Two bunches of bright pink roses blossoming pretty in my little garden seem like nature’s blessing in these difficult times!
These roses flavoured the shrikhand and brightened up my lunch spread today.
Shrikhand is a sweet dish believed to have originated in the state of Maharashtra. It is often served with pooris or chapatis, but if you are like me… serve it with all varieties of millet rotis like I do.
Shrikhand is basically strained hung curd (chakka) mixed with powdered sugar. It is traditionally flavoured with either cardamom powder or mango pulp (as in aamrakhand), or saffron or nuts such as pistachios & almonds.
Gulkand Shrikhand is a modern day take on this traditional recipe. It incorporates the freshness of homegrown roses into this delectable dessert that is usually prepared during festivals or special occasions.
I can barely wait for the next set of blooms to make some more!
Tips & Tricks: One of the most important points to take into consideration while making this recipe is that the curd being used for shrikhand should not be sour at all. Always use fresh curd – homemade/ store bought. Preferably, use curd from full fat milk for best result.
How to make hung curd/ chakka:
- Place a soup strainer over a large bowl.
- Spread a muslin cloth/ a kitchen towel/ a handkerchief over it.
- Pour curd on it.
- Cover with a lid.
- Place it in the fridge for upto 8 hours for best result. (If short on time – form a bundle with the cloth, secure all the ends and squeeze out the whey as much as possible.)
- All the whey will be collected in the bowl below. Discard it.
- Now the hung curd/ chakka is ready to be flavoured and used as per the recipe. This can be used to make shrikhand, dips to go with snacks as a healthy alternative to mayonnaise & processed cheese.
Gulkand Shrikhand Recipe
Serves 3
Ingredients:
- Hung curd – from 500ml curd
- Powdered sugar – 1 tbsp
- Rose syrup – 1 tbsp
- Gulkand – 1 tbsp
- Beetroot juice – 1 tsp
Instructions:
1) Open the hung curd bundle.
2) Scoop out as much as possible and transfer the hung curd to a mixing bowl.
3) Add powdered sugar.
4) Whisk well such that all the powdered sugar is incorporated well. Do not use blender to do this… shrikhand will lose its consistency.
5) Add rose syrup. Mix well.
6) Add gulkand. Mix well. Check taste, adjust sugar quantity if you prefer it sweeter.
7) Grate roughly 1 tbsp of beetroot and squeeze well to get as much as juice possible. Add beetroot juice to the shrikhand. Note: This step is totally optional. This is only for adding the pretty pink colour to the gulkand shrikhand. Also, for the quantity used here, the beetroot juice doesn’t impart any distinct flavour to shrikhand.
8) Mix well and serve chilled shrikhand with pooris, chapatis, phulkas, thalipeeth, akki rottis, or parathas. Enjoy!
If you happen to try this Gulkand Shrikhand Recipe; leave a comment, let me know how it turned out. Use in your Instagram posts – #theredplatechroniclesbymeenadanti and tag @theredplatechronicles To see more of my work, follow me on
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The Red Plate Chronicles 