Shrikhand

Festive season has started and we all getting indulged into making them more grand than past year. Every part of our country is celebrating one or the other festival, be it Durga puja or Navratri. Goddess Durga is worshiped in different forms all over the nation.

Food always becomes a prime key to join the members of a family and good food during festivals is the secret to it. Of all the varied preparations during this season the most awaited remain the sweets. I shall be sharing with you a simple sweet dish today which is very easy to prepare and is soothing.  

Shrikhand is an easy to make, few ingredients sweet dish. You can call it an Indian version of Ice cream but is quite healthier than it. The name shrikhand is derived from sanskrit word 'Shikharini' meaning a curd prepared with added sugar and other flavouring agents(saffron and cardamom). It is said to have originated about 400 B.C.E. Can't believe how its recipe got carried away for many years. 

We Indians are great experimenters and so the age old shrikhand has many variations to it. Primarily Shrikhand is a Gujarati sweet dish eaten with poori. But it has a variant called Matho. It has fruits added to it. I have tasted about 10-12 varieties of Matho in Surat. It's very popular there. Come down to Maharashtra and you will find Amrakhand, i.e. Mango Shrikhand. Further variations involve 'Shedki' from Khambat in Gujarat and Piyush from Maharashtra.

In my post today I shall stick to the basic Shrikhand recipe. It is a nice attempt for beginners. Refer the Homemade Hung curd recipe I had shared previously.

Shrikhand

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 litres Milk (I used Amul Gold)
2 Pods of green cardamom
6-8 Strands of Saffron
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

Method

• Boil the milk and let it set to become curd. 
• Once it is set, transfer it to muslin cloth to make hung curd. Click here to learn making hungcurd.
• Once the hung curd is ready, transfer it to a big bowl and add sugar, saffron and finely crushed cardamom pods.
• Mix well and keep it covered in refrigerator for about an hour. 
• Remove after the said time and again mix it. If the sugar has not melted then give it a nice mix for about 30-40 seconds with a spoon and again refrigerate it for 20 minutes. At this stage you can taste for sweetness. If you want more sweet Shrikhand then add more sugar.
• Once the sugar has melted gently stir the Shrikhand and you will get a smooth texture. This stirring should take about a minute. 
• Transfer it in serving bowls and serve chilled.

Tips: 

• Milk used to set curd for shrikhand should be full fat milk. Toned milk will not give good results especially the creamy texture of shrikhand.
• Decorating shrikhand with Almonds is optional.
• Charoli or Chironji seeds can also added for extra flavour. 

Make this sweet and relish it with your family and friends this Diwali. 

Till then,

Stay Happy Stay Healthy!