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Diwali, widely known as the festival of lights, marks the triumph of good over evil. It stands as the most extensively celebrated Indian festival and has a similar vibe to the Western Christmas season. It’s synonymous with fireworks, bright colours, endless parties and countertops straining under the substantial bulk of culinary delights and sweets. Every Diwali celebration is complete without containers of mithai and dehydrated fruits shared among kin and companions. In the UK, the practices are preserved, putting on festive attire, visiting temples, reading Indian mythology to the kids and, crucially, assembling with pals from every background and religion. For me, the festival centers on unity and offering dishes that seems extraordinary, but won’t leave you in the kitchen for hours. This bread-based dessert is my take on the indulgent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are perfect to gift or to savor alongside some chai after the feast.

Effortless Ladoos (Pictured Top)

Ladoos are among the most iconic Indian sweets, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop bursting with confectioneries of all forms, tint and measurement, all expertly crafted and liberally topped with ghee. These sweets frequently occupy centre stage, making them a popular choice of offering for propitious moments or for giving to gods and goddesses at places of worship. This particular recipe is one of the simplest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and is ready quickly.

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

110g ghee
250 grams of gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a small amount of saffron (as an option)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, according to preference

Liquefy the clarified butter in a Teflon-coated pan on a medium heat. Reduce the temperature, incorporate the gram flour and simmer, with constant mixing to blend it with the liquid ghee and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Continue heating and mixing for 30-35 minutes. At the start, the mix will resemble 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 leave the mix unattended, because it may scorch quickly, and the gradual roasting is critical for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the ladoos.

Remove the pan from the stove, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if included, then set aside to cool until moderately warm on contact.

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the cooled ladoo mixture, stir completely, then break off small pieces and roll between your palms into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Set these on a platter separated a bit and allow to cool to ambient temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos immediately, or keep them in a sealed container and store in a cool place for as long as one week.

Classic Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a recipe that is usually prepared by sautéing bread in ghee, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is created by simmering whole milk for an extended period until it condenses to a fraction of its original volume. My version is a healthier, easier and quicker alternative that needs much less attention and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 60 minutes plus
Serves about 4-6 people

Twelve slices day-old white bread, edges trimmed
100 grams of ghee, or liquid butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
One 397-gram can sweetened condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or according to taste
a pinch of saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (as an option)
40 grams of almonds, broken into pieces
40 grams of raisins

Cut the bread into triangles, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee on both faces of each portion, then set the triangular pieces as they sit in a buttered, approximately 20cm by 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 along with nutmeg, if using. Transfer the milk blend consistently across the bread in the container, so everything is immersed, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/390°F/gas mark 6.

Cook the pudding for half an hour or so, until the surface is golden brown and a pick stuck into the center exits without residue.

At the same time, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a little pot over medium heat, then sauté the almonds until golden. Turn off the heat, mix in the raisins and leave them to cook in the leftover temperature, blending steadily, for 60 seconds. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the dessert and offer heated or cooled, simply on its own or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.