Mango Shrikhand is an easy and delicious summer dessert recipe made with hung yogurt, mango pulp and sugar. It’s perfect for enjoying with some hot pooris or just as is. It is creamy, dense and rich in texture.
Shrikhand is a very popular dessert recipe from the state of Maharashtra. Made using hung curd, which is strained yogurt with whey removed. This hung curd, known as chakka in Marathi, is then flavored with mango pulp, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and saffron. Chilled and garnished with nuts. This amrakhand recipe is my go to dessert to make on festive occasions, as it can be made ahead of time & is super easy.
Since I am a summer baby, I have grown up eating lip smacking delicious Amrakhand and poori as my birthday meal every year.
What is Mango Shrikhand
Aamba (Mangoes) + Shrikhand = Amrakhand. My mango shrikhand recipe is low effort as opposed to the traditional recipe. The traditional recipe calls for homemade curd and fresh mango pulp. Since alphonso mangoes aren’t easily available in the USA, I have used canned mango pulp & store bought Greek Yogurt. It seems like an extra step but I prefer reducing the mango pulp by cooking it for a few minutes as it packs in more flavor and deep color in shrikhand. Reducing the mango pulp yields a concentrated flavor within a little amount of liquid and imparts dense, rich texture in Shrikhand. Every Maharashtrian household makes this dessert during the mango season i.e. summer and also during festivals like Gudi Padwa , Dushera or Diwali & serve it with pooris.
It’s a perfect recipe to make when you want to feed a large crowd as
- It only calls for handful of ingredients
- Can be made ahead of time
- Doesn’t require much prep work
Ingredients You Need For Amrakhand:
- Greek Yogurt : I use full fat hung Greek Yogurt as it is thick. I prefer straining it overnight to make it even more luscious and creamy. I have tried using Fage Total 2% and it works great for this recipe too.
- Mango pulp: Since fresh mangoes aren’t easily available in the USA, I use canned mango pulp. Feel free to use fresh ripe mango puree if easily available.
- Sugar: I use powdered sugar as its fine in texture, dissolves easily and yields a smooth consistency with no hint of graininess. Powdered sugar, confectioners sugar, icing sugar all are the same so feel free to use what you have.
- Warm Milk & Saffron: Crushed saffron strands soaked in warm milk give a gorgeous yellow color and adds flavor to this recipe.
- Nuts & Spices: I have added cardamom & nutmeg powder to give a subtle flavor & aroma to this recipe. I love to garnish shrikhand with slivered pistachios and almonds. The nuts add a crunch and color to this dessert.
How To Make Hung Yogurt:
- I use Fage Total Plain Greek Yogurt in this recipe as it makes the shrikhand creamy and dense. Make the hung yogurt ahead of time.
- You will need deep bowl, colander, muslin cloth or clean cotton cloth, 1 heavy pan or bowl.
- Firstly, line the strainer on a bowl. Then line the muslin cloth on the strainer or colander.
- Pour the Greek Yogurt. Bring the four edges of the cloth together and tie a knot to seal the yogurt.
- Gently squeeze out the whey. Place a heavy bowl or iron pan on the tied muslin cloth.
- Make sure the strainer doesn’t touch the whey collected in a deep bowl.
- Refrigerate the whole thing for minimum of 5 hours. I leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Drain the whey and store the hung yogurt in the refrigerator.
How To Make Amrakhand:
- Add 1 cup canned mango pulp to a saucepan. Simmer the mango pulp on a medium low heat stirring continuously. Cook the mango pulp until it reduces down to 1/2 cup. It takes about 12-15 minutes. It will be thick and deep yellow in color. Allow to cool completely before using in amrakhand.
- Crush 1/8 tsp saffron threads into a powder using motor and pestle. In a bowl, warm 1 tbsp milk, add the powdered saffron and let it steep in milk for 3-4 minutes. The longer you steep the crushed saffron threads, the stronger the color and flavor.
- After Mango pulp has completely cooled down, bring the yogurt out from the refrigerator, untie the cloth and place the yogurt in a bowl.
- Add powdered sugar, cooled mango pulp, milk infused with saffron, nutmeg & cardamom powder. Mix well using a whisk or hand mixer. Mix well until its creamy, smooth and dense in texture. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Serving & Storage Instructions:
Refrigerate the Amrakhand for 2 hours before serving. You can serve Mango Shrikhand just on its own as a dessert topped with slivered pistachios, almonds or as a side dish with hot pooris or roti.
Add some Masale Bhaat, Tomato Saar and fried papad and there you have a complete Maharashtrian meal ready.
You can store amrakhand in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, you can also make this recipe 2 days ahead of time to serve at a party.
Tips to make Amrakhand:
- I have used Sweetened canned Alphanso Mango Pulp from Desai Bandhu Ambewale. Alternatively you can also use one from Deep brand. Since alphonso is a fibrous mango, you can puree the pulp in a blender and sieve it before using.
- I highly recommend reducing the mango pulp on a low medium heat to intensify the flavor. Make sure to cool down the pulp completely before adding it to the shrikhand.
- Use full fat hung Greek Yogurt as its thick. Kindly don’t omit the step of making hung curt if you want real Shrikhand.
- Make sure to refrigerate Amrakhand for at least 2 hours to ensure thick, creamy texture.
Variations:
- If you don’t want to add mongo puree to the shrikhand you can flavor it with saffron, nutmeg & cardamom.
- You can also add rose syrup or strawberry puree to make rose strawberry shrikhand.
- Another variant is to add pineapple chunks and essence to make pineapple shrikhand.
More festive recipes from the blog:
If You Have Tried This Recipe, I Would Love To Hear Your Feedback:
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment. Above all, I love to hear your feedback and I do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you recreate this recipe, please rate below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram: @nikfoodamour
