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Diwali is often called the festival of lights, a celebration of good over evil. It’s the most widely marked festival in India and feels a bit like Christmas does in the west. It’s synonymous with fireworks, bright colours, endless parties and tables creaking under the sheer weight of food and desserts. No Diwali is complete without boxes of sweets (mithai) and dried fruit exchanged between friends and family. In the UK, we keep those traditions alive, dressing up, visiting temples, reading Indian mythology to the kids and, most importantly, gathering with friends from every background and religion. For me, Diwali is about togetherness and sharing food that feels special, but doesn’t keep you in the kitchen for hours. The bread pudding is my take on the indulgent shahi tukda, while the ladoos are perfect to gift or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the feast.
Easy ladoos (pictured top)
Ladoos are one of the most iconic Indian sweets, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop overflowing with sweets of every shape, colour and size, all expertly crafted and generously laden with ghee. Ladoos often take centre stage, making them a popular choice of gift during auspicious occasions or for offering to Hindu deities at temples. This version is one of the simplest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be prepared in minutes.
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min plus cooling
Makes 15-20
110g ghee
250g gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
1 pinch saffron (optional)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, to taste
Melt the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium heat. Turn down the heat, add the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to combine it with the melted ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. To begin with, the mix will resemble wet sand, but as you continue cooking and stirring, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and smell wonderfully nutty. Don’t try to rush things, or leave the mix unattended, because it can burn very easily, and the slow roast is essential to the characteristic, nutty flavour of the ladoos.
Take the pan off the heat, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if using, then leave to cool until just warm to the touch.
Add the nuts and sugar to the cooled ladoo mixture, mix thoroughly, then tear off small chunks and roll between your palms into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Put these on a plate spaced slightly apart and leave to cool to room temperature.
You can now serve the ladoos immediately, or store them in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to a week.
Indian bread pudding
This takes inspiration from Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by frying bread in ghee, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is created by simmering full-fat milk for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. My version is a healthier, easier and quicker alternative that requires a lot less tending to and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4-6
12 slices stale white bread, crusts removed
100g ghee, or melted butter
1 litre whole milk
1 x 397g tin condensed milk
150g sugar, or to taste
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the seeds from 2 pods, crushed
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
40g almonds, roughly chopped
40g raisins
Cut the bread into triangles, spread all but a teaspoon of the ghee over both sides of each piece, then arrange the triangles as they fall in a greased, roughly 20cm x 30cm, rectangular baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk the milk, condensed milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread in the dish, so it all gets soaked, then leave to steep for 10-15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.
Bake the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining ghee in a small pan on a medium heat, then fry the almonds until golden. Turn off the heat, add the raisins and leave them to cook in the residual heat, stirring constantly, for a minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the pudding and serve warm or chilled, just as it is or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream
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These recipes are edited extracts from Indian 101: Real Indian Recipes Made Simple, by Karan Gokani, published by Bluebird at £28. To order a copy for £23.80, go to guardianbookshop.com
