Healthy! Creamy! Tasty!
This Janmashtami, I want to do something special for my Ladoo Gopal and my son, as it’s his first Janmashtami. That’s why I’ve decided to make Shrikhand—a popular dessert for this auspicious occasion. This creamy yogurt dessert always gives festive vibes. It’s a simple dish, made with minimal ingredients, and can be prepared in less than 15-20 minutes. The thick, creamy, and sweet yogurt spreads happiness and enhances your festive mood. So, let’s make Shrikhand this Janmashtami with a spiritual vibe and say, “Radhe Radhe!”
About Shrikhand:
Shrikhand is popular in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka. Though I belong to North India, specifically Uttar Pradesh, I love making it. It’s a well-known dish in these regions, especially at weddings, where the wedding thali is considered incomplete without Shrikhand—a thick, strained yogurt dessert. This is a time-saving, easy-to-make dish that takes less than 15 minutes with minimal ingredients. Maharashtrians also call it Chakka, and it’s often referred to as hung curd. If you’re looking for a healthy sweet option, you should try it. As they say, “Dessert is the sweetest form of self-love, and life is too short—eat dessert first!”
Ingredients:
Shrikhand reflects the essence of Indian sweets. It’s cherished for its simplicity, requiring minimal ingredients, yet delivering a sweet, healthy, and satisfying flavor.
- 500 gm plain Greek yogurt(In the form of Hung Curd): How To Make it (process at the bottom of the page)
- Mix Ingredients:
- Sugar (as per taste)
- Cardamom powder
- Saffron milk (for color)
- Garnishing: Rose petals, dry fruits, or nuts.
Steps to make
1- First make saffron milk and keep it ready –
Saffron Milk:
Take a pan and warm some milk, then add saffron strands. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Once mixed properly, it will turn yellow.
2- Now Take a mixing bowl, and start whisking the yogurt until smooth, add a little milk to adjust the consistency if you feel it’s too thick.
3- Gradually add powdered sugar according to the taste, in this process do not add all the sugar in one go, add some and keep whisking the mixture, and then again add more.
4- Now Stir in cardamon powder(ilaychi power) for flavor.
5- Next you need to add the saffron milk we made at the start.
Do not forget that we need to keep whisking 😛
6- Now you can see we got the color and the consistency for the mixture and it started looking like the Shrikhand you had from the market, but it feels better because it’s made with love, so now it’s time to garnish it.
7. Garnish with rose petals, saffron strands, or dry fruits/nuts, and you can use your creative mind and make it better and better looking.
8- After that, refrigerate the Shrikhand for 2 hours, as it’s typically served chilled.
You can add other flavors as well, like if it is mango season, add some mango pulp(smooth paste) and enjoy mango flavor shrikhand
This makes it a refreshing and delightful treat, especially during festive occasions and celebrations. After all, “Dessert is not a meal; it’s a moment.” So, enjoy your moment with this delicious Shrikhand recipe, made with love.
Now it’s your part to make it and share your experience with us, and please share your feedback and suggestions as well.
To make hung curd, place yogurt in a muslin cloth and hang it over a bowl for 5-6 hours to drain the whey. If you’re using Greek yogurt, that’s great, but homemade plain yogurt will work too—just make sure it’s not sour.
You can check out our Barsana experience as well A Beautiful Start With Spirituality:Barsana