Shrikhand is a simple and delicious yogurt based dessert flavoured with saffron , nuts and cardamom. You can choose to make shrikhand either with homemade hung curd or store bought Greek yogurt.
This easy dessert is the perfect along with a meal or as dessert.
To put up this delicious sweetened yogurt, you just need 4 basic ingredients and 15 minutes of work , a delectable dessert gets ready !
If you love , similar traditional desserts then do check Kesar Badam Milk , Rabdi , Shahi Tukda , Shakarkhand ( Sweet potatao Halwa) and Basundi.
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About this recipe
Shrikhand is a thick , creamy , dense dessert with strong cardamom and saffron flavours. It is one of the easiest and tasty dessert popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra, states of India.
Shrikhand and Amarkhand is a part of religious ceremonies, weddings and festivals in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
To make this delicious sweetened yogurt, you just need 4 basic ingredients and only 15 minutes of work.
Traditional shrikhand is made using hung curd , where a homemade yogurt is tied in a muslin cloth to drain off the whey water from curds.
But one can always use Greek yogurt , as it has no whey( water ) content in it . All you need is to mix Greek yogurt with powdered sugar and add flavours in to it. With this shortcut , Shrikhand takes less than 5 minutes to put up and it tastes better than any store brought.
Consistency and creaminess of shrikhand resembles to that of cream cheese.
You need to try shrikhand as it is
- Tastes delicious
- Easy to make
- Economical
- Scalable
- Freezes well in refrigerator
Ingredients
To make this smooth and delicious swetened yogurt dessert you just need basic 4 ingredients , rest other ingredients are add-on's
Homemade Curds / yogurt - Use homemade full fat yogurt to make hung yogurt and the use it to make shrikhand. As an alternative you can also directly use plain greek yogurt and follow the recipe without hanging the yogurt. For vegan's non-dairy Greek style yogurt can be used to make Shrikhand.
Cardamom powder - Green Cardamom pods are crushed in mortar and pestle. Freshly pound cardamom adds definite flavour to this simple dessert. If using store bought cardamom powder directly in the recipe , then incresse the amount of cardamom powder in the recipe.
Saffron Strands - Try to use premium quality saffron strands to make Shrikhand as it imparts a good flavour and colour to the final dish. If not available , just skip it but you'll be definetely missing out flavours from saffron but still shrikhand tastes good.
Chopped Nuts - I love to use almonds and pistachios on shrikhand for crunch taste in between. You can add any nuts of your choice.
Powdered Sugar - Use fine powdered sugar to make this dessert. As crystal sugar does not dissolves easily in chilled hung yogurt.
Please refer recipe card for actual measurements.
Watch Video
Tips
While making hung curd , Use a deep bowl below, so that there is some distance between the curd in the strainer and the collected whey. Otherwise the whey will touch the strainer and whey mixes with curds .
Use the whey ( greenish water dripped from hung curds) to make rotis , curries , dal and smoothies as it is very nutritious.
To whip the hung curd , use electric blender . It makes the whole process lot more easier, alternatively you can whip in blender too.
FAQ's
How to serve Shrikhand?
Shrikhand is generally served with poori. But you can also serve it as a dessert . Or just go creative and sandwich between cookies or crackers. I recently tried piping shrikhand between coconut cookies and it tasted awesome.
Can I make shrikhand ahead of time?
Of course , that is the way it should be done ! I actually recommend that you make it ahead of time so that shrikhand gets chilled in refrigerator and flavours meld well.
Can I freeze shrikhand?
Yes you can freeze shrikhand upto 2 months in a covered container . And also you can refrigerate it for 1 week.
How to make Shrikhand
To make Hung Curd ( hung yogurt)
Place a strainer over a deep bowl. Then line a muslin cheesecloth or kitchen cotton towel on the strainer.
Note : Use a deep bowl below, so that there is some distance between the curd in the strainer and the collected whey. Otherwise the whey will touch the strainer and whey mixes with curds as well .
