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Diwali, often called the celebration of illumination, marks the triumph of light over darkness. It stands as the most widely marked festival in India and resembles the atmosphere of holiday festivities abroad. It’s synonymous with sparklers and fireworks, vibrant hues, non-stop gatherings and dining surfaces groaning under the immense load of culinary delights and sweets. Not a single Diwali is whole without boxes of sweets and preserved fruits exchanged between loved ones and relatives. Across the United Kingdom, we keep those traditions alive, wearing traditional clothes, attending religious sites, narrating ancient Indian stories to the children and, most importantly, gathering with friends from all walks of life and faiths. Personally, Diwali is about unity and sharing food that feels special, but doesn’t keep you in the cooking area for extended periods. The pudding made from bread is my take on the indulgent shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are ideal for presenting or to relish with a hot tea after the meal.

Easy Ladoos (Pictured Top)

Ladoos are among the most iconic Indian sweets, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop bursting with treats in various shapes, hue and dimension, all professionally prepared and abundantly coated with ghee. Ladoos often take centre stage, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for offering to Hindu deities at religious sites. This particular recipe is one of the simplest, needing only a few components, and is ready quickly.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 minutes plus chilling
Makes approximately 15-20

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

Liquefy the clarified butter in a nonstick pan on a medium heat. Turn down the heat, add the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to integrate it into the liquid ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for half an hour to 35 minutes. To begin with, the mixture will look like wet sand, but with further heating and blending, 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 might burn rapidly, and the slow roast is essential to the distinctive, nutty taste of the sweet balls.

Take the pan off the heat, blend the cardamom and saffron, if included, then allow to cool until just warm to the touch.

Add the nuts and sugar to the cooled ladoo mixture, combine well, then pull apart little portions and form using your palms into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Place these on a dish with some distance between them and let them cool to ambient temperature.

They can be served the sweets promptly, or keep them in a sealed container and store in a cool place for up to a week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from Hyderabadi shahi tukda, a food that is commonly created by sautéing bread in ghee, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is created by simmering full-fat milk for an extended period until it condenses to a small portion of its initial amount. The recipe here is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that requires a lot less tending to and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

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

Twelve slices day-old white bread, edges trimmed
100 grams of ghee, or heated butter
1 liter of whole milk
A 397-gram tin thickened milk
5 ounces of sugar, or according to taste
a pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (as an option)
40 grams of almonds, broken into pieces
40g raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the ghee on both faces of each portion, then arrange the triangles as they fall in a greased, about 8x12 inches, oblong baking pan.

Within a sizable container, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar dissolves, then blend the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Transfer the milk blend consistently across the bread in the container, so each piece is saturated, then let it sit for a short while. Set the oven temperature to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Heat the pudding for half an hour or so, until the upper layer is browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre emerges clean.

In the meantime, heat the leftover ghee in a small skillet on moderate flame, then cook the almonds until lightly browned. Switch off the stove, mix in the raisins and let them simmer in the leftover temperature, stirring constantly, for a minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the dessert and present hot or cold, simply on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.