Janmashtami special kesar shrikhand
Ingredients
Thick yogurt/ curd - 2 litre
Powder sugar - 150 gms
Pistachio flakes - 20 gms
Cardamom green - 5 gms
Nutmeg - 0.5 gm
Saffron strands - 5 nos
Milk - 10 ml
Method
Take a large clean piece of muslin cloth, wash and squeeze dry to remove extra water. Place it in a container and keep the yogurt/ curd in the cloth gently. Pick up the four corners of the cloth and hang the cloth with yogurt to a long stainless steel spoon and keep the entire thing hanging in a steel container. Make sure the container is big enough, so that the whey coming out of yogurt does not touch the cloth. Keep it refrigerated for 3-1/2 hours.
Take the hung curd in a clean ceramic or glass bowl. Add powdered sugar and mix well with a sturdy whisk or a flexible silicon spatula. Powder the cardamom and strain it through a fine strainer. Add this to the yogurt, sugar mix. Grate nutmeg to this mix and add the pistachio flakes. Mix well. Add saffron strands to the milk and warm the same slightly. Add this to the yogurt mix. Keep this mix in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Scoop out the Shrikhand in individual bowls and garnish with saffron strands, pistachio flakes and cardamom powder.
Serve chilled along with freshly fried pooris.
Note: Please reserve the whey from the yogurt to make a healthy drink with mint, coriander, crushed black pepper and a pinch of salt, or for making Turkish Ayran.
Chef Sanjay Thomas is F&B Director at The Suryaa. In this role, Chef Thomas oversees all of the hotel's food and beverage programming including menu creation and execution for high-profile events hosted at The Suryaa.
His professional culinary and hospitality career began at The Leela Kempinski, Bombay and later he had the opportunity to travel to Seychelles, UAE and Kuwait where he further explored his love for the flavors and techniques of different cuisines. He has worked with experts of Italian, Swiss, French and Lebanese cuisine and that has deeply influenced his cooking style.
