Aamrakhand is one of my most favorite summer desserts. I feel like it is just like mango lassi but thick and scrumptious. My favorite meal is Puris with aamras, or this shrikhand made with succulent ripe mango pulp! I am sure if you grew up in an Indian household, you grew up enjoying this combination for your lunches during summers. It was a weekly staple at our home. Some memories are too special, and relishing the Indian mangoes is a core memory. Now that I get to enjoy the India Mangoes in the US, my heart is so full. The smell of Indian Mangoes is mesmerising. Don’t you agree? It is not just enjoying the taste and sweetness of the fruit, but it is an emotion. Our family get togethers in a circle, and makes aamras together. Ever since my sister and I moved out of India, my mom has a special freezer where she makes aamras and freezes it. So whenever we visit India, we are not missing out the mango season.
What is Shrikhand?
Shrikhand is a popular dessert made in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. I grew up eating homemade shrikhand, and the process seemed amazing to watch.My ba (grandmom) would prep the yogurt to make this dessert a day in advance. She will add the dahi in a cheesecloth and pinch all four sides of the cheesecloth bringing it together. She will then put a mortar pastel, so all the whey from the yogurt is separated and collected in the bowl, and we are left with what we call hung curd, to make shrikhand. Try my Saffron and Cardamom Shrikhand here. In summer, every dessert was made with the tons of mangoes that were bought every week. So mango shrikhand happened often! The shrikhand can be made with different flavors, nuts and fruits. Hung curd is your blank canvas and you can add different flavors to it! The best thing is it is also rich in protein, and the addition of nuts makes it healthier!
Mango Shrikhand | Aamrakhand
Aam (Mangoes) + Shrikhand = Aamrakhand. This dessert is popularly made during summer when mangoes are in abundance. This recipe is sweet, luscious, and made with lots of love. Aamrakhand is made with hung curd, mango pulp, sugar and perfumed with freshly pounded cardamom and saffron. The curd or the yogurt are tied in the cheesecloth to separate the whey from the yogurt overnight. Fresh succulent mango pulp is extracted and pureed to make this recipe. I like to use Alphonso mangoes because they have a beautiful bright orange hue, which gives a beautiful color to this recipe.
Aamrakhand with Greek Yogurt
I love using Greek yogurt to make this recipe. All you is 10-15 minutes to make it. Greek yogurt is thicker than Indian Dahi naturally. So all you need to do is whisk the Greek yogurt until creamy and add the mango puree, powdered sugar, cardamom and saffron. If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can blend the regular castor sugar along with mango pulp to puree it. This will blend the sugar nicely, so you can skip adding powdered sugar and use castor sugar instead.
Expert Tips
The consistency of mango shrikhand is softer than the original shrikhand recipe. It is more like matho what we call in Gujarat. Matho has a softer and lighter consistency than shrikhand, so we can call this recipe mango matho too. I recommend using plain unsweetened yogurt for this recipe. You can either use fresh full-fat Indian dahi, which is not sour or Plain full-fat Greek Yogurt. While making the hung curd, your dahi will get sour, so you want to ensure your yogurt is not sour. For sweetening this mango recipe, I like to use powdered sugar. But if you don’t have powdered sugar, blend castor sugar along with mango pulp and then add it to the hung curd. Bloom the saffron, before adding it to the Mango shrikhand. I mean, use a small mortar and pastel to ground the saffron. Now add 1-2 ice cubes in the powdered saffron strands. This process is called blooming of saffron. This brings out the best color and flavor of saffron in the recipe. You can either freshly pound the cardamom or use store-bought cardamom powder to add to this recipe. To make this recipe sugar-free and healthy, you can use stevia instead of sugar, along with using Greek yogurt.
How to Make Mango Shrikhand?
Mango shrikhand is very easy to make! I love to whip this up for whenever we want something sweet, but healthy too. I like to use Greek yogurt, and skip making hung curd when I have only 10 minutes to put a dessert on the table! Step 1 You have to place a metal strainer on a mixing bowl. Add cheesecloth on the strainer. To this add the plain unsweetened yogurt. Make sure your yogurt is not sour. Step 2 Now pull all 4 sides of the cheesecloth together, twist and squeeze to separate the whey and yogurt. Place some weight on the top. I prefer adding mortar and pastel to it. Step 3 Now place this on your countertop or in the refrigerator overnight. Step 4 Once the whey is separated, add the hung curd to the mixing bowl. Whisk it until smooth and creamy. Step 5 Now add the mango puree, powdered sugar, bloomed saffron, and cardamom powder to the whisked hung curd. Step 6 Whisk again until the mango shrikhand is smooth and luscious. It should be creamy and silky. Step 7 Add freshly cut mangoes, and mix them in using the silicone spatula. Step 8. Serve chilled, and garnish with mango puree, dried rose pet
Variations to Make Shrikhand
Make Kesar Elaichi Shrikhand if you don’t have mangoes. Make Rose Gulkand Shrikhand Cups Make strawberry puree, and strain it. Add it to the yogurt, along with cardamom to make strawberry shrikhand. Add nuts and dried fruits, along with cardamom powder and saffron, to make fruit and nut shrikhand.
Serving and Storage Instructions
After preparing the shrikhand, chill it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Serve with a drizzle of mango puree, dried rose petals, pistachios or slivered nuts and freshly cut mangoes. Store the shrikhand in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also make this Aamrakhand 2 days ahead of time.
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