Shrikhand – Kesar Pista Shrikhand
Kesar Pista Shrikhand is a rich and creamy Indian sweet, made with hung curd, sugar, saffron, and cardamom. Garnish it with some chopped pistachios to give the dish crunchiness and make the color pop. Accompanying it with poori is a popular way of serving the dish on special occasions. It is a very famous Indian dessert in the state of Maharashra and Gujarat.
Shrikhand is a very simple and easy to make dessert. It is made from hung curd which is also called “chakka” in Marathi. Whole milk curd/yogurt is hung for a few hours in a muslin cloth. The cloth will help remove all the whey from it and give it some tangy flavor.
Shrikhand is a slightly tangy and sweet dessert. You can use either homemade (using whole milk) or store bought curd. Store bought full fat yogurt works the best for this recipe. I like to use Deep or Noga brand whole milk dahi.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Whole milk yogurt/curd
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
- Saffron
- Cardamom
- Pistachios
Shrikhand Step By Step Recipe
For hung curd/chakka
Take a big and deep bowl, keep a strainer over it, and line it with a muslin cloth. Add fresh or store bought curd/yogurt in the cloth. Gather all the sides of the cloth and tie a knot. You can either tie a string or take a thick elastic band to wrap around it.
Squeeze out as much whey you can and let the curd rest on a strainer for 5-6 hours. You can put some weight over it- I normally keep pestle and mortar. If the curd is store bought and a little sour, you can hang it for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator.
Making Shrikhand
Add 2 tsp of warm milk and a few strands of saffron in a small bowl. Keep it aside at least for 10-15 minutes.
In a big mixing bowl, add hung curd/chakka and pinch of salt. Adding a pinch of salt brings out the flavors.
Next, add powdered sugar little at a time and mix well with a whisk. You can adjust the sugar according to your preference.
Add saffron milk, cardamom powder and a few pistachios. Mix everything well.
Store the it in an airtight container. Garnish it with some chopped pistachios before serving.
Variations
- Cardamom/Elaichi
- Saffron and Cardamom
- Nutmeg powder and nuts.
- Strawberry Shrikhand
- Mango Shrikhand also known as Aamrakhand
- Mixed Fruit Shrikhand
What to do with the whey?
Whey is a watery part of milk. Please do not discard the whey. You can add it when making chapati or paratha dough. Mix some curd and whey to make kadhi. Add it to your smoothies as well.
How To Store Shrikhand?
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 6 days. If you keep it longer in the refrigerator it might turn sour.
You can freeze it as well in a freezer safe container for one month. Take it out from a freezer 30 minutes before serving.
How To Serve Shrikhand?
Shrikhand poori is one of the classic combinations to serve on special occasions.
This dish goes with dry potato curry, mirchi pickle, dry garlic chutney, and poori is a delicious variation to serve along with some varan bhat and ghee.
Or maybe, you can serve it with Undhiyu, phulka/chapati and pickle.
Did you like this recipe?
If you’ve tried the Kesar Pista Shrikhand recipe then don’t forget to rate it.
I will love to hear from you!
Kesar Pista Shrikhand
Ingredients
- 6 cups Curd/Yogurt
- 1 cup Powdered sugar grind the sugar
- 1 pinch Salt optional
- 2 tsp Milk warm
- 10-12 strands Kesar/Saffron
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
- 8 pieces Pistachios chopped
Instructions
For Hung Curd/Chakka
- Take a big and deep bowl, keep a strainer over it, and line it with a muslin cloth.
- Add fresh or store bought curd/yogurt in the cloth.
- Gather all the sides of the cloth and tie a knot.
- Squeeze out as much whey as possible and then let the curd rest on a strainer for 5-6 hours.
- Keep some weight over it like a pestle and mortar.
Making Shrikhand
- Add 2 tsp of warm milk and a few strands of saffron to a small bowl. Keep it aside at least for 10-15 minutes.
- In a big mixing bowl, add the chakka/hung curd. Add a pinch of salt and powdered sugar little at a time and mix well with a whisk.
- Next, add saffron milk, cardamom powder, and a few pistachios. Mix everything well.
- Garnish with a few chopped pistachios and serve chilled.
Notes
- If the curd is store bought and a little sour you can hang the curd for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator.
- You can adjust the sugar as per the sweetness of the hung curd.
- Make powdered sugar by grinding regular sugar in the mixer.
- Adding a pinch of salt. This really brings out the flavor of the shrikhand.
- Please do not discard the whey. You can add whey while making chapati or paratha dough. You can make kadhi with it by adding a little more curd or add it to smoothies. It can be easily stored in the fridge for 4 days in an airtight container.
FOLLOW ME
Facebook|Instagram|Pinterest
Did you try this recipe?
Follow @lifeisforfoodblog on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #lifeisforfoodblog
I love to know what you are making!
Shrikhand is my favourite sweet. I never tried it before but made it according to your method and turned out excellent. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome. Thank you!