Karan Gokani's Sweet Delicacies for the Festival of Lights – Culinary Creations

Diwali, frequently referred to as the celebration of illumination, marks the triumph of light over darkness. This is the most extensively celebrated festival in India and resembles the atmosphere of Christmas in the west. Diwali is characterized by fireworks, vibrant hues, continuous festivities and tables creaking under the sheer weight of culinary delights and sweets. Every Diwali celebration is complete without packages of confections and preserved fruits shared among kin and companions. In the UK, we keep those traditions alive, wearing traditional clothes, visiting temples, reading Indian mythology to the children and, most importantly, meeting with companions from diverse cultures and beliefs. Personally, Diwali is about unity and distributing meals that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t require you in the culinary space for long durations. The pudding made from bread is my version of the indulgent shahi tukda, while the spherical sweets are excellent for giving or to savor alongside some chai after the meal.

Easy Ladoos (Featured at the Top)

Ladoos are one of the most famous Indian confections, comparable to gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop filled with sweets of every shape, tint and measurement, all skillfully made and generously laden with ghee. These sweets frequently occupy a prominent position, making them a popular choice of present for festive events or for giving to gods and goddesses at temples. This particular recipe is among the easiest, requiring just a handful of ingredients, and can be prepared in minutes.

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

110g ghee
250 grams of gram flour
a quarter teaspoon of cardamom powder
1 pinch saffron (if desired)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
180 to 200 grams of granulated sugar, to taste

Melt the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium heat. Lower the flame, incorporate the gram flour and simmer, with constant mixing to combine it with the liquid ghee and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. To begin with, the combination will appear as moist granules, but as you continue cooking 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 may scorch quickly, and the gentle heating is vital for the typical, roasted flavor of the sweet balls.

Remove the pan from the stove, mix in the cardamom and saffron, if using, then allow to cool until slightly warm when touched.

Add the nuts and sugar to the cooled ladoo mixture, combine well, then pull apart little portions and shape with your hands into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Set these on a platter with some distance between them and let them cool to normal temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the ladoos right away, or keep them in a sealed container and keep at room temperature for as long as one week.

Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by the shahi tukda from Hyderabad, a dish that’s typically made by cooking bread in clarified butter, then immersing it in a dense, creamy rabdi, which is made by boiling full-fat milk for a long time until it thickens to a reduced quantity from the start. My version is a more nutritious, simpler and faster option that needs much less attention and lets the oven do all the heavy lifting.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour or more
Serves about 4-6 people

12 slices stale white bread, edges trimmed
3.5 ounces of clarified butter, or heated butter
1 litre whole milk
A 397-gram tin sweetened condensed milk
5 ounces of sugar, or to taste
a small pinch of saffron, steeped in 30ml of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (if desired)
1.5 ounces of almonds, coarsely chopped
40 grams of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, coat nearly all but a spoonful of the ghee over both sides of every slice, then arrange the triangles as they fall in a greased, approximately 20cm by 30cm, rectangular ovenproof container.

Within a sizable container, beat the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar melts, then mix in the saffron and the milk it was soaked in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if included. Transfer the milk blend evenly over the bread in the dish, so it all gets soaked, then leave to steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Cook the pudding for 30 to 35 minutes, until the upper layer is browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre emerges clean.

In the meantime, heat the leftover ghee in a small skillet on moderate flame, then cook 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. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the pudding and present hot or cold, simply on its own or accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.