🔗 Share this article

Diwali, widely known as the celebration of illumination, marks the triumph of light over darkness. It’s the most extensively celebrated Indian festival and feels a bit like Christmas in the west. Diwali is characterized by fireworks, brilliant shades, endless parties and countertops straining under the sheer weight of dishes and sweet treats. Not a single Diwali is finished without packages of confections and preserved fruits exchanged between kin and companions. Throughout Britain, the practices are preserved, wearing traditional clothes, attending religious sites, narrating ancient Indian stories to the kids and, above all, meeting with companions from diverse cultures and beliefs. For me, Diwali is about community and sharing food that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t keep you in the cooking area for extended periods. This bread-based dessert is my version of the indulgent shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are excellent for giving or to relish with a hot tea after the banquet.

Easy Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are one of the most famous Indian confections, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop bursting with treats in various shapes, hue and dimension, all expertly crafted and abundantly coated with ghee. Ladoos commonly hold a prominent position, establishing them as a top selection of gift during auspicious occasions or for giving to gods and goddesses at religious sites. This adaptation is among the easiest, needing only a few components, and can be prepared in minutes.

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

110 grams of ghee
9 ounces of chickpea flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
a pinch of saffron (as an option)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, heated and broken into pieces
6-7 ounces of white sugar, to taste

Heat the ghee in a nonstick pan on a moderate heat. Lower the flame, mix in the chickpea flour and cook, stirring constantly to integrate it into the heated clarified butter and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Keep cooking and stirring for half an hour to 35 minutes. Initially, the mix will resemble wet sand, but as you keep cooking and stirring, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and smell wonderfully nutty. Do not attempt to speed it up, or neglect the mixture, because it might burn rapidly, and the gradual roasting is vital for the distinctive, nutty taste of the confectioneries.

Take the pan off the heat, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if added, then allow to cool until moderately warm on contact.

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the room temperature ladoo mix, stir completely, then pull apart little portions and shape with your hands into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Put these on a plate with some distance between them and let them cool to room temperature.

You can now serve the sweets promptly, or store them in an airtight container and store in a cool place for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This takes inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a dish that’s typically made by cooking bread in clarified butter, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is produced by heating full-fat milk for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. This adaptation is a healthier, easier and quicker alternative that demands minimal supervision and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

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

12 slices old white bread, crusts cut off
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or heated butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk
150 grams of sugar, or to taste
a small pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (as an option)
40g almonds, roughly chopped
1.5 ounces of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the clarified butter on each side of every slice, then arrange the triangles as they sit in a buttered, roughly 20cm x 30cm, oblong baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, condensed milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom and nutmeg, if added. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread in the container, so each piece is saturated, then let it sit for a short while. Set the oven temperature to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

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

Meanwhile, heat the leftover ghee in a small skillet on moderate flame, then sauté the almonds until golden. Turn off the heat, incorporate the raisins and allow them to heat in the remaining warmth, mixing continuously, for a minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the dessert and offer heated or cooled, just as it is or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.