Shrikhand

How long should the curd hang?

Four to six hours in the refrigerator for a spoonable shrikhand, and overnight for something stiff enough to pipe. What matters more than the clock is what comes out: a kilo of curd should reduce to roughly half its weight. Hanging it on the counter in Indian weather sours it, so do the draining cold even though it takes longer. Sour curd makes sharp shrikhand, and no quantity of sugar covers that up.

Why is the sugar added after straining rather than before?

Sugar draws water out of curd by osmosis, so curd sweetened first will weep for hours and never firm up properly. Strain first, sweeten second. Powdered sugar also works better than granulated here, because there is no heat anywhere in the recipe to dissolve crystals, and undissolved granules leave a gritty texture that whisking on its own will not repair.

Why is my shrikhand grainy?

Either it was not whisked enough or the curd was too sour to start with. Whisk the drained curd alone first, before the sugar arrives, which breaks the curd structure down evenly. If grain survives that, push the finished mixture through a fine sieve with the back of a ladle. A blender works too, but it aerates the mixture and can thin it, so the sieve is the safer repair.

What should be done with the whey?

Not poured down the drain. Whey off hung curd carries protein, some calcium and B vitamins, and it is useful liquid: knead it into roti dough in place of water, use it as the liquid in a dal or a kadhi, or drink it chilled with salt and cumin. A kilo of curd yields close to half a litre of it. Discarding it throws away the most nutritious thing this recipe produces, a point the dairy nutrition course makes early on.

How much sugar does it actually need?

Traditionally about three quarters of the weight of the drained curd, which is a great deal of sugar. Half that still tastes like shrikhand, particularly when good saffron and cardamom are carrying the flavour. Taste as you go rather than following a ratio, and bear in mind that chilling dulls sweetness slightly, so a mixture that seems right at room temperature will read a shade flat once cold. Whether the base is called curd or yoghurt makes no difference to any of this, as this comparison explains.

Does it keep, and what happens to the cultures?

Three to four days in a closed container in the refrigerator, thickening further as it sits. It does not freeze; the texture breaks and will not come back. Since no part of the recipe sees heat, the live cultures from the original curd survive into the finished sweet, which is not true of a cooked milk dessert such as rice kheer. Whether that counts for much is a separate question, and gut health basics is the level-headed version of the answer.