Diwali, widely known as the festival of lights, is a celebration of positivity over negativity. This is the most extensively celebrated celebration across India and has a similar vibe to holiday festivities abroad. Diwali is characterized by pyrotechnic displays, bright colours, non-stop gatherings and tables creaking under the sheer weight of dishes and sweet treats. Every Diwali celebration is whole without containers of mithai and dehydrated fruits shared among friends and family. Throughout Britain, these customs are maintained, putting on festive attire, visiting temples, narrating ancient Indian stories to the little ones and, above all, gathering with friends from all walks of life and faiths. For me, Diwali is about togetherness and offering dishes that feels special, but won’t leave you in the cooking area for extended periods. This bread-based dessert is my interpretation of the rich shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are perfect to gift or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the feast.
Ladoos are among the most famous Indian confections, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop filled with treats in various shapes, colour and size, all skillfully made and liberally topped with ghee. Ladoos often take the spotlight, rendering them a favored option of present for festive events or for offering to Hindu deities at places of worship. This version is one of the most straightforward, calling for a small set of items, and can be made in no time.
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 minutes plus chilling
Makes 15-20
110 grams of ghee
250 grams of gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
1 pinch saffron (as an option)
50 grams of combined almonds and pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, as per liking
Liquefy the clarified butter in a non-stick skillet on a moderate heat. Lower the flame, add the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to integrate it into the liquid ghee and to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. Continue heating and mixing for 30-35 minutes. Initially, the combination will appear as damp sand, but with further heating and stirring, it will become similar to peanut butter and emit a delightful nutty aroma. Do not attempt to speed it up, or leave the mix unattended, because it might burn rapidly, and the slow roast is vital for the typical, roasted flavor 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.
Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the chilled ladoo blend, mix thoroughly, then break off small pieces and roll between your palms into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Put these on a plate with some distance between them and let them cool to normal temperature.
They can be served the sweets promptly, or keep them in a sealed container and keep at room temperature for up to a week.
This takes inspiration from the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a food that is commonly created by frying bread in ghee, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is produced by heating rich milk for an extended period until it condenses to a small portion of its initial amount. My version is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that needs much less attention and enables the oven to take over the task.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hour or more
Serves 4 to 6
A dozen slices day-old white bread, edges trimmed
100 grams of ghee, or melted butter
1 liter of whole milk
1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk
150g sugar, or as preferred
a small pinch of saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (optional)
1.5 ounces of almonds, broken into pieces
1.5 ounces of raisins
Slice the bread into triangles, spread all but a teaspoon of the clarified butter on each side of each portion, then place the triangles as they fall in a greased, roughly 20cm x 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.
In a large bowl, mix the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar melts, then stir in the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom and nutmeg, if added. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread in the pan, so everything is immersed, then allow to soak for 10-15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.
Heat the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a skewer placed in the middle emerges clean.
In the meantime, melt the remaining ghee in a little pot over medium heat, then cook the almonds until golden brown. Extinguish the flame, mix in the raisins and leave them to cook in the residual heat, mixing continuously, for a minute. Sprinkle the nut and raisin mix over the dessert and offer heated or cooled, just as it is or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
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