Allow me to call it a beauty.I dont mean fancy or flashy. Neither I want to hint that I toiled over this dessert for hours. This eliachi shrikhand is hopelessly easy to make. Yet succeeds in achieving the delight a dessert can bring. Slightly tart yogurt flavored with freshly ground elaichi (cardamom) and topped with a luscious mango saffron compote - as simple as it can get but like a little sunshine in a bowl. It is hard to believe that something so simple as yogurt & sugar can turn into a creation which appeals to the sweet tooth. Cream add more body to the dessert in my opinion and makes it a little more wonderful. Cream is not used traditionally shrikhand. You can skip it. I like it for the added richness that it lends.
What is Shrikhand?
Shrikhand is a yogurt sweet dessert from western parts of India.Shrikhand recipe is like a blank canvas - some like to add nuts, some combine chopped or pureed fruits with it and some let the melt in the mouth consistency remain unadulterated. Experiment as it pleases you. I ate shrikhand for the first time prepared by one of my friend’s mom in Pune. She served it along side pooris (deep-fried flatbread) & a spicy bean sprouts curry. The combo was a bit odd for me at first but I immensely enjoyed it.
Usually, pureed mango is mixed with hung yogurt and shrikhand becomes amrakhand. My favorite summer fruit is here. I bought season’s first mango last week & they seemed perfect to add a texture to the dessert. The mangoes were ripe & sweet - a compote was definitely on my mind. Addition of saffron to it seemed an obvious decision to accentuate the exotic flavors. The fact that I prepared the dessert with homemade dahi (indian style yogurt) made me a happier than usual.
Make It With Greek Yogurt
If you are in a rush, you can use greek yogurt in this recipe. It saves you additional time of straining the yogurt. Follow instructions as it is from the recipe card. You can refrigerate it for 30 minutes and serve.
