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Diwali, widely known as the festival of lights, marks the triumph of light over darkness. It stands as the most extensively celebrated celebration across India and has a similar vibe to the Western Christmas season. The occasion is linked to fireworks, vibrant hues, endless parties and dining surfaces groaning under the sheer weight of food and desserts. Every Diwali celebration is complete without boxes of sweets and preserved fruits passed around loved ones and relatives. Across the United Kingdom, these customs are maintained, wearing traditional clothes, going to places of worship, narrating ancient Indian stories to the kids and, most importantly, assembling with pals from diverse cultures and beliefs. In my view, the festival centers on togetherness and offering dishes that appears unique, but doesn’t require you in the kitchen for hours. This bread-based dessert is my take on the decadent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are ideal for presenting or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the meal.

Effortless Ladoos (Pictured Top)

Ladoos are one of the most iconic Indian sweets, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop bursting with confectioneries of all forms, hue and dimension, all skillfully made and abundantly coated with traditional butter. Ladoos often take the spotlight, making them a popular choice of offering for propitious moments or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This adaptation is one of the simplest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be made in no time.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 minutes along with cooling
Makes 15 to 20

110g ghee
250 grams of gram flour
1/4 teaspoon of ground green cardamom
1 pinch saffron (if desired)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, to taste

Heat the ghee in a non-stick skillet on a medium flame. Lower the flame, add the gram flour and simmer, with constant mixing to combine it with the liquid ghee and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Persist with cooking and blending for half an hour to 35 minutes. At the start, the combination will appear as moist granules, but with further heating and blending, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and smell wonderfully nutty. Avoid hurrying the process, or walk away from the blend, 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, blend the cardamom and saffron, if added, then leave to cool until slightly warm when touched.

Incorporate the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, stir completely, then break off small pieces and shape with your hands into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Place these on a dish spaced slightly apart and allow to cool to room temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos immediately, or place them in a tight-lid jar and store in a cool place for up to a week.

Classic Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a food that is commonly created by frying bread in ghee, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is produced by heating whole 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 needs much less attention and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 60 minutes plus
Serves 4-6

A dozen slices day-old white bread, crusts removed
100g ghee, or liquid butter
1 liter of whole milk
A 397-gram tin sweetened condensed milk
150g sugar, or according to taste
a small pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1.5 ounces of almonds, roughly chopped
40g raisins

Slice the bread into triangles, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the clarified butter on each side of every slice, then set the triangular pieces as they sit in a buttered, about 8x12 inches, rectangular ovenproof container.

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar melts, then blend the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom and nutmeg, if included. Pour the milk mixture consistently across the bread in the dish, so it all gets soaked, then allow to soak for a short while. Set the oven temperature to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and a pick stuck into the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, heat the leftover ghee in a small pan on a medium heat, then fry the almonds until lightly browned. Extinguish the flame, incorporate the raisins and allow them to heat in the residual heat, mixing continuously, for one minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the sweet dish and serve warm or chilled, just as it is or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.