Mango Shrikhand or Amrakhand is an easy and creamy Indian dessert made from thick, sweetened yogurt, mango pulp, flavored with cardamom, saffron, and garnished with nuts. An easy, no-cook sweet dish that pairs perfectly with Poori.
Place a sieve over a bowl and line it with a clean muslin cloth. Add yogurt to it.
Bring the ends together into a peak and roll tightly into a bundle.
Place some weight on top (I used my mortar pestle over it) to drain off the excess whey. Let it stay underweight for 4-5 hours or even overnight in the refrigerator. Alternately use greek Yogurt to fasten the process and skip the yogurt straining process.
To make saffron milk - In a bowl add warm milk and saffron to it. Mix and allow it to stand for 10 mins. The more it soaks the deeper the color you will get. If you don't have saffron, feel free to skip this step.
Once the water has drained completely, remove the weight and open the cloth. Thickened yogurt (hung curd) also known as chakka is ready.
Transfer the hung curd (chakka) to a bowl. Whisk it until smooth.
Add mango pulp, condensed milk, saffron milk, cardamom powder, salt, and powdered sugar to this smooth yogurt.
Mix until well combined and smooth.
Garnish with pistachios and sprinkle some more saffron on top (optional). Chill for atleast 2 hours or overnight before serving. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to eat!!
Smooth, creamy, and luscious Mango Skrikhand is ready!! Serve as dessert garnished with more nuts and cut mangoes or a side with hot Pooris. Enjoy!
Notes
Use plain, whole milk, full-fat yogurt that is not too sour for the best consistency, and taste. Either store-bought or homemade yogurt works.For that Instant and easy recipe, make mango shrikhand with Greek yogurt and canned mango pulp. Saves time.Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors. Little goes a long way. For that storebought taste and texture, add condensed milk. It makes it smooth and even more luscious and need I say extremely delicious!!Don't skip the powdered sugar, it acts as a thickener as well as a sweetener.The amount of sugar might seem a lot but we prefer the shrikhand a little sweeter so adjust to your taste and depending on the sweetness of your mango pulp.Use the canned pulp to enjoy this shrikhand year-round and not just when mangoes are in season.