RAJBHOG SHRIKHAND
Gudi Padva special
Rajbhog Shrikhand ( Kesar Badam pista Shrikhand)
Indian yoghurt based desert flavored with Saffron, Almond and pistachios
Rajbhog shrikhand
INGREDIENTS:
2cups or 500 gms full-fat yogurt ( Dahi , curd)
¼ cup sugar ( or according to taste)
Chopped almonds and pistachios( recommended to blanch the nuts first)
¼ tsp cardamom powder ( elaichi powder)
Few strands of saffron ( kesar, soaked in 1-2 tsp of hot milk for 10-15 mins)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Take a deep bowl
Put a sieve or strainer over the bowl
Put a Muslim cloth over the strainer
Add the yogurt into the muslin cloth and fold and tie the corners of the cloth together
Leave it in the fridge overnight ( or 6-8 hours ) to separate the whey from the curds
Leaving it in a fridge is recommended so that the yogurt does not turn sour
Remove the hung curd( thick curd) in another bowl
The whey can be used for other recipes, substituting it instead of water, especially when making any gravy dishes or even to knead chapati dough
Add powdered sugar to the hung curd
Mix well ( with a whisk) until hung curd becomes lighter and creamy and sugar incorporates well
Pass the mixture through a sieve to make sure the shrikhand mixture is smooth( this step is optional, it ensures smoothness of the srikhand)
Now add the mixed nuts and elaich powder
Add kesar liquid
Leave in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours
Keep few strands of kesar and few nuts for garnish
Your delicious creamy homemade shrikhand is ready
Serve chilled garnished with few saffron strands and nuts