Gudi Padwa is celebrated as New Year in Maharashtra because this is the beginning of the Hindu calendar, heralding the month of ‘Chaitra‘. Even though April is yet to start, the mercury already touches 100 degrees. Amrakhand was the choice of dessert for the festival because it is eaten cold and combines the goodness of yogurt and the king of fruits – mangoes.
When I lived in the US, I really missed eating Shrikhand or Amrakhand. I remember I made a version of Amrakhand for Gudi padwa using sour cream and mango pulp. Yes, sour cream! You can only imagine how creamy and decadent it must have been. And a bit heavy on the palate. This was several years ago when Greek Yogurt was not as popular as it is now, and also not readily available.
If you live outside India, Greek yogurt and mango pulp and a heavy whisking arm can help you create the best Amrakhand. Or you can do it the old fashioned way like I show in my recipe.
The base of a Shrikhand or Amrakhand is hung curd or Chakka or Greek Yogurt. Traditionally, this is obtained by stringing up yogurt in a thin muslin cloth for a day or two until all the moisture drips out of it. Then you are left with thick chakka or yogurt cheese as some call it. This is generally a bit sour.
For a shrikhand, this is mixed with equal amounts of sugar and flavored with saffron, cardamom and nutmeg, garnished with powdered dry fruits or nuts. Amrakhand – ‘Amra’ means mango – is a version where mango pulp is mixed in to get a mango infused concoction. You can similarly have a strawberry shrikhand by using strawberry puree or crush. And so on!
Ingredients
2 lit milk
Yogurt starter
1 KG Alphonso mango pulp
sugar if needed
Cardamom/nutmeg optional
Method
1. Heat milk and let it cool until lukewarm. Add the yogurt culture or starter and leave overnight for the yogurt to set. Alternate – just start with 1-2 Kg of thick yogurt.
2. Strain the yogurt through muslin to remove obvious moisture. Tie it up and leave overnight.
3. Add the hung yogurt and mango pulp to a food mill. Rotate the handle and pass it through to get a smooth product.
4. Alphonso pulp has natural and added sugar, so you should not need more. But if you do, add powdered sugar while passing through the mill.
5. Add some grated nutmeg or cardamom if needed.
6. Chill for a few hours or overnight.
7. Serve and enjoy!
I hope you try this. For a lower fat version, try using low fat milk or low fat Greek yogurt. Lessen the amount of mango pulp.
I hope you try this simple Indian dessert. It is a great high protein snack when consumed in moderation.
*I ended up adding about 2 cups of sugar. It is because the mango is also slightly tart, and I find I cannot taste the mango so much if the Amrakhand is sour.
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