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Diwali, often called the celebration of illumination, marks the triumph of light over darkness. It stands as the most broadly observed festival in India and resembles the atmosphere of Christmas in the west. It’s synonymous with pyrotechnic displays, brilliant shades, non-stop gatherings and tables creaking under the immense load of culinary delights and sweets. Every Diwali celebration is whole without boxes of sweets and dried fruit shared among 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, gathering with friends from every background and religion. For me, Diwali represents unity and offering dishes that feels special, but won’t leave you in the cooking area for extended periods. The pudding made from bread is my interpretation of the indulgent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are ideal for presenting or to relish with a hot tea after the banquet.

Simple Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are one of the most iconic Indian sweets, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop overflowing with sweets of every shape, colour and size, all skillfully made and abundantly coated with traditional butter. These sweets frequently occupy a prominent position, making them a popular choice of gift during auspicious occasions or for giving to gods and goddesses at places of worship. This version is one of the most straightforward, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be prepared in minutes.

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

4 ounces of clarified butter
250g gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a small amount of saffron (optional)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, as per liking

Liquefy the clarified butter in a Teflon-coated pan on a medium heat. Lower the flame, add the gram flour and heat, while stirring continuously to integrate it into the heated clarified butter and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. To begin with, the mix will resemble moist granules, but with further heating and mixing, it will become similar to peanut butter and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Do not attempt to speed it up, or walk away from the blend, because it might burn rapidly, and the gentle heating is vital for the typical, roasted flavor of the sweet balls.

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

Add the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, combine well, then pull apart little portions and shape with your hands into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Set these on a platter with some distance between them and leave to cool to room temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos immediately, or store them in an airtight container and store in a cool place 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 sautéing bread in ghee, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is produced by heating full-fat milk for hours until it reduces to a reduced quantity from the start. This adaptation is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that demands minimal supervision and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4 to 6

Twelve slices day-old white bread, crusts cut off
100 grams of ghee, or melted butter
1 liter of whole milk
1 x 397g tin condensed milk
5 ounces of sugar, or according to taste
1 pinch saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
40g almonds, roughly chopped
40g raisins

Cut the bread into triangles, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee on both faces of every slice, then place the triangles as they sit in a buttered, about 8x12 inches, rectangular baking dish.

Within a sizable container, mix the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sweetener incorporates, then blend the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if added. Transfer the milk blend evenly over the bread in the container, so each piece is saturated, then let it sit for a short while. Heat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the upper layer is browned and a skewer placed in the middle exits without residue.

At the same time, melt the remaining ghee in a small skillet on moderate flame, then fry the almonds until golden brown. Turn off the heat, mix in the raisins and leave them to cook in the leftover temperature, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds. Scatter the nut and raisin combination over the sweet dish and offer heated or cooled, plain as it is or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.