Expert Karan Gokani's Delectable Treats for the Diwali Festival – Culinary Creations

Diwali, frequently referred to as the festival of lights, symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. It’s the most widely marked celebration across India and has a similar vibe to Christmas in the west. Diwali is characterized by fireworks, brilliant shades, continuous festivities 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 shared among kin and companions. Across the United Kingdom, we keep those traditions alive, putting on festive attire, going to places of worship, reading Indian mythology to the children and, above all, gathering with friends from all walks of life and faiths. In my view, Diwali is about community and offering dishes that feels special, but doesn’t require you in the culinary space for long durations. The bread pudding is my take on the indulgent shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are perfect to gift or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the banquet.

Easy Ladoos (Shown Above)

Ladoos are among the most famous Indian confections, alongside gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop filled with confectioneries of all forms, tint and measurement, all expertly crafted and generously laden with traditional butter. Ladoos often take centre stage, establishing them as a top selection of offering for propitious moments or for offering to Hindu deities at religious sites. This particular recipe is one of the most straightforward, needing only a few components, and is ready quickly.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 50 min plus cooling
Makes 15-20

110 grams of ghee
250g gram flour
¼ tsp ground green cardamom
a small amount of saffron (if desired)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, roasted and coarsely chopped
180 to 200 grams of granulated sugar, as per liking

Melt the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium heat. Reduce the temperature, add the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to blend it with the liquid ghee and to prevent it from sticking or burning. Continue heating and mixing for half an hour to 35 minutes. Initially, the combination will appear as moist granules, but with further heating and blending, it will turn to a peanut butter consistency and smell wonderfully nutty. Avoid hurrying the process, or neglect the mixture, because it can burn very easily, and the gentle heating is essential to the distinctive, nutty taste of the sweet balls.

Take the pan off the heat, blend the cardamom and saffron, if added, then allow to cool until slightly warm when touched.

Incorporate the nuts and sugar to the cooled ladoo mixture, mix thoroughly, then tear off small chunks and form using your palms into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Place these on a dish separated a bit and leave to cool to normal temperature.

You can now serve the sweets promptly, or keep them in a sealed container and store in a cool place for up to a week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by Hyderabadi shahi tukda, a recipe that is usually prepared by sautéing bread in ghee, then soaking it in a thick, rich rabdi, which is made by boiling full-fat milk for an extended period until it condenses to a reduced quantity from the start. My version is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that demands minimal supervision and enables the oven to take over the task.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 60 minutes plus
Serves 4 to 6

12 slices stale white bread, crusts cut off
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or heated butter
4 cups of full-fat milk
1 x 397g tin thickened milk
150g sugar, or according to taste
a pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the insides of 2 pods, powdered
a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg powder (if desired)
40 grams of almonds, coarsely chopped
40 grams of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, apply almost all except a teaspoon of the clarified butter on each side of each piece, then arrange the triangles as they sit in a buttered, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular baking dish.

Within a sizable container, beat the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom and nutmeg, if included. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread in the dish, so everything is immersed, then let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and a skewer placed in the middle emerges clean.

Meanwhile, liquefy the rest of the clarified butter in a little pot over medium heat, then sauté the almonds until lightly browned. Turn off the heat, add the raisins and let them simmer in the remaining warmth, mixing continuously, for a minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the pudding and present hot or cold, simply on its own or alongside a portion of vanilla ice-cream.