Shrikhand

Shrikhand is one of the easiest Indian desserts possible, not to mention relatively healthy! It is prepared with creamy yogurt, sweetened to your liking, flavored with any fruit pulp/syrupy flavoring, and spices such as cardamom and saffron. 

I made two kinds of Shrikhand this time - one is mango flavored, and the other is rose flavored.

Ingredients (without measurements, because it is dependent on your taste/preference):

1. Yogurt (low fat is fine too)
2. Sugar or honey (as per your taste, because it depends on how sweet the flavorings/fruit are, and how sour the yogurt is)
3. Mango puree / mango pulp (add as needed to get the flavor you desire)
4. A few tablespoons of rose syrup (available at Indian stores)
5. A few tablespoons of rose water (to intensify the rose flavor)
6. 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder, freshly powdered
7. a pinch of saffron mixed in a tablespoon of warm milk

Preparation:

1.  Strain the yogurt to make it rich and creamy and devoid of whey
• Line a colander / sieve with cheese cloth. Place it on top of a wide bowl to catch the whey water (the colander/sieve should sit atop the bowl)
• Transfer the yogurt to the colander/sieve and place the whole thing in a refrigerator for at least 8 hours
• Gently scrape the creamy yogurt from the cheesecloth and whisk it to make it really smooth
2. Add the mango puree/rose syrup/ rose water and whisk until combined. Based on the resulting taste, add sugar/honey and whisk until smooth
3. Taste and adjust the sugar / puree / syrup accordingly
4. Finally add the saffron (along with the soaked milk) to the mango shrikhand 
5. Add the powdered cardamom to the rose shrikand

Serve chilled with diced fruits!