Kesar-Pista Shrikhand Recipe - Easy curd dessert

Shrikhand is a traditional Indian dessert which is made with hung curd. It is very popular in the western states of India. It is an easy to make, creamy curd based dessert. It can be made in various different flavours like kesar-pista, chocolate, mango, strawberry, etc, to name a few.

While Shrikhand is typically served plain after lunch or dinner, it can also be presented as a side dish in the meals. Yoghurt or curd is usually served after spicy meals, to calm down the body temperature and introduce probiotics in our immunity system. Today, I'll be sharing the Kesar-Pista Shrikhand recipe with you.

Kesar-Pista Shrikhand

Kesar-Pista Shrikhand Recipe:

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-5 people

Ingredients:

For home-made curd-

• 2 litre milk
• 1 tbsp milk powder
• 1/2 tsp curd

For Kesar-Pista Shrikhand-

• 2 cup curd
• 3 tbsp saffron water (saffron mixed in water)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 8-10 pistachios (finely chopped)

Method:

For home made curd preparation-

1. Start boiling the milk on medium flame.

2. Mix the milk powder with 1 tbsp of milk and add it to the mixture above. This step helps in making the curd more creamy.

3. Keep stirring occasionally and once the milk is completely boiled, turn the flame off.

4. Allow the milk to cool down slightly and then transfer it to another vessel.

5. Now slowly stir in the curd into the lukewarm milk.

6. Cover and let this mix rest in a warm place for 6-8 hours. Now refrigerate this mix for 3-4 hours and your thick, creamy home-made curd is ready.

Home made curd

For Kesar-Pista Shrikhand-

1. In a large bowl, place a sieve and spread a muslin cloth over it.

2. Pour in 2 cups of home made curd or curd bought from store.

3. Tie the cloth and let it rest for 1 hour or until the water completely drops out. 

4. Once the curd turns thick and creamy, transfer it to a large bowl.

5. Add the powdered sugar, saffron water and pistachios to the curd. Mix well, making sure everything is well combined.

6. You can refrigerate this mix, and garnish again on the above while serving.

Notes-

1. Try to use fresh home-made curd as the ones bought from outside are sour.

2. Use only powdered sugar in this recipe. If you use normal sugar, it will not dissolve properly and will spoil the richness of the dish (Simply add the normal sugar to a blender and make it powdered).

3. You can add any other flavour to this recipe as you like, instead of kesar-pista (saffron-pistachio).

Shrikhand

There are many different ingredients which you can add to this recipe and give it the flavour and colour you like. I chose the basic version of Shrikhand as this requires minimal ingredients which are easily available at home. You could also use seasonal fruits and give it your own twist, just like i did with lychee last time!

Do try making Shrikhand and let me know how it turns out. At Savour with Sakshi, I'll keep posting more such interesting recipes. Stay tuned to my Instagram handle, for daily updates!

Yours foodly,

Sakshi.