Gujarati Special Recipe 3: Shrikhand

Shrikhand - The perfect sweet accompaniment to Gujarati dishes. It's creamy, sweet, nutty or fruity and a classic. It's a healthy dessert with calcium and live cultures so feel free to indulge. It's best had along with the meal as most Gujarati sweets are. I have made a basic shrikhand with flecks of cardamom all over and have given tips below for other flavours.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh homemade curd (not sour)

1 cup powdered sugar, loosely packed

1 tablespoon fresh cream (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1 tablespoon chopped pistachios

Put the curd into a fine mesh sieve and let it drain for 5-6 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. Put a container below to collect the liquid and cover it so it doesn't dry out. You can also tie it in a muslin cloth and let it hang for 5-6 hours. 

Take the drained out curd, called chakka, and beat it well with a whisk. Add sugar and cardamom and mix well. Garnish with pistachios and serve chilled. 

Notes:

1) If you are using commercially made yogurt as available outside India, add a tablespoon of sour cream instead of fresh cream

2) To make saffron (kesar) shrikhand, soak 10-12 strands of saffron in milk or water for an hour and mix with the shrikhand

3) To make fruit shrikhand, add fruit pieces with the respective fruit compote. I like mango the best!

4) To make dry fruit shrikhand, add an additional 3 tablespoons of chopped dry fruits like almonds, cashew nuts and pistachios and mix with the above.