Saffron Rose Srikhand/Indian Style Saffron Rose Greek Yogurt

e Indians love our spices as well as sweets. Festivals, celebrations or any happy occasion for that matter is definitely accompanied with sweets or as we call them, 'mithais'. There is mushrooming of mithai shops and local halwais on every nook and corner wherever you go. There is usually such a variety of sweets that it is difficult to decide what you want to eat. It is said that culture in India changes every hundred miles. With culture comes its food. Every region has its own sweet specialties and varieties so you can imagine how vast and expansive the world of Indian sweets can get. 

You could think of this dish simply as flavored yogurt, but wait, its when you hear the details you know that in fact this is not only a delicacy but with the exotic flavors of rose and saffron it is a dish fit for royalty. Traditionally, these are served in small clay pots that gives it that added authentic earthy flavor - 'sondha' as we say in hindi. It is made with  yogurt which is hung and drained of whey with different flavors like saffron, cardamom, pistachio and rose like I have made here. Some traditional Indian sweets like Chhena Payesh, Gulab Jamun and Imarti are really tricky and time consuming but this is one dish that is ridiculously  simple and effortless to make. If you have greek style yogurt, it is even simpler to make as the yogurt is already drained of the whey and is ready to use. You just need to throw it in a  bowl and mix in the flavoring. Draining the whey is a simple matter of hanging the yogurt in muslin cloth, not hard, but it does take time.
And yes of course the final affirmation that it came out really well - it loved by both hubs and kiddo who emphatically declared it as the "pink ice cream"!

Ingredients:
Greek Yogurt ............................ 2 cups (I use FAGE Total Greek yogurt)
Rose Syrup ............................... 4-5 tbsp
Sugar ...................................... 1 tbsp or as needed
Rose Essence ............................. 2 drops
Ground Cardamom ...................... 1/4 tsp
Saffron .................................... 1/2 tsp
Warm Milk ................................ 1 tbsp
Pistachios ................................. 2 tbsp
Few Rose Petals

Method:
1. In a small bowl soak saffron in 1 tbsp of warm milk, set aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Beat the Greek yogurt gently, add the rose syrup and mix well. Mix all ingredients except pistachios. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve topped with some chopped pistachios and rose petals. ENJOY!
If you don't have Greek style yogurt, take plain whole fat yogurt, hang up in a clean muslin cloth for at least 4 - 5 hours (preferably overnight). Discard the whey. Use this thick yogurt for the recipe above.

Notes:
1. This is a very good make-ahead dessert which you can make early and serve the guests to impress!

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