Karan Gokani’s Sweet Treats For Diwali – Recipes

Diwali is often called nan show of lights, a ceremony of bully complete evil. It’s nan astir wide marked show successful India and feels a spot for illustration Christmas does successful nan west. It’s synonymous pinch fireworks, agleam colours, endless parties and tables creaking nether nan sheer weight of nutrient and desserts. No Diwali is complete without boxes of sweets (mithai) and dried consequence exchanged betwixt friends and family. In nan UK, we support those traditions alive, dressing up, visiting temples, reference Indian mythology to nan kids and, astir importantly, gathering pinch friends from each inheritance and religion. For me, Diwali is astir togetherness and sharing nutrient that feels special, but doesn’t support you successful nan room for hours. The breadstuff pudding is my return connected nan indulgent shahi tukda, while nan ladoos are cleanable to gift aliases to bask pinch a cup of chai aft nan feast.

Easy ladoos (pictured top)

Ladoos are 1 of nan astir iconic Indian sweets, correct up location pinch gulab jamuns and jalebis. Picture an Indian halwai’s shop overflowing pinch sweets of each shape, colour and size, each expertly crafted and generously laden pinch ghee. Ladoos often return centre stage, making them a celebrated prime of gift during auspicious occasions aliases for offering to Hindu deities astatine temples. This type is 1 of nan simplest, requiring conscionable a fistful of ingredients, and tin beryllium prepared successful minutes.

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min positive cooling
Makes 15-20

110g ghee
250g gram flour
¼ tsp crushed greenish cardamom
1 pinch saffron (optional)
50g mixed almonds and pistachios, toasted and astir chopped
180-200g granulated sugar, to taste

Melt nan ghee successful a nonstick cookware connected a mean heat. Turn down nan heat, adhd nan gram flour and cook, stirring perpetually to harvester it pinch nan melted ghee and to make judge it doesn’t drawback and burn. Keep cooking and stirring for 30-35 minutes. To statesman with, nan operation will lucifer bedewed sand, but arsenic you proceed cooking and stirring, it will move to a peanut food consistency and smell wonderfully nutty. Don’t effort to unreserved things, aliases time off nan operation unattended, because it tin pain very easily, and nan slow roast is basal to nan characteristic, nutty flavour of nan ladoos.

Take nan cookware disconnected nan heat, operation successful nan cardamom and saffron, if using, past time off to cool until conscionable lukewarm to nan touch.

Add nan nuts and sweetener to nan cooled ladoo mixture, operation thoroughly, past tear disconnected mini chunks and rotation betwixt your palms into 15-20 x 4cm balls. Put these connected a sheet spaced somewhat isolated and time off to cool to room temperature.

You tin now service nan ladoos immediately, aliases shop them successful an airtight instrumentality and support astatine room somesthesia for up to a week.

Indian breadstuff pudding

Karan Gokani’s Indian breadstuff pudding. Photograph: Kim Lightbody/The Guardian. Food styling: Tamara Vos. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food assistant: Lucy Ellwood.

This takes inspiration from Hyderabad’s shahi tukda, a crockery that’s typically made by frying breadstuff successful ghee, past soaking it successful a thick, rich | rabdi, which is created by simmering full-fat beverage for hours until it reduces to a fraction of its original volume. My type is simply a healthier, easier and quicker replacement that requires a batch little tending to and lets nan oven do each nan dense lifting.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4-6

12 slices stale achromatic bread, crusts removed
100g ghee, aliases melted butter
1 litre full milk
1 x 397g tin condensed milk
150g sugar, aliases to taste
1 pinch saffron, soaked successful 2 tbsp milk
¼ tsp crushed cardamom, aliases nan seeds from 2 pods, crushed
¼ tsp crushed nutmeg (optional)
40g almonds, astir chopped
40g raisins

Cut nan breadstuff into triangles, dispersed each but a spoon of nan ghee complete some sides of each piece, past put nan triangles arsenic they autumn successful a greased, astir 20cm x 30cm, rectangular baking dish.

In a ample bowl, whisk nan milk, condensed beverage and sweetener until nan sweetener dissolves, past operation successful nan saffron and its soaking milk, nan cardamom and nutmeg, if using. Pour nan beverage substance evenly complete nan breadstuff successful nan dish, truthful it each gets soaked, past time off to steep for 10-15 minutes. Heat nan oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

Bake nan pudding for 30-35 minutes, until nan apical is aureate brownish and a toothpick inserted into nan centre comes retired clean.

Meanwhile, melt nan remaining ghee successful a mini cookware connected a mean heat, past fry nan almonds until golden. Turn disconnected nan heat, adhd nan raisins and time off them to navigator successful nan residual heat, stirring constantly, for a minute. Sprinkle nan seed and raisin operation complete nan pudding and service lukewarm aliases chilled, conscionable arsenic it is aliases pinch a scoop of vanilla ice-cream

• These recipes are edited extracts from Indian 101: Real Indian Recipes Made Simple, by Karan Gokani, published by Bluebird astatine £28. To bid a transcript for £23.80, spell to guardianbookshop.com