Pour the fresh curd over the muslin cloth . Use fresh curd and not the one which is sour.
Bring all the edges of the muslin together and tie one edge tightly around the rest.
Gently press , you can see the whey dripping.
Now place a heavy on the tied muslin or if you have a hook, hung the muslin cloth for 4 to 5 hours or overnight. So that whey drips off completely and collects inside the bowl.
After 4-5 hours , the whey will be drained and the hung curd will be ready. You can use the collected nutrient rich water ( whey ) to preparate chapatis, curries , dals and etc.
Collect the hung curd in a mixing bowl . With the hung curd you can now proceed to make the shrikhand. If you are using Greek Yogurt , you can straight away follow the next steps.
How to make shrikhand with hung curd or greek yogurt
Take warm milk in a glass and add 2 pinches of saffron strands, about 35 to 40 strands . Stir well and keep aside.
In a mortar pestle , pound 5 to 6 green cardamoms. Keep aside.
Take hung curd in a mixing bowl.
Add saffron dissolved milk , cardamom powder , powdered sugar and chopped nuts.
Using an wired whisker or a spoon ,whip the hung curd till smooth , creamy and light . Tips : If you beat in hands , you need to do more muscle arm workout. Shortcut is to use a electric blender to make the things simple.
Whip till powdered sugar blends well , check the taste and adjust more sugar if required.
Chill the shrikhand in fridge until you serve. While serving shrikhand, top with some saffron strands and chopped nuts. I added some crushed pistachios , almonds and dry rose petals for garnish.
Recipe
Shrikhand Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg Curds made from 1 litre milk
- ½ cup powdered sugar or add as required
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or 6 green cardamoms – crushed fine in a mortar
- 30-40 saffron strands or 2 pinches
- 1 tablespoon warm milk
- 7 to 8 pistachios crushed or chopped – add any nut of choice
- 5 to 6 almonds sliced or chopped
Instructions
To make hung yogurt
- Place a strainer over a deep bowl. Then line a muslin cheesecloth or kitchen cotton towel on the strainer.
- Pour the fresh curd over the muslin cloth . Use fresh curd and not the one which is sour.
- Bring all the edges of the muslin together and tie one edge tightly around the rest.
- Gently press , you can see the whey dripping.
- Now place a heavy on the tied muslin or if you have a hook, hung the muslin cloth for 4 to 5 hours or overnight. So that whey drips off completely and collects inside the bowl.
- After 4-5 hours , the whey will be drained and the hung curd will be ready. You can use the collected nutrient rich water ( whey ) to preparate chapatis, curries , dals and etc.
- Collect the hung curd in a mixing bowl . With the hung curd you can now proceed to make the shrikhand. If you are using Greek Yogurt , you can straight away follow the next steps.
To make shrikhand with hung yogurt
- Take warm milk in a glass and add 2 pinches of saffron strands, about 35 to 40 strands . Stir well and keep aside.
- In a mortar pestle , pound 5 to 6 green cardamoms. Keep aside.
- Take hung curd in a mixing bowl.
- Add saffron dissolved milk , cardamom powder , powdered sugar and chopped nuts.
- Using an wired whisker or a spoon ,whip the hung curd till smooth , creamy and light . Tip : If you beat in hands , you need to do more arm workout. Shortcut is to use a electric blender to make the things simple.
- Whip till powdered sugar blends well , check the taste and adjust more sugar if required.
- Chill the shrikhand in fridge until you serve. While serving shrikhand, top with some saffron strands and chopped nuts. I added some crushed pistachios , almonds and dry rose petals for garnish.
Video
Notes
- Use a deep bowl below, so that there is some distance between the curd in the strainer and the collected whey. Otherwise the whey will touch the strainer and whey mixes with curds as well .
Jeffy says
Tried out ,came out real good .Thank you
Muktha says
Thank you