A traditional Nepali sweetened yogurt served at festivals and family celebrations, prized for its elegant simplicity and creamy richness.
Cool, dense and luxuriously creamy, with a clean tang balanced by gentle sweetness. Saffron and cardamom lend a floral, perfumed warmth while toasted nuts add a welcome crunch.
Draining the whey concentrates the yogurt's milk solids and fat into a thick, cream-cheese-like base. Whisking incorporates air for a light texture, while saffron's water-soluble pigments bloom into colour and aroma in the warm milk.
Variations
Strawberry sikarni, mango sikarni, with cinnamon and nutmeg, honey-sweetened version
On the Palate
Where Sikarni sits in the Nepali flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 15 min
- 13 min
Line a sieve with cheesecloth and spoon in thick plain yogurt.
- 2720 min
Hang the yogurt overnight in the fridge until it loses its whey.
Watch outHang the yogurt overnight until the whey drips out and it's thick as cream cheese — that concentration is the whole body of the sweet.
- 33 min
Warm a little milk and steep the saffron threads in it.
Watch outSteep the saffron in the warm milk until it blooms deep amber and turns fragrant before it goes in.
- 42 min
Crush green cardamom seeds to a fine powder.
- 54 min
Whisk the drained yogurt with sugar until light and smooth.
Watch outWhisk the drained yogurt with sugar until light and airy — that beating is what lifts the texture from dense to cloud-soft.
- 63 min
Beat in the saffron milk and cardamom until pale and creamy.
- 72 min
Fold in chopped pistachios and almonds.
- 85 min
Chill briefly, then serve garnished with extra nuts.
