonderfully nutty. Avoid hurrying the process, or walk away from the blend, because it may scorch quickly, and the gentle heating is critical for the typical, roasted flavor of the confectioneries.

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

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the chilled ladoo blend, combine well, then pull apart little portions and roll between your palms into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Place these on a dish with some distance between them and leave to cool to room temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the sweets promptly, or keep them in a sealed container and maintain at room temperature for about seven days.

Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from Hyderabadi shahi tukda, a recipe that is usually prepared by frying bread in ghee, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is produced by heating whole milk for an extended period until it condenses to a small portion of its initial amount. My version is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that needs much less attention and allows the oven to handle the work.

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

Twelve slices old white bread, crusts cut off
100 grams of ghee, or liquid butter
1 litre whole milk
1 x 397g tin thickened milk
150 grams of sugar, or according to taste
a small pinch of saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (optional)
1.5 ounces of almonds, coarsely chopped
40 grams of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the ghee on both faces of each portion, then place the triangles as they land in an oiled, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

Using a big bowl, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar melts, then blend the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if using. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread in the container, so it all gets soaked, then leave to steep for a short while. Set the oven temperature to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Bake the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the upper layer is browned 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 sauté the almonds until golden. Switch off the stove, add the raisins and let them simmer in the remaining warmth, stirring constantly, for one minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the pudding and serve warm or chilled, plain as it is or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.