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Diwali, frequently referred to as the festival of lights, marks the triumph of good over evil. This is the most broadly observed celebration across India and has a similar vibe to holiday festivities abroad. It’s synonymous with pyrotechnic displays, brilliant shades, endless parties and countertops straining under the immense load of food and desserts. Every Diwali celebration is complete without containers of mithai and preserved fruits passed around friends and family. Across the United Kingdom, these customs are maintained, putting on festive attire, going to places of worship, reading Indian mythology to the little ones and, most importantly, assembling with pals from all walks of life and faiths. For me, Diwali is about togetherness and sharing food that appears unique, but doesn’t require you in the kitchen for hours. The pudding made from bread is my take on the rich shahi tukda, while the ladoos are excellent for giving or to relish with a hot tea after the feast.

Effortless Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are one of the most iconic Indian sweets, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop filled with sweets of every shape, tint and measurement, all skillfully made and generously laden with traditional butter. These sweets frequently occupy a prominent position, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for presenting to divine figures at temples. This adaptation is among the easiest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and is ready quickly.

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

4 ounces of clarified butter
250g gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
a small amount of saffron (optional)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, heated and broken into pieces
6-7 ounces of white sugar, to taste

Heat the ghee in a nonstick pan on a moderate heat. Lower the flame, add the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to integrate it into the liquid ghee and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Continue heating and mixing for half an hour to 35 minutes. At the start, the combination will appear as wet sand, but as you keep cooking and mixing, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Avoid hurrying the process, or leave the mix unattended, because it can burn very easily, and the slow roast is vital for the typical, roasted flavor of the confectioneries.

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

Add the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, stir completely, then tear off small chunks and shape with your hands into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Set these on a platter separated a bit and leave to cool to room temperature.

They can be served the ladoos right away, or place them in a tight-lid jar and keep at room temperature for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a recipe that is usually prepared by frying bread in ghee, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is made by boiling rich milk for an extended period until it condenses to a fraction of its original volume. This adaptation 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 stale white bread, edges trimmed
100 grams of ghee, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or as preferred
a pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (if desired)
40g almonds, broken into pieces
1.5 ounces of raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee over both sides of every slice, then place the triangles as they land in an oiled, roughly 20cm x 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

Within a sizable container, mix the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sweetener incorporates, then stir in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the spices including cardamom and nutmeg, if included. Pour the milk mixture consistently across the bread in the container, so each piece is saturated, then let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. 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.

Meanwhile, heat the leftover ghee in a small pan on a medium heat, then sauté the almonds until lightly browned. Extinguish the flame, mix in the raisins and leave them to cook in the residual heat, mixing continuously, for a minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the pudding and serve warm or chilled, simply on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.