Sweets & Desserts
Sikarni
सिकर्णी
Sikarni is thick yoghurt hung overnight until nearly all the whey drains away, then whipped with sugar, saffron and warm spices into something between a mousse and a cheesecake filling. Widely regarded as a Newar creation from the Kathmandu Valley, it is the traditional closing course of a formal Nepali feast and turns up at weddings, Dashain and Bhai Tika. It needs no cooking at all — only patience while the yoghurt drains.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
At the stove
Method
Line a sieve with a double layer of muslin, spoon in the yoghurt, and gather the cloth into a bundle.
Hang the bundle over a bowl in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight, until the whey has dripped away and the yoghurt is dense and spreadable. Save the whey for cooking rice or making dough.
Crush the saffron between your fingers into the warm milk and leave it 10 minutes to bloom into a deep orange.
Scrape the drained yoghurt into a chilled bowl and whisk in the powdered sugar until no grains remain.
Add the cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron milk, then whisk hard for two or three minutes until the mixture turns pale, fluffy and holds soft peaks.
Fold in half the nuts and the raisins, if using.
Chill for at least an hour so the spices settle in and the texture firms up.
Spoon into small bowls or glasses and finish with the remaining pistachios and almonds just before serving.
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