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Diwali, widely known as the celebration of illumination, marks the triumph of positivity over negativity. It stands as the most broadly observed celebration across India and resembles the atmosphere of the Western Christmas season. It’s synonymous with sparklers and fireworks, brilliant shades, endless parties and tables creaking under the substantial bulk of culinary delights and sweets. No Diwali is finished without containers of mithai and preserved fruits shared among friends and family. Throughout Britain, the practices are preserved, dressing up, going to places of worship, narrating ancient Indian stories to the little ones and, above all, gathering with friends from every background and religion. Personally, the festival centers on unity and offering dishes that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t require you in the kitchen for hours. The bread pudding is my version of the decadent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are perfect to gift or to relish with a hot tea after the feast.

Easy Ladoos (Pictured Top)

Ladoos are among the most recognizable Indian desserts, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop bursting with sweets of every shape, hue and dimension, all professionally prepared and liberally topped with traditional butter. These sweets frequently occupy centre stage, establishing them as a top selection of present for festive events or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This adaptation is one of the simplest, needing only a few components, and is ready quickly.

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

110 grams of ghee
9 ounces of chickpea flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a pinch of saffron (as an option)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, as per liking

Melt the ghee in a nonstick pan on a moderate heat. Reduce the temperature, incorporate the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to combine it with the melted ghee and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. To begin with, the mixture will look like wet sand, but as you keep cooking and stirring, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and smell wonderfully nutty. Don’t try to rush things, or leave the mix unattended, because it might burn rapidly, and the slow roast is essential to the characteristic, nutty flavour of the ladoos.

Take the pan off the heat, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if included, then allow to cool until slightly warm when touched.

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

They can be served the ladoos immediately, or store them in an airtight container and maintain at room temperature for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a recipe that is usually prepared by cooking bread in clarified butter, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is produced by heating full-fat milk for a long time until it thickens to a fraction of its original volume. My version is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that needs much less attention and enables the oven to take over the task.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hour or more
Serves about 4-6 people

Twelve slices stale white bread, crusts cut off
100g ghee, or liquid butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
One 397-gram can sweetened condensed milk
150g sugar, or according to taste
a small pinch of saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (if desired)
40g almonds, roughly chopped
40g raisins

Cut the bread into triangles, spread all but 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.

In a large bowl, beat the milk, sweetened milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then mix in the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Transfer the milk blend evenly over the bread in the container, so each piece is saturated, then let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/390°F/gas mark 6.

Heat the pudding for half an hour or so, until the upper layer is browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre exits without residue.

In the meantime, heat the leftover ghee in a small pan on a medium heat, then fry the almonds until golden brown. Turn off the heat, incorporate the raisins and leave them to cook in the remaining warmth, blending steadily, for 60 seconds. Scatter the nut and raisin combination over the dessert and present hot or cold, plain as it is or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.