Shrikhand and spring onion Potato Sabzi

Gudi Padva was on Monday. Last year I did not get around to making Shrikhand so this year I was determined to make it. Although this year I did not make puris. After an unusual busy weekend of socialising and food, our tummies were in no position to eat anything fried. So, I stuck to rotis.

Shrikhand is one of my favorite dessert and I was very glad that my homemade version tasted just like the real thing (Amul Shrikhand is the gold standard, atleast for me, being from the land of Amul). I had not realized before I tried my hand at it that Shrikhand would be so easy to make. It also has to do with the fact that I made a small quantity. Larger quantities will take a bit more effort. I used my favorite and most traditional flavoring for the Shrikhand : kesar (saffron) and elaichi (cardamom)

Kesar Elaichi Shrikhand Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup	plain yogurt
1/2 cup	sugar
1 tsp	coarsely powdered pistachios and almonds
a pinch	crushed saffron threads
3	cardamom pods

Method

• Place a sieve line with paper towel over a bowl and add yogurt to the sieve and let it drain for a couple of hours.
  
• You should get about 1 1/2 cup of drained liquid and 3/4 cup solid yogurt. The yogurt would be the consistency of very soft butter.
• Add the sugar, crushed saffron and nuts. Add powdered cardamom seeds. Mix everything together and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

Notes:

• I used homemade yogurt for the shrikhand. Storebought yogurt can also be used. But since the water content in the yogurt differs, you might get more or less than the 3/4 cup of solid yogurt that I got. Adjust the sugar accordingly.
• Greek yogurt is already strained so it can be used instead of the extra step of straining the yogurt.
• I used milk masala from a Parsi dairy in Mumbai instead of saffron and nuts since it already contains saffron, almonds and pistachios.

Shrikhand goes best with puri and batata bhaji (potato sabzi). Since we had already ruled out puri, I decided to atleast make the potato bhaji. I tried a different version which has fennel and spring onions.

Dry Potato sabzi with spring onions

Ingredients:

5	potatoes
5	spring onions
1 tsp	cumin seeds
1 tsp	fennel seeds
1/4 tsp	turmeric
1/4 tsp	asafoetida
3	green chillies
1 tbsp	grated ginger
1 tsp	coriander powder
1 tsp	amchur powder
1/4 tsp	garam masala
1 tsp	salt

Method

• Boil, peel and cube the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Smaller pieces allows more surface area to coat the potatoes with the masala.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil and add a teaspoon each of cumin and fennel seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder and finely chopped green chilies.
• Add the cubed potatoes and coat with the oil.
• Add coriander powder, grated ginger and salt. Add about half a teaspoon of sugar if you like a bit of sweetness.
• Add chopped spring onions, amchur powder and garam masala.
• Saute on medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes. The spring onions should be soft and the potatoes should be nicely coated with the masalas.