Photo: Sharvarism · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Maharashtra · Dessert

Shrikhand

Thick, silky strained yogurt sweetened with powdered sugar and perfumed with saffron and cardamom — the quintessential dessert of Maharashtra and Gujarat, served at every festival, wedding and special occasion. The key is hung curd (chakka) that has been strained for a minimum of 8 hours, resulting in a luxuriously dense, cream-cheese-like texture that dissolves on the tongue.

🧺 Ingredients

• 1 kg (4 cups) full-fat plain yogurt (homemade preferred; avoid set curd)
• ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar (icing sugar), sifted — adjust to taste
• 20–25 strands saffron (kesar)
• 2 tbsp warm milk (for saffron)
• 1 tsp cardamom powder (6 pods, freshly ground)
• 2 tbsp pistachios, blanched and slivered (for garnish)
• 1 tbsp charoli (chironji) seeds (traditional garnish)
• Pinch of nutmeg (optional; 2–3 gratings)
• Amrakhand variation: fold in 3 tbsp alphonso mango pulp at Step 3 (see Recipe 7)
• Shrikhand keeps refrigerated for 3–4 days, intensifying in flavour

👩‍🍳 How to make Shrikhand

1. Line a large colander with a double layer of muslin cloth (mulmul).
2. Pour yogurt in.
3. Tie the cloth into a bundle and hang it over a bowl in the refrigerator — or set the colander over a deep bowl in the fridge.
4. Allow to drip for minimum 8 hours, ideally overnight.
5. By morning, the whey collected in the bowl below will be about 1½–2 cups, and you'll have approximately 400–450 g of thick chakka (strained curd).
6. Do not squeeze — let gravity do the work for the smoothest texture.
7. Crush 20 saffron strands between your fingers.
8. Soak in 2 tbsp warm milk for 15 minutes until milk turns deep orange-yellow.
9. This step extracts maximum colour and flavour.
10. Transfer chakka to a large bowl.
11. Add sifted powdered sugar.
12. Whisk vigorously using a balloon whisk (or electric beater on low) for 3–4 minutes until completely smooth, airy and light — no sugar grains should remain.
13. Fold in saffron milk (including all the soaked strands), cardamom powder and nutmeg.
14. Taste and adjust sugar.
15. The consistency should be thick enough to hold a peak but still spoonable — not runny.

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