Mango Shrikhand

With mango season here it was inevitable that I head down to Little India (Toronto) to look for the Alphonso mangoes. Alphonso mangoes are considered by many to be the best variety of mango with regards to sweetness and flavour. Here in Canada the alphonso mangoes are imported directly from India and thus they are a just a little bit expensive. Despite the expense I like to indulge on them while they are in season as they are really good. I was in luck! They had the alphonso mangoes in at both Kohinoor Foods and Cash and Carry and I picked up a case. On my long tram ride back I was thinking about how I was going to enjoy them.

Other than just snacking on them fresh one of the top things on my list to try was a mango shrikhand. A shrikhand is and Indian dessert made by mixing thick and creamy strained yogurt with sugar, cardamom and saffron. From there you can add other things like mangoes. For a mango shrikhand you commonly add mango pulp but for my first mango shrikhand I decided to just and some freshly chopped alphonso mangoes so that I could enjoy the mangoes more. The mango shrikhand was easy to make, though you do have to wait a while for the yogurt to strain. The alphonso mango shrikhand was amazing! The yogurt was nice and thick and creamy and sweet and the cardamom and saffron flavours worked really well in it. I also added some chopped pistachios for a bit of colour and for a contrasting texture.

I enjoyed the mango shrikand so much that I have already made several of them this week. For the second one that I coated the mango pieces in brown sugar and caramelized them in a pan before adding them to the shrikhand. The warm caramelized mango was so good! For the third mango shrikhand, I made the one with the mango pulp mixed into the yogurt and it definitely enhanced the overall mango flavour. In the end I think that my favorite was the first one as I got to fully enjoy both the wonderful fresh alphonso mangoes and the cardamom and saffron strained yogurt.

Mango Shrikhand

(makes 1 serving)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup Greek yogurt (or strained plain yogurt)
1/4 cup mango pulp (optional)
2 tablespoons sugar (confectioners sugar works well)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 pinch saffron (soaked in 1 tablespoon warm milk)
1 tablespoon pistachios (toasted and chopped)
1 mango (peeled, stoned and cut into bit sized pieces)

Directions:
1. Mix everything save the mangoes and top with the mangoes.

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Strawberry Rice Pudding with Balsamic Syrup
Mango and Cardamom Jam

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