Truth be told, I’m not ordinarily a big fan of Indian desserts. I don’t think this is controversial: when have you ever heard anyone who’s been for a good curry wax lyrical about the great dessert they had afterwards?
For the most part, Indian desserts are sickly sweet, cloying and jam-packed with sugar and clarified butter. Now, most standard Indian curry houses have switched out their dessert menus in favour of generic laminated dessert menus (lemon-sorbet-in-a-lemon shell and other offending friends), which are delivered in from big manufacturers. This is a shame, because it means that there are some desserts, like this one, which is truly delicious and unjustly overlooked.
Shrikhand, or sweet saffron yoghurt is eaten a lot in Gujarat. They love it there and it’s something of a classic. Traditionally, it’s made from hung yoghurt – the yoghurt is literally hung in a muslin cloth to remove the water so it becomes thicker and creamier. Then, saffron and cardamom are added to take it on a different trajectory and give it a citrusy honey taste.
However, this is the recipe for a new quick and smart version uses good quality Greek yoghurt.
Thanks to my friend, Ceri for testing this recipe on her family and friends and sending me this lovely photo.
Sweet saffron yoghurt with passion fruit
Every yoghurt is different so if you’re using a sour yoghurt you might need to use more sugar.
For the best results, prepare an hour or so before you serve to allow the cardamom, saffron and nutmeg to properly infuse in the yoghurt.
Ingredients:
Enough for 4
For the shrikhand:
- 500g plain Greek yoghurt
- ½ tsp green cardamom powder
- 5 tbsp icing sugar
- ¼ tsp nutmeg grated
- 6 strands of saffron
For the passion fruit sauce:
- 4 ripe passion fruits
- 1 tbsp sugar
Rather joyfully, this dessert requires very little work. For the shrikhand, spoon the yoghurt into a bowl and stir in the cardamom, nutmeg, saffron and sugar. Mix well then cover and place in the fridge to allow the flavours infuse.
To make the sauce, scoop out centre of the passion fruits, and pop into a pan along with the sugar over a low to medium heat. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved, checking for sweetness as you go. Then drizzle over the shrikhand and serve with a flourish.