Renowned food historian, KT Achaya, in his book, ‘The Historical Dictionary of Indian Food’ mentions that Shrikhand has been a part of Gujarati cuisine since 500 BCE.  It is the modern version of shikharini, or shikhrini, which has pleased the palettes of whole of Gujarat and Maharashtra since the ancient times. The recipe of modern shrikhand and shikharini remains more or less the same.

Usually made with saffron, and other dry nuts this delicacy is popular in Maharashtra and Gujarat. However, being born and raised in Maharashtra and being from a Gujarati family I haven’t been fond of Shrikhands. But as they say being away from home isn’t easy, so is the case here. In quest of trying to feel at home I created Shrikhand dessert in my very twist.

This here is Shrikhand in two flavours, one is black sesame and another is coconut. Both of them give a nutty flavour with their own unique sweetness. And balancing shrikhand with fruits is a common culinary practice. Hence, the use of banana caramel, to break from the nutty flavour but still being in the sweet zone. And for the crunch is vermicelli roasted in ghee.

Curd was a versatile base material, which has sort of been like a play dough for Indians. Some of these experiments got lost in history, while some stood the test of times and yielded many sweet and savoury preparations, from raitas, pachadis, kadhis, Doi Maach to kozhambu