Allow me to call it a beauty.I dont mean fancy or flashy.Neither I want to hint that I toiled over this dessert for hours. It is something hopelessly easy to make, yet succeeds in achieving the delight a dessert is supposed to bring. Softly tart yogurt flavored with freshly ground elaichi (cardamom),topped with a luscious mango saffron compote – as simple as it can get but like a little sunshine on the spoon.
It is hard to believe that something so unfancy & minimal as yogurt & sugar can turn into a creation which appeals to the sweet tooth. I admit that cardamom & cream add more body to the dessert – making it a little more wonderful.Cream is traditionally not used – I like it for the added richness that it lends here. Trust me, never a easy dessert would taste so very spectacular.
Shrikhand is a yogurt based sweet dish originally from western parts of India. But now, it is popular all over the subcontinent. Basic shrikhand recipe is like a blank canvas – some like to add nuts, some combine chopped or pureed fruits with it and some let the melt in the mouth consistency remain unadulterated. Experiment as it pleases you.
I ate shrikhand for the first time prepared by one of my friend’s mom in Pune. She served it along side pooris (deep-fried flatbread) & a spicy bean sprouts curry. The combo was tad odd for me. Supposedly the yogurt is supposed to calm down the spices of the meal as you eat.I m not exactly sure how few bits of that first not-so- appreciable taste testing stuck with me.Eight years down the line & now I immensely enjoy shrikhand with pooris. Just like any comfort food, the sugar & oil overload is quite addictive.
Usually, pureed mango is mixed with hung yogurt & shrikhand becomes amrakhand. My favorite summer fruit is here. I bought season’s first batch last week & they seemed perfect to add a texture to the dessert.The mangoes were ripe & sweet – a compote was definitely on my mind. Addition of saffron to it seemed an obvious decision to accentuate the exotic flavors. The fact that I prepared the dessert with homemade dahi (indian style yogurt) made me a little happy than usual.
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Preparation Time :- About 8 hours (includes draining in the refrigerator) Cooking Time :- 10 minutes (for both shrikhand & mango compote) Ingredients (Makes 4 servings) For the Shrikhand
For the Mango Compote
Needed:- Colander, Muslin/CheeseCloth,Bowls
Method
Making Shrikhand
Line a colander with muslin/cheese cloth large enough that you can tie up its ends. Place the colander over a large bowl. Ensure that there is gap between the colander bottom & the bowl bottom to collect the draining liquid. Pour the dahi into the colander,wrap up and tie up all the ends of the muslin/cheesecloth. Let the dahi drain for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight inside the refrigerator.
Note :-Dont leave dahi while it drains outside, else it will turn sour.Discard the whey once drained. Reserve the muslin/cheesecloth.(If in hurry, you can use Greek yogurt to make shrikhand too. Skip this step if doing so)
Transfer the strained, thick, cold dahi into a bowl. Add cream to it and start whisking using a hand beater. Slowly add the sugar and beat until you get slightly stiff peaks.
Again tie the dahi – cream mix in the muslin/cheesecloth & let drain in the colander arrangement (as explained above) for another 2 hours inside the refrigerator.
Break open the cardamom pods & grind the seeds using a mortar & pestle.Tip – Always buy whole cardamom pods.This way of making your own powder saves a lot of money.
After 2 hours, transfer the drained dahi mix to a bowl. Add cardamom & nutmeg powder and stir gently with a wooden spoon. Let chill for at least 3-4 hours or till ready to serve.
Scoop the chilled shrikhand into serving bowls & top with mango compote (recipe below). Keeps well in fridge for 2-3 days.
Making Mango Compote
In a medium bowl, dissolve the saffron in lukewarm water till it dissolves. About a minute or so. Stir in the lime juice, sugar and mix till sugar dissolves. Add in diced mangoes. Cover and chill upto 1 day.
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Lovely ! Shrikhand reminds me of my Badi Mummy who used to make it so perfectly ! Yummy cool concoction for a hot summer afternoon.. One question did you use our Indian Alphonso mangoes in this ? Do you get them here ?
Thanks Neha. I did not use alphonso. I dont think I can get them here, maybe not even at indian stores. I use ataulfo mangoes from mexico. I think they come closest to indian taste.
Thank you for the name of the mangoes , so I know what to look out for ! Keep sharing your goodness with us ! 🙂
I wonder where my previous comment disappeared anyways ! I had written ” Thats a lovely recipe ! reminds me of my Badi Mummy, she used to make shrikhand perfectly !! Yummy cool concoction for a hot summer afternoon….Thank you for the recipe….I have a question….What kind of mangoes did you use in this ? Do you get Alphonsos here in US ? ”
-Neha
That looks and sounds delicious! I am waiting for my delivery of Alphonso mangoes this weekend. Will definitely be trying your recipe out. 🙂
Oh so refreshing! I love this kind of refreshing desserts.
