" Shrikhand ", an elegant Indian dessert for a Makar-Sankranti

" Shrikhand ", an elegant Indian dessert for a Makar-Sankranti

When I was younger, as every October approached my mother would come to me asking me for a list of my favorite foods. October, being my birthday month was the time of year my mother would cook all my favorite foods. And every year I would always ask for the same dessert ~ Shrikhand, a Gujarati sweet made from strained yogurt, sweetened and spiced with saffron and cardamom.
As far as I’m concerned this Indian sweet takes the cake. When there is Shrikhand I say goodbye to Gulab Jamun and even Ras Malai–two of India’s most celebrated sweet dishes.
Not overly sweet, Shrikhand is rich, velvety smooth and creamy with subtle hints of cardamom, nutmeg and saffron topped with pistachios and almonds. Often we eat Shrikhand with a fried flatbread puri consumed as a sweet alongside a vegetarian meal. This can be said with many Indian sweets as they are often placed on a vegetarian thali. It’s kind of cool having your dessert with the main meal since you can go back and forth from savoury to sweet. Anyone with a sweet tooth is with me on this one!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 kg. Curds
300 gms. Sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
Few strands saffron
1/2 tbsp. pista and almond crushed

Method:

1. Tie curd in a clean muslin cloth overnight. (6-7 hours).
2. Put into a bowl and add sugar .Mix it.
3. Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve.
4. Rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside.
5. Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd.
6. Pass through a big holed strong strainer, pressing with hand or spatula.
7. Mix in cardamom powder and dissolved saffron and half nuts.
8. Empty into a glass serving bowl, top with remaining nut crush.
9. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.