Shrikhand

Shrikhand is an Indian desert made of strained yogurt. It is one of the main deserts in Maharashtrian and Gujarati cuisines. The yogurt is tied and hung until all the water is drained off and the result is a thick and creamy yogurt. Such a simple recipe but i was hesitating to attempt this since many days as my hubby likes only the Chitale chakka that we get back home in Pune.(Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale is a famous shop in Pune for sweets. They have the Chakka available which is very famous. Chakka is the whey or the resultant thick and creamy strained yogurt). Still I decided to give it a try and make this on account of Gudi Padwa and it turned out to be just delicious and perfect. 'A' also liked it very much and said that this is in competition with Chitale. :)

Ingredients -
3 Cups whole milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp milk
1 tsp powdered cardamom
a pinch of saffron
2-3 tbsp powdered almonds and pistachios

Method -
1)Set a large strainer/colnader on a bowl and place a muslin/cheese cloth on it. Put the yougurt in the cloth. Tie the ends of the cloth tightly and squeeze the excess water. Place this in the strainer and put some weight on it. Or you can simply hang it in the sink. I placed the strainer in the refrigrator overnight.
2) Take the whey(thick strained yogurt) in a deep bowl and whip it well.
3) Add sugar, 2-3 tbsp at a time stirring everytime so that it dissolves evenly.
4) In the meantime add saffron into warm milk and let it soak for 10-15 mins.
5) Finally add the cardamom powder, saffron and the dry fruits. Stir and refrigerate until you serve.

Mostly, this is served at feasts in Maharashtra with puri-bhaji.