Looks too heavenly … totally smitten by snaps ..
Love your ivory spoon and I love anything with yogurt so this is a total winner in my book!
Another amazing recipe and photography Tanvi! I love your dessert recipe and this looks wonderful…especially tons of mangoes in it. ^_^
Hi Tanvi, I love the intricacy with which you write about every recipe. The photos just make it even more desirable! I can tell the amount of time, patience and work you put into each post. Great stuff 🙂
Thanks Vishaka. Blogging is hard work..We both know it 🙂
I haven’t gotten myself to make anything with mangoes yet (other than the granola bars) because i am right now enjoying them plain. But this recipe looks super duper tempting 🙂
A fabulous dessert! refined, fresh and delicious.
cheers,
Rosa
I am also going nuts here whenever I am in market…Can see only mangoes !! As you said very easy and no hassle but tasty and yummy. Gorgeous clicks as usual
This truly is a beauty Tanvi. It is a lovely dish which you have captured it to perfection
Omg, thats a super tempting,droolworthy and irresistible shrikhand..
beautiful clicks. agree with you that some homemade curd with cardamom and sugar is a simple and gorgeous dessert.
i already have an amrakhand recipe on my site which i posted a while ago. with the mangoes in full season here, we usually have them plain or sometimes i make baked goodies.
What a delight this treat is! I can imagine that the creamy portion and the sweet/tangy mango compote compliment each other perfectly!
This sounds wonderful and perfect for a warm day. I love the flavors.
Oh I love Shrikhand anytime!!These look divine and those mangoes,man I need to get some mangoes right now!!Gorgeous!
How beautiful – love the airy, bright photos. Hope you saved some for me. 🙂
Great recipe Tanvi, its perfect as I love yogurt and mango. Your photo definitely speaks more!
Congratulations on making the foodbuzz Top 9!
Thanks 🙂
Thank you.
Beautiful clicks. Yummy Shrikhand, I just love all the ingredients.
Beautiful Pictures Tanvi.. Totally in love!
wow such beautiful pics, i really think you should upgrade to a SLR, you are doing so good with a Point and shoot (if you are using this), with SLR you would do wonders
Beautiful as always Tanvi!!!
i love shrikhand, who doesn’t right…..
This looks simply fabulous..Lovely and colourful clicks..
Beautiful pics. I love the yellow color. The compote sounds yummy and a nice twist to the traditional shrikhand.
Love your pictures! 🙂
Love your pictures!
Kajal @ http://sweettoothcraving.blogspot.com/
Thank you 🙂
That is beautiful Tanvi, I love good, thick yogurt with jam or anything sweet. Or any dairy for that matter.Love to combine feta cheese with jam too 🙂 So this is perfect for my taste 🙂
Delicious shrikhand!! Now I need to source out sweet mangoes and make this ASAP!
the perfect way to use my mangoes from the fridge=)
xoxo
Mangoes are my weakness. This shrikhand looks amazing and as usual your photography is stunning!!!
A beauty is right! This looks so inviting, and I adore mangoes!
Awesome recipe.. I made it this weekend for my own graduation ceremony and it came out well. I used frozen berries instead of mangoes… Thanks!
OH this looks just divine! gorgeous gorgeous photos! and I agree, there’s nothing better than a really ripe sweet mango! love the addition of saffron in the compote, and the cardamom, one of my favourite spices!
I made it and ate it up just now. Till now I had only eaten the store bought skrikhands so I have to say that this was a revelation. The alternating tastes of mango compote and creamy srikhand is pure pure bliss. Another winner from Sinfully Spicy!
Thanks Priya.Love that you try the recipes & give your feedback. Do let me know about the ones that you dont like 😉
Tanvi– I have to thank you for this recipe. I had never made shrikhand before in my life, as it always seemed so daunting. But I made it the other day when I had some family over and it was a huge hit. For all your lazy readers out there, I took a few short cuts and it still turned out amazing. First of all, I used Greek yoghurt. Secondly, I didn’t bother to drain the dahi after adding the cream, nor did I bother to put it in the fridge for two hours. (Next time, I think I will skip the cream entirely, so as to make it less fatty. As it is, I used 0% fat Greek yoghurt). Lastly, I didn’t use as much sugar as is called for in the recipe, which does make it less authentic, but we liked it nonetheless. The shrikhand with the mango compote was a genius idea of yours, thank you again!
I m glad that you liked the recipe and most importantly it turned out good for you!