Shrikhand is an Indian dessert made from strained yogurt or Greek yogurt. It is very popular in the western part of India and is served as a side dish with puffy Indian bread (puri).
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What is Shrikhand?
Shrikhand is a gluten-free Greek yogurt dessert. It originates from the western part of India. It is sweet and tangy in taste and has a thick consistency.
Shrikhand can be made in various flavors like cardamom, saffron, mango, and strawberry. Cardamom and saffron flavors are very popular and it requires only a few basic ingredients.
Shrikhand ingredients
The main ingredient to make shrikhand is Greek yogurt or strained yogurt. Greek yogurt can be store bought or easily made at home using instant pot.
The sweetness comes by adding sugar. Depending on the flavor, you can add cardamom powder, saffron strands and pistachios for garnishing.
This recipe is for saffron cardamom (kesar elaichi) flavor. It can be adapted to make plain cardamom (elaichi) flavor by eliminating saffron.
How to make Greek yogurt in instant pot?
The first step is to make yogurt in an instant pot. Once the yogurt is ready, it is strained in a cheesecloth or nut milk bag to separate out the liquid whey. The thick yogurt obtained after straining is called Greek yogurt.
To make yogurt, pour the whole milk in instant pot container and lock the lid. Press the yogurt button until it shows "boil".
Once the milk is boiled, remove the container from the instant pot and allow the milk to cool down. This may take up to two hours. If you want to speed up the process, you can give it an ice bath by placing the container in ice.
After the milk has cooled down and reads 115 °F in a digital food thermometer, add the yogurt starter or yogurt from a previous batch. The yogurt starter must have active live cultures for yogurt to set.
Place the container back in the instant pot and lock the lid with release valve in venting position. Press the yogurt button until it shows the time, set it for 10 hours on normal mode.
Refrigerate the yogurt for about a day before making the Greek yogurt for shrikhand. To make Greek yogurt, line a strainer with a cheesecloth or place a nut milk bag and pour all the yogurt in it. You can also use a Greek yogurt maker.
Cover the yogurt and leave it at room temperature for about 12 hours. Continue the straining process in the refrigerator for another 12 hours or until no more whey is separating from the yogurt. Straining the yogurt at room temperature allows the tanginess to develop, especially in freshly prepared yogurt.
If you are using yogurt which is store-bought or a few days old, you can directly keep it in the refrigerator for about 24 hours for straining. You don't want a sour yogurt to make shrikhand, it should only be slightly tangy.
After straining the yogurt and when no more whey is separating, you have a perfect thick and tangy Greek yogurt to make shrikhand.
How to make shrikhand with Greek yogurt?
Once the Greek yogurt is ready, prepping for shrikhand is a five-minute task.
Smooth out the Greek yogurt with the help of a spoon or spatula. Add the sugar, cardamom powder and optionally charoli nuts and give it a good mix. The sugar will not dissolve completely yet.
Sprinkle some saffron strands and refrigerate the mixture for 4-6 hours. This will allow the sugar to dissolve and saffron to release a nice yellow color. Give the shrikhand a good mix after it is chilled. A smooth creamy thick shrikhand will be ready.
Garnish it with some cardamom powder, chopped pistachios and additional saffron soaked in a teaspoon of milk.
How to make shrikhand thicker?
Shrikhand is a thick sweet Greek yogurt dip. The key to a thick consistency is to strain the yogurt enough until all the whey has separated and thick strained yogurt is obtained.
After adding and mixing sugar, the yogurt gets some moisture back. If you are using store-bought Greek yogurt, it is best to strain it for few hours, else the consistency may not be as thick as desired.
What do you eat with shrikhand?
Shrikhand is a dessert but usually served as a side dish with a traditional Indian meal. It is popularly served with puffy Indian bread (puri) and a dry sauteed potato veggie.
Apart from enjoying the taste of shrikhand alone, it is also relished by dipping a piece of puri at a time. Kids just love eating shrikhand with puri.
Can you freeze shrikhand?
Any leftover shrikhand can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. Shrikhand can also be frozen for a month. When you are ready to eat, simply place the container in the fridge overnight and it will be ready to eat.
What to do with whey from yogurt?
After making Greek yogurt you will have a lot of whey. Here is a great post of how to use whey obtained as a by product of making yogurt.
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📖 Recipe
Shrikhand - Greek Yogurt Dessert
Equipment
Ingredients
To make yogurt
- ½ gallon Whole Milk
- 2 tablespoon Yogurt (or yogurt starter)
To make shrikhand
- 1 cup Organic cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon Pistachio (chopped)
- 15 - 20 Saffron strands
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon Charoli (optional)
Instructions
Make Instant pot yogurt by boiling milk
- Pour milk in the instant pot container and lock the lid.
- Press "yogt" mode until it shows "boil".
- Once the cycle is complete, open the lid and remove the container and allow the milk to cool down for about 2 hours until it reaches 115 °F
- Whisk the yogurt and add it to the milk and mix well.
- Place the container inside the instant pot and lock the lid with release valve in venting position.
- Press the "yogt" button until it shows the timer. Adjust it to 10 hours on normal setting.
- Yogurt will be ready after 10 hours. Cover and chill the yogurt in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
Making Greek yogurt
- Pour all the yogurt in a nut milk bag or a cheesecloth and line it in a strainer.
- Allow all the whey to drip at room temperature for about 12 hours.
- Place the yogurt along with cheesecloth and strainer in fridge and continue straining for another 12 hours.
- Thick strained or Greek yogurt is ready once no more whey is dripping.
Making shrikhand
- In a mixing bowl, place the strained yogurt and make it smooth with the help of a spoon or spatula.
- Add sugar and mix well.
- Add cardamom powder and charoli nuts and mix well.
- Sprinkle a pinch of saffron strands and chill the mixture for 4-6 hours.
- Mix well into a smooth consistency
- Srikhand is ready, garnish it with more pistachios, cardamom powder and some saffron soaked in a teaspoon of milk.
Notes
- Tanginess in shrikhand depends on how old the yogurt is. If yogurt is a day or two old then it is best to strain it at room temperature for 12 hours and the remaining 12 hours in the fridge.
- If there is less tanginess, you can keep the strained Greek yogurt for a few hours at room temperature before mixing sugar and other ingredients.
- Ensure that yogurt is not sour, slight tanginess makes authentic shrikhand.
- If you are using store-bought Greek yogurt, after adding sugar, it tends to become a little runny, for best results strain the store-bought Greek yogurt for a few hours before making shrikhand.
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