Amrakhand ~ Mango Shrikhand taste of India

Plain curd in any form or blended with anything always tastes good. If you are in the east, you will always talk about mishit doi. If you are in the west, it is still Shrikhand, Amrakhand, Mango Shrikhand, or multiple fruit mix shrikhand.

 It is the best combination of mango, hung curd or yogurt, sugar, saffron strands, and cardamom powder, and you could top it with chopped cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts, and much more as per your taste.

History of Amrakhand Mango shrikhand

India's world-famous traditional curd as a base cuisines are globally known for their excellent tastes. These always can't stop you from eating one more bowl and please your pallets and palate buds.

 Shrikhand, the origin of the Indian Subcontinent, is called shrikhand.

Per the book The Historical Dictionary of Indian Food by our experienced food historian Mr. KT Acharya. 

Shrikhand is the modified version of Shigran in Marathi, Shikran, or Shikrani in Gujarati. There is a reference to Shrikhand since before 500 BC. 

Shrikhand's one of the oldest desserts in Indian history. 

Its roots of origin are Mahabharata. There are ancient stories that Bhim, who was working in the kitchen during their Van, invented a recipe using hung curd as it was the favorite food of Lord Shri Krishna, and hence he named it after lord Shri Krishna, i.e., Shrikhand. 

Another reference say's that Shrikhand says that there is a reference to the Bajirao Peshwa kitchen (Mudpaak Khana, मुदपाक खाना).

There are also references in ancient Gujarati-Jain literature from the 7th to 14th century A.D like Shikharini (shrikhand).

Amrakhand is a fermented dessert prepared from hung curd or yogurt. It is a popular Indian traditional dessert. A great tongue twister is the best super cooling dessert during the meal in scorching summer and all seasons.

Since Alphonso Mango is loaded with a creamy, buttery sweet taste, Mango Pulp has a tender and delicate texture, little or non-fibrous fruit, and soft and sweet juicy pulp.

Since then, if you blend mango with hung curd (chakka in Marathi) or hung yogurt, saffron strands, ground cardamom powder, sugar, or ice cubes known as Mango shrikhand.

 Alphonso Mango loaded with a creamy taste sweet goes very well with Mango amrakhand. 

Mango Pulp has a tender and delicate texture, little or non-fibrous fruit, and sweet and tangy juicy pulp.

Amrakhand Recipe / Mango Shrikhand Recipe

It has multiple variants in Mango Shrikhand like

1. Mango Shrikhand with ripe Alphonso mango – ripe mango
2. Mango Shrikhand with canned mango pulp
3. Mango Shrikhand with sweetened mango pulp
4. Mango Shrikhand with low-fat cream curd
5. Mango Shrikhand with vegan curd

You can choose ripe mango as per your choice. Here I have taken Ripe Alphonso Mango as it is very less fiber. You may also use Kesar mango pulp, but it is a bit fibrous; it might change your taste and color of amrakhand. 

For any shrikhand, know one thumb rule, always use fresh homemade curd or yogurt.

Hung the curd overnight in the muslin cloth and hang it on a hook in the kitchen somewhere, as the whey is a rich nutrient, and you can use the same for making Piyush, a Marathi sweet drink from the whey of hung curd.

For the best result, hang the curd for 12 to 14 hours as it leaves all the whey water and makes it a bit thicker consistency.

Ingredients

1. You can take 3 to 4 Alphonso mangoes, peel them off and chop cubes. It will be nearly two to two and a half cups of alphonso mango cubes.
2. As an alternate, you can use our Alphonso Mango pulp if it is offseason.
3. More health-conscious people have two to three tablespoons of malai (fresh cream) and can avoid it if required.
4. Hung Yogurt or Hung curd, called Chakka in Marathi nearly two to three cups (means almost 500 grams)
5. Grounded cardamom powder half teaspoon
6. Add sugar or jaggery or Honey or Stevia or Palm sugar as per your taste and choice because generally, Alphonso mangoes are a sweet delight. Still, you can take nearly three to five tablespoons of sugar.
7. Add chopped cashew nuts, saffron strands, almonds (Badam), walnuts (akhrot), Anjeer (fig), and mint leaves for garnishing.
8. Add a pinch of Kesar (Saffron) strands for taste.

How to Make Amrakhand

• First, make a puree of alphonso mango cubes in a mixer, grinder, or bowl with a spoon by smashing it. Gives a chunky taste and feel.
• Now add the fresh cream first and get it blended with mango puree. It could also be a tasty dessert as it becomes Alphonso Mango cream like what you get in Mahabaleshwar Strawberry cream. You can try this once this summer. A heavenly delight for your complete family).
• Add chilled hung curd chakka in the same mix with some ice cubes; blend it for some seconds until it becomes a mix-like preparation with a thick consistency.
• Add sugar or jaggery or Honey or Stevia or Palm sugar as per your taste and choice because generally, Alphonso mangoes are a sweet delight. Still, you can take nearly three to five tablespoons of sugar. Blend it for some time, likely till four to five minutes.
• Sprinkle a pinch of grounded cardamom powder.
• Serve mango Shrikhand in a small bowl; garnish this with saffron strands, chopped cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts, Anjeer, dried rose petals, and mint leaves. Dry fruits, you can choose and change as per your taste.
• You can add more mangoes or pulp if you need thin consistency.

How to Make Mango Shrikhand with mango pulp

You need to replace step 1 in ingredients where you can add mango pulp to this Shrikhand instead of ripe mango or Alphonso Mango. It can be prepared in all seasons, preferably post-summer in the winter and rainy seasons.

How to Make Mango Shrikhand with vegan curd

You can buy ready vegan curd or search for any dairy-free recipe, like smooth vegan lemon curd. You can also make vegan curd using cashew nut milk, a good substitute for dairy curd. You can also try some soya milk curd. It was created with vinegar.

Amrakhand calories

It has nearly 526 calories, with 88 calories from fat. It has the right amount of Vitamin A, E, & C, Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorous, and Iron. So it is a healthy sweet dessert delight for your taste buds.

Some special tips

1. You can use canned mango pulp in place of ripe mangoes, or you can even use homemade mango pulp.
2. Mango Pulp is readily available in Indian stores, or you can buy authentic G.I. tag certified Alphonso Mango Pulp directly from here.
3. Try roasted almonds and cashew instead of everyday dry fruits, which should be finely chopped. Use sweet yogurt, less sour and thick, preferably fresh curd.
4. Add Saffron strands in one to two teaspoons of milk for 5 to 10 mins before starting your recipe to give more saffron aroma.
5. You will enjoy this like an ice cream dessert. If you are making it for later servings, store it in the refrigerator before serving.
6. You can keep this in ice cream cubes and store them in the freezer. 
7. You can add sugar, honey, or other sweeteners as per your choices, but if the Alphonso Mango is ripe, I will not put any sweeteners like sugar.
8. As an option, you can add a pinch of Saunth (dried ginger, sountha) for taste as it will make you feel heavy saunth (dried ginger, sountha) will help you digest.