🔗 Share this article

Diwali, often called the celebration of illumination, marks the triumph of good over evil. This is the most broadly observed celebration across India and resembles the atmosphere of holiday festivities abroad. The occasion is linked to pyrotechnic displays, brilliant shades, endless parties and dining surfaces groaning under the immense load of food and desserts. Not a single Diwali is finished without boxes of sweets and dried fruit exchanged between kin and companions. Throughout Britain, these customs are maintained, wearing traditional clothes, attending religious sites, narrating ancient Indian stories to the kids and, most importantly, assembling with pals from diverse cultures and beliefs. In my view, Diwali is about unity and sharing food that seems extraordinary, but won’t leave you in the kitchen for hours. The bread pudding is my interpretation of the rich shahi tukda, while these ladoos are ideal for presenting or to savor alongside some chai after the feast.

Easy Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are among the most iconic Indian sweets, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop bursting with treats in various shapes, hue and dimension, all professionally prepared and abundantly coated with traditional butter. Ladoos commonly hold the spotlight, making them a popular choice of present for festive events or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This particular recipe is among the easiest, needing only a few components, and is ready quickly.

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

4 ounces of clarified butter
9 ounces of chickpea flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a small amount of saffron (if desired)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, according to preference

Heat the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium heat. Lower the flame, add the gram flour and heat, while stirring continuously to combine it with the liquid ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. To begin with, the mixture will look like wet sand, but as you keep cooking and blending, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Avoid hurrying the process, or walk away from the blend, because it can burn very easily, and the gradual roasting is vital for the typical, roasted flavor of the ladoos.

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

Incorporate the nuts and sugar to the room temperature ladoo mix, mix thoroughly, then break off small pieces and roll between your palms into 15-20 spherical shapes of 4cm. Put these on a plate separated a bit and leave to cool to normal temperature.

They can be served the ladoos right away, or keep them in a sealed container and keep at room temperature for about seven days.

Traditional Indian Bread Pudding

This draws inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a dish that’s typically made 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 demands minimal supervision and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 60 minutes plus
Serves about 4-6 people

Twelve slices old white bread, crusts removed
100g ghee, or melted butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
1 x 397g tin thickened milk
150 grams of sugar, or according to taste
a small pinch of saffron, immersed in 2 tablespoons of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (as an option)
40g almonds, broken into pieces
1.5 ounces of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the ghee over both sides of each piece, then place the triangles as they land in an oiled, about 8x12 inches, oblong baking pan.

Using a big bowl, beat the milk, condensed milk and sugar until the sugar melts, then mix in the saffron and the milk it was soaked in, the cardamom and nutmeg, if included. Transfer the milk blend evenly over the bread in the dish, so it all gets soaked, then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the upper layer is browned and a skewer placed in the middle emerges clean.

At the same time, heat the leftover ghee in a small pan on a medium heat, then sauté the almonds until lightly browned. Turn off the heat, mix in the raisins and leave them to cook in the residual heat, mixing continuously, for a minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the pudding and present hot or cold, plain as it is or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.