Chef Karan Gokani's Delicious Indulgences for Diwali – Tasty Ideas

Diwali, frequently referred to as the event of lamps, symbolizes the victory of good over evil. It’s the most extensively celebrated Indian festival and feels a bit like holiday festivities abroad. The occasion is linked to fireworks, brilliant shades, continuous festivities and dining surfaces groaning under the sheer weight of culinary delights and sweets. Every Diwali celebration is finished without packages of confections and preserved fruits passed around kin and companions. Throughout Britain, the practices are preserved, wearing traditional clothes, going to places of worship, sharing tales from Indian lore to the kids and, above all, meeting with companions from all walks of life and faiths. For me, Diwali is about togetherness and offering dishes that seems extraordinary, but doesn’t require you in the kitchen for hours. The pudding made from bread is my version of the indulgent shahi tukda, while these ladoos are excellent for giving or to enjoy with a cup of chai after the feast.

Easy Ladoos (Pictured Top)

Ladoos are some of the most recognizable Indian desserts, right up there with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Imagine a traditional Indian halwai’s shop filled with confectioneries of all forms, tint and measurement, all professionally prepared and liberally topped with clarified butter. Ladoos commonly hold a prominent position, rendering them a favored option of gift during auspicious occasions or for offering to Hindu deities at religious sites. This particular recipe is one of the most straightforward, calling for a small set of items, and can be prepared in minutes.

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

110 grams of ghee
250g gram flour
1/4 teaspoon of ground green cardamom
a small amount of saffron (optional)
2 ounces of assorted nuts, heated and broken into pieces
6-7 ounces of white sugar, according to preference

Heat the ghee in a nonstick pan on a medium flame. Reduce the temperature, incorporate the gram flour and cook, stirring constantly to integrate it into the heated clarified butter and to ensure it doesn’t stick or scorch. Persist with cooking and blending for 30-35 minutes. To begin with, the mix will resemble damp sand, but with further heating and stirring, it will transform into a peanut butter-like texture and give off a rich nutty scent. Avoid hurrying the process, or leave the mix unattended, because it might burn rapidly, and the gradual roasting is essential to the distinctive, nutty taste of the ladoos.

Take the pan off the heat, stir in the cardamom and saffron, if using, then set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Mix in the nuts and sweetener to the room temperature ladoo mix, stir completely, then break off small pieces and shape with your hands into 15 to 20 balls of 4cm. Place these on a dish with some distance between them and leave to cool to room temperature.

These are ready to be enjoyed the sweets promptly, or keep them in a sealed container and store in a cool place for about seven days.

Classic Indian Bread Pudding

This is inspired by Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a dish that’s typically made by frying bread in ghee, then drenching it in a heavy, luxurious rabdi, which is produced by heating whole milk for a long time until it thickens to a fraction of its original volume. This adaptation is a better-for-you, straightforward and speedy version that requires a lot less tending to and enables the oven to take over the task.

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4-6

A dozen slices day-old white bread, crusts cut off
100 grams of ghee, or heated 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, steeped in 30ml of milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom, or the contents of 2 pods, ground
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
40 grams of almonds, broken into pieces
40 grams of raisins

Trim the bread into triangular shapes, spread all but a teaspoon of the ghee over both sides of each portion, then set the triangular pieces as they land in an oiled, roughly 20cm x 30cm, rectangular baking dish.

Within a sizable container, whisk the milk, thick milk and sweetener until the sugar melts, then blend the saffron and the liquid it steeped in, the cardamom along with nutmeg, if using. Empty the milk combination evenly over the bread in the dish, so it all gets soaked, then leave to steep for 10-15 minutes. Set the oven temperature to 200 Celsius (180 fan)/390 Fahrenheit/gas 6.

Heat the pudding for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a pick stuck into the center exits without residue.

In the meantime, heat the leftover ghee in a small skillet on moderate flame, then fry the almonds until golden. Switch off the stove, incorporate the raisins and leave them to cook in the remaining warmth, mixing continuously, for a minute. Dust the almond and raisin blend over the pudding and serve warm or chilled, plain as it is or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.