Amrakhand recipe| Marathi mango flavour shrikhand dessert

Mango season is getting over .One of the kairis which i had got for pickle turned ripe & then this idea of making amrakhand striked to me .So yesterday I  prepared amrakhand.

Amrakhand as the name suggests  is a  combination of  "Aam" + "Shrikhand" where Aam means Mangoes and "Shrikhand" supposedly means "Ambrosia of the Gods". Shrikhand is also the name for a traditional Maharashtrian dessert made from yogurt, nuts and saffron. So this version of Shrikhand which uses Mango as its central taste factor is termed as Amrakhand. 

The first Holy festival which marks the beginning of the New Year, new month and new day for the Hindus falls on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. It is known as Gudi Padwa (in Maharashtra), Ugadi (in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh). Baisakhi (Punjab), & Cheti Chand (Sindhi). . In Maharashtra,the day is celebrated  a  neivedyam of shrikhand ,poori,boiled potato sabzi and dal rice is offered to God.

You can use store bought Mango Pulp to make your life easier but while the mangoes are in season, I use the fresh mangoes.



In  western jargon  you can call this "Mango Smoothie".

Ingredients

 Yogurt /dahi /yoghurt (home made or store bought) - 3 cups (full fat preferable) (This will yield 1 cup chakka )
 Sugar - 3/4 cup (adjust as per ur taste)
 Cardomom Powder - 1/2 tsp
 Saffron Strands - few (6-7, soaked in 1 tblsp of warm milk)
1 fresh ripe mango (hapus /alphonso preferred) or readymade  Mango Pulp

Garnish
sliced almonds /pista /cashew nuts
few saffron strands

Method

1.Take a clean kitchen towel or muslin cloth and put the yogurt in it.Wrap the cloth and tie it & hang it to drain out all the water content. Place a bowl below to collect water dripping from dahi.

 2.  After a few hours (min 3 hour or even overnight), you will have a thick mass of yogurt left.This is called as chakka in marathi

CHAKKA

 3.Puree the chopped mango  with sugar  into a smooth paste.in mixie .Make sure there are no lumps.

4In a medium size bowl add the chakka ,mango puree  with the help of a whisk mix till combined as shown in image.



5.Now add in the aromatic cardamom powder and saffron soaked in milk fold gently.
6.Pour it in a airtight container.Garnish the top layer with the sliced almonds /pista /cashew nuts  & few saffron strands.

7 Cover and refrigerate until served.


Makes 2 servings.

Tip:

The traditional method needs yogurt to be tied in a muslin cloth until there is no moisture left to form a chakka.Greek yogurt is a perfect replacement for this lengthy process.

Alphonso mango is best for this recipe..
The color and the sweetness depends on the quality of mango.Adjust the amount of sugar according to your preference.

This is a make a day ahead dish.Will taste best the next day