Shrikhand (Sweet Strained Yogurt)

By Tejal Rao

Shrikhand (Sweet Strained Yogurt)
Davide Luciano for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Gozde Eker.
Total Time
10 minutes, plus 24 hours straining
Rating
4(487)
Comments
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Shrikhand is a creamy yogurt-based dessert from western India made simply by straining yogurt and sweetening it. The yogurt is traditionally strained by pressing it between newspaper (to soak up extra whey), but if you can find thick, full-fat Greek yogurt at the grocery store, then the process is even simpler: Hang it in a mesh strainer over a bowl for a day, and let the excess whey drip out. You can substitute slivered almonds for pistachios, if that's more your speed, or even skip the nuts altogether for a smooth shrikhand flavored only with sugar, cardamom and a celebratory sprinkle of saffron threads.

Featured in: When It’s Too Hot for Cooking, Try Yogurt for Dessert

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6 to 8
  • 32ounces plain full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1½cups loosely packed confectioners’ sugar
  • 1cup roasted unsalted or lightly salted pistachios, roughly chopped, plus ⅓ cup for garnish, roughly chopped
  • 1teaspoon saffron threads, finely chopped, plus a pinch for garnish, finely chopped
  • ¼teaspoon cardamom powder
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

301 calories; 15 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 54 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Let excess whey strain for 24 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer yogurt to a large mixing bowl, and gently stir in sugar, pistachios, saffron and cardamom. When they are combined, transfer mixture into a serving dish, using an offset spatula to smooth out the top. Evenly sprinkle reserved pistachios and pinch of saffron over the top, and chill for an hour before serving. Shrikhand will keep covered in the fridge for a few days (though the pistachios will soften).

Ratings

4 out of 5
487 user ratings
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Comments

Sheekha Dhru

I put lots of newspappers and spread yogurt on bedsheet.cover the yogurt till you see that there is no water. i never use confectionary sugar since it has cornstarch in it. the ratio for perfect shrikhand is 2 cups of strained yogurt to 1 cup of sugar. i pass it through the food mill. add 1/4 cup of heavy cream to it. yogurt has a tendancy to keep getting sour and heavy cream stops that process. add 1/4 tsp cardamom powder. serve it with hot puris.

NR

I crush the saffron with a teaspoon of sugar. The sugar helps the saffron get powdered very finely, very quickly. For savory dishes I grind it with a bit of salt. I like it better this way than having saffron threads in the dish.

Sheekha Dhru

Traditional shrikhad ia made up with straind whole milk yogurt, sugar and cardamom powder. to make it look more impresive safron and pistachio as a garnish was added. we started making mango shrikhand with fresh chopped mango in it.

Weslie

We dislike the taste of saffron very much. Tastes fishy to us. Any ideas what to use as a substitute, or just leave it with the pistachios.

Claire V

I have to avoid sugar, so I tried making this with lankato (monkfruit plus erythritol). It worked well! Love this dessert and look forward to trying it with mango on the side.

Andrea

Why do you need to strain Greek yogurt? I use Fage, and while there is a bit of whey, it's quite thick already?

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