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Diwali, widely known as the celebration of illumination, is a celebration of light over darkness. It stands as the most widely marked celebration across India and has a similar vibe to Christmas in the west. The occasion is linked to sparklers and fireworks, bright colours, endless parties and tables creaking under the substantial bulk of culinary delights and sweets. No Diwali is whole without boxes of sweets and preserved fruits shared among kin and companions. Throughout Britain, these customs are maintained, wearing traditional clothes, attending religious sites, reading Indian mythology to the little ones and, most importantly, meeting with companions from all walks of life and faiths. In my view, Diwali represents community and sharing food that appears unique, but won’t leave you in the culinary space for long durations. The pudding made from bread is my version of the indulgent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are excellent for giving or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the feast.

Effortless Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are among the most recognizable Indian desserts, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop bursting with sweets of every shape, colour and size, all expertly crafted and liberally topped with clarified butter. Ladoos often take the spotlight, making them a popular choice of offering for propitious moments or for giving to gods and goddesses at places of worship. This particular recipe is one of the simplest, needing only a few components, and is ready quickly.

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

110 grams of ghee
9 ounces of chickpea flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a pinch of saffron (optional)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, heated and broken into pieces
6-7 ounces of white sugar, according to preference

Melt the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium flame. Reduce the temperature, incorporate the gram flour and simmer, with constant mixing to integrate it into the heated clarified butter and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Continue heating and mixing for half an hour to 35 minutes. Initially, the mix will resemble moist granules, but as you keep cooking and stirring, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and give off a rich nutty scent. Avoid hurrying the process, or leave the mix unattended, because it can burn very easily, and the gradual roasting is vital for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the confectioneries.

Take the pan off the heat, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if using, then set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Add the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, mix thoroughly, then tear off small chunks and shape with your hands into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Place these on a dish separated a bit and leave to cool to ambient temperature.

You can now serve the sweets promptly, or keep them in a sealed container and maintain at room temperature for up to a week.

Classic Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a food that is commonly created by cooking bread in clarified butter, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is made by boiling full-fat milk for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. My version is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that demands minimal supervision and allows the oven to handle the work.

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

12 slices old white bread, edges trimmed
100g ghee, or liquid butter
1 litre whole milk
A 397-gram tin condensed milk
150g sugar, or to taste
a small pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
40 grams of almonds, broken into pieces
40 grams of raisins

Cut the bread into triangles, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee on both faces of each piece, then set the triangular pieces as they fall in a greased, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

Within a sizable container, mix the milk, condensed milk and sugar until the sweetener incorporates, then blend the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if using. Empty the milk combination evenly over the bread in the dish, so each piece is saturated, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Bake the pudding for half an hour or so, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre emerges clean.

Meanwhile, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a small skillet on moderate flame, then sauté the almonds until golden brown. Switch off the stove, add the raisins and let them simmer in the leftover temperature, stirring constantly, for one minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the pudding and offer heated or cooled, just as it is or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.