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Diwali, often called the festival of lights, is a celebration of light over darkness. This is the most widely marked festival in India and has a similar vibe to Christmas in the west. The occasion is linked to sparklers and fireworks, brilliant shades, non-stop gatherings and countertops straining under the substantial bulk of dishes and sweet treats. Every Diwali celebration is complete without boxes of sweets and dehydrated fruits shared among kin and companions. In the UK, these customs are maintained, dressing up, visiting temples, reading Indian mythology to the children and, most importantly, meeting with companions from diverse cultures and beliefs. In my view, Diwali represents unity and distributing meals that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t keep you in the cooking area for extended periods. This bread-based dessert is my take on the indulgent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are excellent for giving or to savor alongside some chai after the banquet.

Easy Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are one of the most recognizable Indian desserts, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop bursting with sweets of every shape, colour and size, all skillfully made and abundantly coated with traditional butter. Ladoos often take the spotlight, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for giving to gods and goddesses at religious sites. This particular recipe is one of the most straightforward, needing only a few components, and is ready quickly.

Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook 50 minutes along with cooling
Makes 15 to 20

4 ounces of clarified butter
250g gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a pinch of saffron (optional)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
180 to 200 grams of granulated sugar, according to preference

Heat the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium heat. Reduce the temperature, add the gram flour and simmer, with constant mixing to blend it with the liquid ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for half an hour to 35 minutes. Initially, the mixture will look like moist granules, but as you continue cooking and mixing, it will become similar to peanut butter and smell wonderfully nutty. Avoid hurrying the process, or neglect the mixture, because it may scorch quickly, and the gentle heating is vital for the typical, roasted flavor of the confectioneries.

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

Incorporate the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, stir completely, then pull apart little portions and form using your palms into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Set these on a platter separated a bit and allow to cool to normal temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the sweets promptly, or place them in a tight-lid jar and maintain at room temperature for as long as one week.

Classic Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a food that is commonly created by cooking bread in clarified butter, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is produced by heating full-fat 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 demands minimal supervision and enables the oven to take over the task.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4 to 6

A dozen slices day-old white bread, crusts removed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or liquid butter
1 litre whole milk
1 x 397g tin condensed milk
5 ounces of sugar, or according to taste
a pinch of saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1.5 ounces of almonds, roughly chopped
40 grams of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee over both sides of each piece, then set the triangular pieces as they land in an oiled, roughly 20cm x 30cm, oblong baking pan.

Using a big bowl, beat the milk, condensed milk and sugar until the sugar melts, then mix in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom and nutmeg, if added. Transfer the milk blend uniformly onto the bread in the pan, so everything is immersed, then allow to soak for 10-15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Heat the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Meanwhile, heat the leftover ghee in a small skillet on moderate flame, then sauté the almonds until lightly browned. Turn off the heat, mix in the raisins and let them simmer in the leftover temperature, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the sweet dish and offer heated or cooled, plain as it is or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.