Shrikhand recipe (yogurt dessert)

Shrikhand recipe – Shrikhand is a thick creamy & delicious Indian dessert made with strained yogurt (curd), sugar, cardamoms & nuts. Shrikhand is popular in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and even in parts of Karnataka. In Karnataka it is known as shikarni or shikharini which is a sankrit term for shrikhand.

Shrikhand is commonly eaten with a meal or as a dessert. It also goes well with poori.

The most common flavouring ingredients used are cardamom & saffron. It can be also be flavoured with fruit purees like mango and strawberry.

How is shrikhand made?

Shrikhand is made by just whisking strained yogurt, sugar, cardamom powder and saffron soaked milk. There is no cooking process involved but there is a bit of preparation as the curd needs to be strained for a few hours.

Preparation

1. Choose a large bowl to collect the whey. Place a strainer over it.

2. Spread a thin muslin cloth or a cheese cloth. Then pour the yogurt or curd.

3. Wrap the curd in the cloth and gently squeeze to drain excess whey.

4. Place the entire pack of yogurt in between a large & thick absorbent cloth. Place the entire thing over a plate.

Next place a heavy object or a cast iron pan over the pack of yogurt. Refrigerate for about 45 mins to 2 hours. Soak crushed saffron in little hot water or milk.

6. Make sure curd is properly drained and no whey remains in the chakka before you proceed to make shrikhand.

How to make shrikhand

7. Pour the saffron water.

8. Add powdered sugar and then elaichi powder. Use more or less sugar to suit your taste.

9. Mix it well with a spoon or whisk until smooth and creamy. If you are making in large amount then a whisk would be better.

Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with chopped nuts. Serve shrikhand with puri or chill and serve as a dessert.

Tips to make shrikhand

Curd: Use fresh curd that is not sour tasting. You can use homemade curd or greek yogurt. If using greek yogurt then you can skip straining and use it straight away.

Flavoring: I have used cardamom powder and saffron for flavouring. However only cardamom powder will suffice and you can skip saffron if you do not like the flavour.

Shrikhand will turn out good even without saffron. I usually make it with only cardamom powder as my kids’ don’t like the saffron flavour here.

Sweetener: Powdered sugar is added to sweeten the dessert. You can adjust the amount of sugar to suit your taste.

Whisking: After adding sugar whisk the yogurt very well using a hand whisk until smooth. If you are doing in large quantities then you can also use a hand blender or a food processor.

Tips to strain the curd

Straining curd properly is the key step to a thick and creamy shrikhand. Otherwise it will turn runny after adding sugar.

The easiest way I have been following to strain the curd quickly is to pour the curd to a clean cloth. Bring the sides together and then squeeze off the excess whey from it.

Then flatten the entire pack and place it in between layers of a thick absorbent cloth or towel.

Then place a heavy pot or a heavy object or a cast iron pan. After 45 mins if there is still whey then remove and place it on the drier side on the cloth and leave it for some more time.

This way the whey drains up super quickly from the curd within 45 mins to 1 hour. If it is too hot in your kitchen then you can also refrigerate while you do this.

For more desserts, you can check
Fruit custard
Rabri or rabdi
Basundi
Kulfi
Mango kulfi
Falooda