My second recipe for the festivals of March is Poori Shrikhand for Gudi Padwa which is celebrated as the first day of a new year in Maharashtra, India. This idea is again from my bestie who i requested to give me the name of any dish except puran poli. For some reason the poli is nemesis. I have tried it thrice and failed so miserably that I am convinced it is not to be. I have conducted extensive research on puran polis but every hack and idea fell short and my husband’s face was a sight to behold whenever I tried to make it. Since he is a nice guy, I decided to spare him any further experiment and stop trying for now.

Thankfully Maharashtrians make puran poli for Sankranti which is the harvest festival in the month of January and they make the delightful shrikhand poori for Gudi Padwa. The shrikhand is amazingly easy to make and can be done within minutes, once you have the hung curd ready. It is a creamy, smooth dish which leaves you licking your fingers for a long time after. Another lovely aspect is that it lends itself to multiple creative flavours and can burst into a new flavour every time. You can add fruits like strawberry, mango or apple or spices like cardamom, saffron and cinnamon to name a few. This is a perfect dish to try new flavour combinations.

Since this is my first time I decided to try the classic flavour of saffron and cardamom and I couldn’t have been happier with the result. Since this is a no cook recipe, it can be whisked together within minutes and served to an excited family.

Serves 4-5

Recipe from here

WHAT WE NEED

Curd (made from 1 litre milk)            4-5 cups

Sugar, powdered                                    1/2 – 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder                                1/4 tsp

Milk                                                            1 tbsp

Saffron                                                       5-6 strands

Pistachios                                                 4-5 for garnish

WHAT TO DO

• Take a clean kitchen towel and place it over a deep bottom vessel
• Pour the curd into the towel and tie it up to a large spoon or spatula and place it in the vessel
• Ensure that there is a significant gap between the bottom of the towel and the vessel so that the whey that drips from the curd does not find its way back to it
• Keep it in the fridge overnight till all the whey drips from the curd to the vessel and only thick curd remains in the towel

• Take the milk and add the saffron strand to it and keep aside for 10 minutes
• Take the thick curd in a large bowl and add the powdered sugar, cardamom powder, milk and saffron
• Using a whisk, mix all these ingredients together to form a smooth mixture
• Taste it to ensure it is sweet enough for your taste
• Chill the shrikhand for 2 hours before serving
• Garnish with pistachios and serve with hot pooris
• Enjoy!

NOTES

1. Usually 1/2 cup of sugar should be sufficiently sweet but if you need more then add 1 tbsp at a time and taste before adding more

This is my post under Festival Themes for the Blogging Marathon.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for other marathoners doing this BM.