Mango Shrikhand is a thick, luscious, creamy, rich, and delicious dessert. It is also known as Amrakhand and is highly popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Easy Mango Shrikhand
The wonder of this dessert is its simplicity. Making Shrikhand is extremely easy and requires only a few ingredients. The star ingredients of this dish are mango and hung yogurt, which are flavored with saffron and cardamom and sweetened with sugar. Shrikhand is a popular dessert in Gujarat and Maharashtra states of India. It is often served with Puri in wedding ceremonies and is handy when special guests come over for lunch or dinner. There are various Shrikhand recipes available, one of which is Mango Shrikhand or Amrakhand. Mango provides a refreshing and fruity flavor to traditional Shrikhand. Making Mango Shrikhand is also an easy and quick recipe and is perfect on warm days. Shrikhand is one of those desserts that is not only delicious but also has high nutritional value. I am not saying that this dessert is healthy to have often, but because it is made with thick yogurt, Shrikhand is high in protein and calcium. And if you don’t prefer your dessert too sweet, add less sugar to make this dessert a guilt-free treat. To make Shrikhand, we need to remove the whey from the yogurt as much as possible. This makes its consistency very thick, almost like cream cheese, yet smooth. Mango Shrikhand is sweet with a slight tanginess from the yogurt and mango pulp. It has warm and sweet flavors of cardamom and saffron. However, you can customize the recipe and add your choice of flavors or make it simple by skipping cardamom and saffron. Once we have hung yogurt, it is one of the easiest desserts to make. It comes together within 10 minutes. Even making hung yogurt is very straightforward and does not require much work. There is no need for any particular electrical equipment. I used a whisk to break the lumps from the hung yogurt and then switched to a spatula to combine everything well. However, you can use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to mix everything if you prefer.
How To Make Mango Shrikhand
Making Hung Yogurt
Line a strainer or colander with clean muslin or cheesecloth. Then, place the strainer or colander over an empty, large bowl or container to collect the whey. If your bowl is small, the cloth will contact the collected whey, so empty the bowl occasionally. Add yogurt to a muslin cloth.
Collect all the edges of the cloth, bring them together, and cover the yogurt. Either make a knot or tighten the edges with an elastic band.
Then, place a heavy object on it, such as heavy mortar. Now place the whole thing in the fridge for at least 4 hours or until all the water is completely drained. You can also refrigerate it overnight to make the Shrikhand the next day.
After the whey is drained, the yogurt will become very thick.
Making The Mango Shrikhand
In a small bowl, add saffron strands to 1 tablespoon of warm cream or milk. Mix well and set aside.
Transfer the thickened yogurt into a mixing bowl and beat it with a wired whisk until smooth and lump-free. It will take about 3-5 minutes as the yogurt will be very thick.
Once the yogurt is smooth, add powdered sugar, and saffron milk.
Mix well until everything is well combined and sugar is thoroughly incorporated.
Add mango pulp and cardamom powder, and mix until well combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Chill the Mango Shrikhand for at least an hour, top it with chopped pistachios, and serve. If desired, you can also garnish the Mango Shrikhand with saffron strands and mango chunks.
Serving Suggestions
The most popular way of serving Mango Shrikhand is with Puri; the combination of Puri and Shrikhand is a delightful lunch or dinner. We can also serve it as a post-meal dessert. If you are looking for a healthier frosting option for your Indian-flavored cake or cupcake, use Mango Shrikhand instead of cream cheese or buttercream frosting.
More Indian Sweets and Desserts
Recipe Card
Or, there are a few more variations as below: Rajbhog Shrikhand Rajbhog Shrikhand is full of nuts, like almonds, cashews, and pistachios. So, convert this recipe into Rajbhog Shrikhand by skipping mango pulp and adding ½ cup of finely chopped nuts. You can also make a coarse powder of nuts and add it to Shrikhand. Fruit Shrikhand We can make fruit Shrikhand by skipping mango pulp and adding chopped fruits. Grapes, mango, strawberries, or pomegranate will go well with Shrikhand. However, mix the chopped fruits into Shrikhand a few minutes before serving. Sourness: Traditional Shrikhand has a slight tanginess, but it should not be sour. So, do not use sour yogurt; otherwise, you will need to add a lot of sugar to make it sweet. Mango Pulp: You can use fresh, freshly frozen, or canned mango pulp. For the frozen mango pulp, let it thaw before using it for the recipe. In Indian grocery stores, you will easily find the Kesar or Alphonso frozen mango pulp. Sugar: The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of the mango pulp. So add the sugar as required to your taste. Make Ahead: This delicious dessert is a great make-ahead recipe. It can be stored in the fridge for about two weeks, and in the freezer for much longer. Scaling: This recipe is easily scalable. By adjusting the ingredients, you can increase or decrease the serving sizes.
Can I Use Greek Yogurt Instead of Hung Yogurt?
Absolutely! Using Greek Yogurt is the easiest way to make Shrikhand. Take Greek yogurt instead of hung yogurt in the mixing bowl and continue with the recipe steps. However, do not use fat-free Greek yogurt.
