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Diwali, often called the festival of lights, symbolizes the victory of positivity over negativity. It’s the most widely marked festival in India and feels a bit like holiday festivities abroad. Diwali is characterized by fireworks, vibrant hues, endless parties and countertops straining under the immense load of dishes and sweet treats. Every Diwali celebration is complete without packages of confections and preserved fruits passed around kin and companions. Throughout Britain, these customs are maintained, dressing up, attending religious sites, reading Indian mythology to the kids and, above all, assembling with pals from diverse cultures and beliefs. For me, the festival centers on togetherness and sharing food that appears unique, but doesn’t keep you in the culinary space for long durations. The pudding made from bread is my take on the indulgent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are excellent for giving or to relish with a hot tea after the banquet.

Effortless Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are some of the most iconic Indian sweets, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop bursting with sweets of every shape, hue and dimension, all professionally prepared and liberally topped with clarified butter. Ladoos often take centre stage, rendering them a favored option of present for festive events or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This particular recipe is among the easiest, calling for a small set of items, and can be made in no time.

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

4 ounces of clarified butter
250 grams of gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
a pinch of saffron (if desired)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, roasted and coarsely chopped
6-7 ounces of white sugar, according to preference

Melt the ghee in a Teflon-coated pan on a medium flame. Turn down the heat, incorporate the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to integrate it into the liquid ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for half an hour to 35 minutes. At the start, the combination will appear as wet sand, but with further heating and blending, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and give off a rich nutty scent. Don’t try to rush things, or leave the mix unattended, because it may scorch quickly, and the gradual roasting is vital for the characteristic, nutty flavour of the sweet balls.

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

Add the nuts and sugar to the chilled ladoo blend, stir completely, then pull apart little portions and shape with your hands into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Set these on a platter spaced slightly apart and let them cool to room temperature.

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

Traditional Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a recipe that is usually prepared by cooking bread in clarified butter, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is produced by heating rich milk for hours until it reduces to a reduced quantity from the start. This adaptation is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that needs much less attention and allows the oven to handle the work.

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

Twelve slices stale white bread, crusts removed
100g ghee, or liquid butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
One 397-gram can thickened milk
5 ounces of sugar, or to taste
a pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (as an option)
40 grams of almonds, coarsely chopped
40g raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee on both faces of each portion, then place the triangles as they sit in a buttered, roughly 20cm x 30cm, oblong baking pan.

Using a big bowl, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar dissolves, then mix in the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if included. Transfer the milk blend consistently across the bread in the pan, so everything is immersed, then let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Set the oven temperature to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre exits without residue.

In the meantime, heat the leftover ghee in a small skillet on moderate flame, then cook the almonds until lightly browned. Extinguish the flame, add the raisins and allow them to heat in the residual heat, blending steadily, for one minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the sweet dish and serve warm or chilled, simply on its own or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.