Shrikhand Recipe (Traditional & Instant)

Making hung curd

1. First line the strainer on a deep bowl. Then line a muslin cheesecloth or kitchen cotton towel on the strainer.
2. Pour the fresh curd. Do use fresh curd and not one which has gone sour.
3. Bring the four edges of the muslin together and tie one edge tightly around the rest.
4. Gently press and you will see the whey dripping.
5. Now place a heavy bowl or lid or tray on the tied muslin. If you have a hook, you can also hung the muslin in your refrigerator. Now keep the whole thing in the fridge for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.
6. I kept for 24 hours. Do use a deep bowl below, so that there is some distance between the curd in the strainer and the collected whey. Otherwise the whey will touch the strainer as well as the curd. Thus there will be some whey in the curd.
7. Next day the whey will be drained and the hung curd will be ready. Use the collected nutrient rich greenish whey in your everyday food like preparing chapatis, gravies, rice dishes, dals etc.
8. With a silicon spatula, collect the hung curd in a container or lidded bowl if not using it. Cover with its lid and then refrigerate. With the hung curd you can now proceed to make the shrikhand.

Making shrikhand with hung yogurt

1. Take warm milk in a small bowl. Add 2 pinch of saffron strands. Stir and keep aside.
2. In a mortar powder 4 to 5 green cardamoms. Keep aside.
3. Take the chakka or hung curd in a bowl.
4. Add fine sugar. Lightly stir with a spatula or spoon. You can also use powdered sugar.
5. Then add the saffron dissolved milk and powdered saffron.
6. Using an electric beater, begin to whip the hung curd. You can also beat the hung yogurt in a blender.
7. Whip till smooth. The sugar should also dissolve. Check the taste and add more sugar if required.
8. With a silicon spatula scrape the beaters' sides and edges of the hung curd and add to the bowl.
9. You can chill the shrikhand in fridge and later serve. While serving shrikhand, top with some sliced dry fruits. You can also top shrikhand with crushed dry fruits. I added some crushed pistachios for garnish.

Making greek yogurt shrikhand

1. In a small bowl, take milk and warm it on a stove top or in a microwave. Add a pinch of saffron strands. Stir and keep aside.
2. Then in a mixing bowl take the chilled greek yogurt.
3. Add fine or superfine sugar or raw sugar or powdered sugar. Add sugar according to your taste. First add ⅓ cup and if required you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons more. For a more sweeter taste add ½ cup sugar.
4. With a wired whisk and with brisk round movements, mix sugar with the yogurt, as well as beat the yogurt until it becomes smooth and without any tiny yogurt granules.
5. You should get a smooth, creamy consistency in the yogurt.
6. Now add the saffron soaked milk, cardamom powder and 2 to 3 pinches of nutmeg powder.
7. Mix again very well.
8. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to a couple of hours. You can also keep overnight or for a couple of days.
9. While serving, sprinkle some sliced or chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios, chironji) and 2 to 3 saffron strands (optional).

Serving suggestions

1. Serve shrikhand plain as it is like a sweet dessert or have it with poori or chapati. It also makes for a dessert sweet with any vegetarian Indian main course.

Storage

1. Store shrikhand in a covered container or box for a week in the refrigerator. For make ahead options, you can make a large batch and freeze for 1 to 2 months.