Shrikhand Puri with Mango Coulis

Shrikhand is a Maharashtrian as well as Gujarathi delicacy. Shrikhand is one of the very popular yogurt based  summer desserts. As yogurt and sugar is a very popular combination it is a ritual of serving this mixture when a person is going for any important work such as exam, competition, interview etc. It helps to calm you when you are under stress. Yogurt has a cooling effect that helps your body and brain to calm down and reduce anxiety. Sugar increases energy level making you feel more energetic and positive. As per sports psychology, power of ritual plays big role in the performance of a sports person. This applies to other areas of life as well. 

 

Flavoured yogurt is a very popular snack in the western world which is usually bought as a ready product from the supermarkets. Shrikhand on the other hand was traditionally always made at home. Nowadays though, like rest of the ready to eat products Shrikhand is available in the shops as well. It's made from hung yogurt which is called as 'Chakka'. This is also available in the shops. You just add sugar and rest of the flavourings to the Chakka. 

 

Traditionally Shrikhand is flavoured using cardamom and saffron. Another popular flavour is mango and has a special  name Amrakhand. There are other variations as well such as Pineapple, Strawberry etc Any Indian meal, has a variety of dishes - hot and spicy, sour, savoury etc. The sweet dish is also served during the meal. It is said that, traditionally, Shrikhand was served with the meal as it works as a palate cleanser. Hence, it is eaten as part of the main meal. This way, we can enjoy all the tastes and flavours in the meal. It is said that Royals used to be served a bowl of saffron flavoured water to be used as a palate cleanser. Shrikhand can be eaten in its own or can be enjoyed with hot puris. Today's dish is a twist to the way Shrikhand can be served as dessert after the meal.

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Shrikhand 

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Preparation time : 15-20 minutes (overnight preparation of Chakka)

Serves : 4

Ingredients

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• Yogurt (3% fat content) - 500 ml

• Yogurt (10% fat content) - 500 ml  

• White sugar - 125 - 150 grams

• Pinch of salt

• Cardamom powder - 1/4 teaspoon

• Nutmeg powder - 1/8 teaspoon

• Warm milk - 1 tablespoon

• Few strands of saffron

• Chopped pistachios

 

Directions

 

Use a muslin cloth or new tea towel. You can keep this tea towel aside specially for Shrikhand for future use.

Line the strainer with the cloth / tea towel. Pour both the yogurts on the cloth / towel. Squeeze out the excess water as much as possible.

Use twine to tie around to make a money bag. Hang this overnight to strain all the water. Next day, squeeze to take our any excess water. Then, transfer this hung yogurt into a big bowl. 1 litre of yogurt will give you around 500g of hung yogurt (approx. half).

Soak saffron strands in warm milk and keep aside.

Add sugar to the yogurt and mix well to remove lumps. You can use a hand mixer on the lowest speed to mix.

Add a pinch of salt. Trust me, adding salt enhances the taste of any sweet dish. Add saffron milk, cardamom and nutmeg. Then, gently mix so that Shrikhand will have smooth and silky consistency. Garnish with chopped pistachios and Saffron strands. Refrigerate for at least couple of hours to allow absorption of all flavours.

Your delicious Shrikhand is ready to serve.

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Puri

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Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 - 20 minutes

​Serves : 4 (makes around 25-30 puris)

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Ingredients

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• Wheat flour - 2 cups

• Semolina - 1 tablespoon

• Sugar - 1/4 teaspoon

• Warm water or milk - 1 cup approx.

• ​Salt to taste

• Oil for deep frying

 

Directions

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Add all dry ingredients and a teaspoon of oil in a bowl. Mix well

Knead a tight dough using either warm milk or water. Add water slowly while kneading.

Cover and keep aside for at least half an hour.

Knead well. Make small balls and roll into discs. Adjust the size of puris as per the requirement.

Discs should not be too thick or too thin. If rolled very thin, the puris might turn hard.

You can also make a big chapati and use a cookie cutter to make small circular discs.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Test if it's hot by putting a little piece of dough in the oil. If it floats, then it means the oil is ready to fry puris.

Gently, add puris to the oil. Let them slide from the edge of the pan into oil. Oil should not be too hot otherwise puris will not be cooked from inside. Using skimmer/ strainer press the edges of the puri to help it puff. Flip a couple of times.

​Take the puri out when it is nicely puffed and turns golden brown. Put it on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil.

Serve hot with any curry or Shrikhand.

 

Tips:

 

Sugar helps to retain the shape of puris for longer.

​Dough can be made ahead of time and can be refrigerated. Apply oil and cover it in cling film or store it in an airtight container. In this case, it is recommended to use milk to knead the dough to avoid turning dark.

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Mango Coulis

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Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Ingredients

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• Alphonso Mango pulp - 1/2 cup  

• Sugar - 1 teaspoon

• Lemon Juice - 1/2 teaspoon

• A good pinch of cardamom powder

 

Directions

 

Add all the ingredients to the blender and make a smooth puree.

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