Shreekhand (Hung Curd)

Ingredients

For Shreekhand

• 4.5 cups Hung Curd (yogurt) – 1.125 kg
• 8 to 9 tablespoons sugar (fine or superfine) or raw sugar or powdered sugar – add as required
• ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or 4 to 5 green cardamoms – crushed fine in a mortar
• 24 to 30 saffron strands or 2 pinches
• ½ tablespoon warm milk
• 7 to 8 pistachios crushed or chopped – add any nut of choice

Directions For Making Curd

1. First line the strainer on a deep bowl. Then line a muslin cheesecloth or kitchen cotton towel on the strainer.
2. Pour the fresh curd. Do use fresh curd and not one which has gone sour.
3. Bring the four edges of the muslin together and tie one edge tightly around the rest.
4. Gently press and you will see the whey dripping.
5. Now place a heavy bowl or lid or tray on the tied muslin. If you have a hook, you can also hung the muslin in your refrigerator. Now keep the whole thing in the fridge for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.
6. I kept for 24 hours. Do use a deep bowl below, so that there is some distance between the curd in the strainer and the collected whey. Otherwise the whey will touch the strainer as well as the curd. Thus there will be some whey in the curd.
7. Next day the whey will be drained and the hung curd will be ready. Use the collected nutrient rich greenish whey in your everyday food like preparing chapatis, gravies, rice dishes, dals etc.
8. With a silicon spatula, collect the hung curd in a container or lidded bowl if not using it. Cover with its lid and then refrigerate. With the hung curd you can now proceed to make the shrikhand.

Directions For Shreekhand

1. Take warm milk in a small bowl. Add 2 pinch of saffron strands. Stir and keep aside.
2. In a mortar powder 4 to 5 green cardamoms. Keep aside.
3. Take the chakka or hung curd in a bowl.
4. Add fine sugar. Lightly stir with a spatula or spoon. You can also use powdered sugar.
5. Then add the saffron dissolved milk and powdered saffron.
6. Using an electric beater, begin to whip the hung curd. You can also beat the hung yogurt in a blender.
7. Whip till smooth. The sugar should also dissolve. Check the taste and add more sugar if required.
8. With a silicon spatula scrape the beaters’ sides and edges of the hung curd and add to the bowl.
9. You can chill the shrikhand in fridge and later serve.
10. While serving shrikhand, top with some sliced dry fruits. You can also top shrikhand with crushed dry fruits. I added some crushed pistachios for garnish.

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