🔗 Share this article

Diwali, frequently referred to as the event of lamps, is a celebration of light over darkness. This is the most broadly observed festival in India and has a similar vibe to Christmas in the west. The occasion is linked to sparklers and fireworks, bright colours, non-stop gatherings and tables creaking under the sheer weight of food and desserts. Not a single Diwali is complete without containers of mithai and dried fruit exchanged between friends and family. Across the United Kingdom, we keep those traditions alive, putting on festive attire, visiting temples, narrating ancient Indian stories to the children and, above all, gathering with friends from diverse cultures and beliefs. Personally, Diwali represents togetherness and distributing meals that appears unique, but won’t leave you in the kitchen for hours. The pudding made from bread is my interpretation of the rich shahi tukda, while these ladoos are ideal for presenting 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 confectioneries of all forms, colour and size, all expertly crafted and abundantly coated with ghee. Ladoos often take the spotlight, rendering them a favored option of offering for propitious moments or for presenting to divine figures at religious sites. This particular recipe is one of the most straightforward, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and is ready quickly.

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

110 grams of ghee
250g gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
a small amount of saffron (as an option)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180 to 200 grams of granulated sugar, according to preference

Heat the ghee in a Teflon-coated pan on a medium heat. Turn down the heat, mix in the chickpea flour and heat, while stirring continuously to blend it with the liquid ghee and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Persist with cooking and blending for 30-35 minutes. Initially, the combination will appear as wet sand, but as you continue cooking and blending, it will become similar to peanut butter and smell wonderfully nutty. Don’t try to rush things, or walk away from the blend, because it might burn rapidly, and the slow roast is vital for the distinctive, nutty taste of the confectioneries.

Remove the pan from the stove, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if added, then leave to cool until just warm to the touch.

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

These are ready to be enjoyed the sweets promptly, or keep them in a sealed container and maintain at room temperature for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by Hyderabadi shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by cooking bread in clarified butter, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is produced by heating rich milk for an extended period until it condenses to a fraction of its original volume. The recipe here is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that requires a lot less tending to and allows the oven to handle the work.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour or more
Serves 4-6

12 slices day-old white bread, crusts removed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or heated butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
1 x 397g tin thickened milk
5 ounces of sugar, or to taste
a small pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (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 over both sides of each piece, then arrange the triangles as they sit in a buttered, about 8x12 inches, rectangular ovenproof container.

Using a big bowl, beat the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sweetener incorporates, then mix in the saffron and the milk it was soaked in, the spices including cardamom and nutmeg, if added. Transfer the milk blend uniformly onto the bread in the dish, so each piece is saturated, then leave to steep for a short while. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/390°F/gas mark 6.

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

In the meantime, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a small pan on a medium heat, then cook the almonds until golden brown. Turn off the heat, mix in the raisins and let them simmer in the residual heat, mixing continuously, for a minute. Scatter the nut and raisin combination over the dessert and present hot or cold, just as it is or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.