DS1 · Desserts · Maharashtra (incl. Parsi Mumbai)
Kesar-Elaichi Shrikhand, Reduced Sugar
The Maharashtrian and Gujarati festive dessert of strained, sweetened curd with saffron and cardamom — made here with a third of the usual sugar and a spoon of milk powder for extra creaminess.
- Region
- Maharashtra (also Gujarat)
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 10 min
- Time, as written
- Strain 6–8 h · Prep 10 min · Chill 1 h
- Serves
- 2 (about 165 g each)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Status
- Adaptation — sugar reduced by about two-thirds; milk powder added
- Good for
- Festivals (Gudi Padwa), with puri or on its own
Nutrition
High protein| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Added sugar | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As written | 245 | 13 g | 23 g | 11 g | 6 g | <1 g | 22 g | 10 g | 5.5 g |
Tier: High protein. Traditional shrikhand often uses 30–40 g sugar per serving; this uses 10 g. Hung curd estimated from toned-milk curd at the straining yield given in the ingredients. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 15 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Method
Tie the curd in a muslin cloth and hang it, or set it in a sieve over a bowl, in the refrigerator for 6–8 hours until thick and no longer dripping.
Push the hung curd through a fine sieve (or whisk hard) with the sugar and milk powder until completely smooth and glossy — this is what gives shrikhand its texture.
Stir in the saffron milk, cardamom and nutmeg.
Chill at least 1 hour. Serve topped with pistachios.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Hung curd supplies 8.5 g per serving, milk powder 3.5 g, pistachios 1 g.
- Boost
- Replace 60 g of the hung curd with Greek yogurt with a higher protein label (often 10 g per 100 g or more; about +1 g protein per serving).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Amrakhand — fold in 60 g Alphonso pulp and reduce sugar to 10 g (similar total sugars).
- Substitution
- 15 g jaggery powder for the sugar (similar calories, a caramel note; colour turns beige).
- Storage
- 3 days refrigerated.
- Food safety
- Always strain curd in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.
- Meal prep
- Excellent.
Allergens
Milk, tree nuts (pistachio)
Labels: High protein · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free · Meal-prep friendly