I think this is a dish that reaches a zenith amongst other comparable delights. It’s in a class of its own, in the premier league. Bowl of this nuzzled in arms of your beloved, or simply sinking into the sofa with soft music, or amongst company of friends, okay also with kids running around everywhere causing havoc whatever it maybe, this dish will enhance the experience. It can transcend one into another dimension. Yes it’s a classic dessert Shrikhand. Some see it as a dessert but it’s more then simply that, in fact Shirkand is often eaten with puris as part of a main/side meal. It’s also made during special occasions, especially weddings. Once with my Mother’s lead we made Shirkhand for 200 people on the occasion of son’s Yagnopavita/Janoi ceremony. It was the best I have ever had.
Luxurious, sensual, sweet, creamy, sexy, yes that’s Jyostna for sure. But hey same can be said for the Shirkhand at its best. For Shirkhand to be devine then it has to be made the classical, traditional way using homemade yogurt/curd (are you reading Supriya, do you want me to send you some). Yes, Shirkhand can be made with soft cheeses and can taste very good but hey it’s not the same. I have had Shirkhand in Restaurants and also bought ready made from Indian shops but nah, not the same.
Some preparation tips for making the base curd which forms the Shirkhand. The Shirkhand itself is easy to make, the trick is the base curd. The main thing is to use homemade yogurt itself. Be careful about the fermentation process. If left too long to ferment then the curd goes sour and the Shirkhand will not taste as good. When this happens, one tends to add more sugar to counter balance the sour taste but that does not help. One ends up with sweet-sour yogurt pudding not Shirkhand.
Other trick is the removal of the whey, Often the curd is placed in a muslin cloth and hang, so that the whey drips off. This is fine but I find the whey is not removed uniformly. I think its best to place the curd in a sandwich of muslin cloths and newspapers, weighted at the top. This method taught to me by my mother, never fails and gives consistent results.
Use full cream milk, semi skimmed does not provide the creamy taste or texture.
Finally I think its best to prepare the base curd in small batches if making for a large group of people. For the example below, I used 2 litres of milk which caters for 2-3 people. I find making yogurt with batches of 2-3 litres of milk is comfortable for me but hey if you can make a larger batch then great.
I made the below in a day from start to finish, it was divine as testified by the family members
Ingredients (Serves 2-3)
- 2 litres of full cream Milk
- 1 ½ tbsp Cardamom powder
- 4 tbsp Sugar
- 2 large pinches of Saffron
- 2 tbsp slivers of Almonds
- 2 tbsp slivers of Pistachios
- 2 tbsp Milk
Method
- Make homemade yogurt using the full cream milk
- Once the yogurt is formed, drain the whey by placing the yogurt between a sandwich of muslin cloths and newspapers. Place large tray(s) with on top with a saucepan or two to provide weight. This will absorb the access water uniformly and quickly.
- Remove the curd into a bowl once the whey has been removed. The curd should be really thick.
- Mix the curd to form a smooth consistency, if too thick then add a little milk.
- Warm the milk in a microwave and add one good pinch of saffron and mix well.
- Add into the curd the sugar, cardamom powder, 1 tsp each of almonds and pistachios slivers and saffron milk. Mix well so it amalgamates well
- Place mixed curd (now a Shirkhand) in the fridge for several hours for the all the flavours to mingle.
- Mix again and transfer to a serving bowl and smooth out.
- Take the 2nd pinch of saffron and dry roast for a few seconds, once cooled, crush into tiny pieces
- Garnish the Shirkhand with crushed saffron and the remaining slivers of almonds and pistachios, optionally include rose petals as a decoration to highlight the dish.
Eat as a dessert, or with plain puris
Note:
- If eaten as a dessert then fruits can also be added once the base curd is made. Pomegranates for example provide a great taste.
- The Sugar, Cardamom, Saffron, Almonds, and Pistachios can all be altered to taste.
- Freshly crushed Cardamom seeds is best, provides a richer taste and aroma.
Shirkhand
