Recipe- Favorite Summer Dessert Mango Shrikhand

Mango Shrikhand is one of my favorite summer desserts to make when mangoes are in season. The combination of yogurt, sweet mangoes and the aroma of cardamom and saffron makes this an irresistible dessert!

Shrikhand is a yogurt based dessert popular in western parts of India. To make shrikhand, yogurt is strained by tying it in a muslin cloth and putting pressure over it. The yogurt is then mixed with sugar and spices like saffron and cardamom like in this Kesar Pista Shrikhand. It can be flavored in different ways.

Ingredients

1 pound whole milk Greek yogurt plain, 16 oz
1.5 cups mango puree from 2 large sweet mangoes (puree their pulp in a blender), preferably use Indian mangoes like Kesar, Alphonso
6-7 tablespoons powdered sugar also known as confectioners sugar, adjust to taste
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
saffron strands to garnish, optional

Method

* Place a strainer over a large bowl. Then place a muslin cloth on top of the strainer. Transfer the Greek yogurt to the strainer.

* Bring the edges of the muslin cloth together and tie into a knot.

* Place some heavy object on top, I placed a mortar. Leave for 3 to 4 hours for the yogurt to strain. You can keep this bowl inside the fridge if it's very hot where you live, I just leave at room temperature. If using regular yogurt, you would follow the same steps but leave the bowl inside the refrigerator overnight.

* After 4 hours, the yogurt will be super thick and completely strained. Transfer the yogurt to another bowl and using a whisk or hand blender/stand mixer, whisk until the yogurt is smooth and creamy.

* To that, now add mango puree (which I made from 2 large sweet mangoes by just blending their pulp in a blender), powdered sugar and cardamom powder.

* Mix until everything is well combined. You can also add few saffron strands (dissolved in 1-2 teaspoons warm milk) at this point. Chill the shrikhand for 1 to 2 hours before serving. You can also garnish it with some nuts and saffron strands before serving.