Amrakhand: Mango Shrikhand

Ingredients

Directions

For the Strained Yogurt

4 c

plain, full-fat yogurt (homemade yogurt is commonly used, but store-bought Greek yogurt works well and speeds up the process)

For the Shrikhand

2 c

strained yogurt

1 ⅓ c

Alphonso or Kesar canned mango puree (I recommend Swad, Ratna, or Deep brand)

¼ c

packed powdered sugar, plus more if desired

pinch of cardamom

pinch of salt

mango, chopped into ½-inch chunks, for garnish

Amrakhand: Mango Shrikhand

By: Karishma Pradhan

As a die-hard mango fan, amrakhand is my favorite of the three variations of shrikhand. Think mango lassi, but sweeter and creamier. My family uses Alphonso mangoes, a variety known as the king of mangoes in India because of its incredibly smooth texture, sweetness, and intense flavor. For those outside of India, you can easily order canned Alphonso mango pulp online or at a specialty Indian store; Kesar mango pulp works equally well. If you live in the United States, I don’t recommend using fresh mango, as the flavor is too subtle.

4 servings

For the Strained Yogurt

Lay a cheesecloth (in a pinch, a thin white T-shirt works perfectly well) over a colander in the sink, and pour the yogurt into the center of the cloth. Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and bunch them together, forming a pouch. Squeeze the yogurt into a single mass. Using a rubber band, tie the ends of the cloth as close to the yogurt as possible to form a tight ball.
To strain the yogurt, loop a wooden spoon through the rubber band and rest the ends of the spoon on top of a large pot or wide jar. The ball of yogurt should be suspended from the spoon to drain the whey into the pot.
Let hang for at least 8 hours (and up to 24 hours) in the fridge. When ready, the yogurt will be the texture of soft cream cheese.

For the Shrikhand

Once strained, lightly beat the thickened yogurt with a whisk in a medium bowl until light and airy, about 1 minute.
Whisk in mango puree, the powdered sugar (start with less sugar if you prefer a more tart dessert), cardamom, and salt until smooth.
Taste, and add more sugar if desired, then garnish with the chunks of mango. Shrikhand should be quite sweet, with a slight tartness, but not cloyingly sweet.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. This step allows all the flavors in the shrikhand to fully marinate. Shrikhand can be kept up to 1 week in the fridge.

Karishma Pradhan

Karishma Pradhan is a part-time recipe developer, cooking instructor, and data analytics consultant residing in Cambridge, MA. She founded the Home Cooking Collective, a community for aspiring home cooks to learn how to make delicious food. You can find her on Instagram at @homecookingcollective or homecookingcollective.com.

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