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Diwali, frequently referred to as the festival of lights, is a celebration of good over evil. It’s the most widely marked festival in India and feels a bit like the Western Christmas season. It’s synonymous with sparklers and fireworks, bright colours, continuous festivities and tables creaking under the sheer weight of food and desserts. No Diwali is complete without containers of mithai and dried fruit passed around kin and companions. In the UK, the practices are preserved, dressing up, visiting temples, narrating ancient Indian stories to the children and, most importantly, assembling with pals from diverse cultures and beliefs. For me, the festival centers on unity and distributing meals that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t keep you in the kitchen for hours. The pudding made from bread is my interpretation of the decadent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are excellent for giving or to relish with a hot tea after the meal.

Simple Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are among the most iconic Indian sweets, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Envision a classic Indian halwai’s shop filled with confectioneries of all forms, tint and measurement, all professionally prepared and generously laden with clarified butter. These sweets frequently occupy a prominent position, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for giving to gods and goddesses at places of worship. This adaptation is one of the simplest, calling for a small set of items, and can be made in no time.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 50 min plus cooling
Makes 15 to 20

110 grams of ghee
250 grams of gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
1 pinch saffron (optional)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, according to preference

Melt the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium flame. Lower the flame, mix in the chickpea flour and simmer, with constant mixing to integrate it into the melted ghee and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Persist with cooking and blending for 30 to 35 minutes. Initially, the mixture will look like wet sand, but as you keep cooking and stirring, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and give off a rich nutty scent. Do not attempt to speed it up, or leave the mix unattended, because it can burn very easily, and the gentle heating is vital for the distinctive, nutty taste of the ladoos.

Turn off the heat and take the pan, mix in the cardamom and saffron, if using, then leave to cool until just warm to the touch.

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the room temperature ladoo mix, stir completely, then tear off small chunks and shape with your hands into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Place these on a dish separated a bit and let them cool to ambient temperature.

You can now serve the ladoos right away, or store them in an airtight container and maintain at room temperature for about seven days.

Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a food that is commonly created by sautéing bread in ghee, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is produced by heating full-fat milk for hours until it reduces to a small portion of its initial amount. My version is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that requires a lot less tending to and enables the oven to take over the task.

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

Twelve slices day-old white bread, edges trimmed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
One 397-gram can sweetened condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or according to taste
a pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (if desired)
40g almonds, roughly chopped
40g raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee over both sides of each portion, then place the triangles as they sit in a buttered, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular baking dish.

Using a big bowl, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar dissolves, then blend the saffron and the milk it was soaked in, the cardamom and nutmeg, if added. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread in the dish, so it all gets soaked, then leave to steep for 10-15 minutes. Set the oven temperature to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and a skewer placed in the middle emerges clean.

At the same time, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a small skillet on moderate flame, then fry the almonds until golden. Turn off the heat, add the raisins and allow them to heat in the remaining warmth, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the dessert and offer heated or cooled, simply on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.