Shrikhand Mousse with Peanut Brittle

Happy Holi everyone!
To celebrate Holi, I am sharing with you a dessert called ‘Shrikhand Mousse with Peanut Brittle’ . It is a fusion I created to blend two very easy Indian desserts into one. The presentation is tweeked adding a touch of elegance to the otherwise very traditional recipe.

The festival of colours is finally here and it is another one away from home. The theme of the festival is to celebrate happiness including the various colours of life and the ingredients are good food, bright colours and loud music. And above everything the real message of Holi is the spirit of togetherness, people hug each other forgetting all antipathies and woes from past. It also marks the end of winter and beginning of abundance to which people look forward to in the spring harvest. The fragrance of colours, delicious snacks with loud music playing in every lane, faces covered with multiple colours, is totally worth to experience during the festival.

The festival starts with the Holika Dahana where holy pyres are burnt, signifying the victory of good over evil with people singing and dancing around the fire. Dhulandi follows the next day as the festival of color and gaiety along with a much-needed fervor amongst everyone. And though we cannot recreate the same essence of the festival, we try and celebrate it together with our community here in our own special way.

Coming back to the recipe, if you see my earlier posts, you know how to make Shrikhand. It is a fairly simple dessert and takes no time at all to whip up. To create this dish, I add whipped cream to get a mousse like texture and added a bit of bite adding crushed homemade peanut brittle or chikki as we call it in India.

Chikki is a very traditional Indian candy recipe made with jaggery and roasted peanuts. It is a time-tested and ever-popular snack, which has won the hearts of Indians and others. Here is how you make this elegant dessert.

Let’s see how to make this fusion ‘Shrikhand Mousse with Peanut Brittle’

INGREDIENTS:

To make Shrikhand Mousse:

500g hung Greek yogurt

3/4 cup powdered sugar or more as per taste

a few saffron strands dissolved in 1 tbsp warm milk

1 tsp cardamom powder

A pinch of salt

Almond & pistachio slivers to garnish

Rose petals for garnish (optional)

200ml whipping cream

To make Peanut Brittle:

1 cup peanuts, 100 grams

1 cup powdered jaggery or sugar

2 tsp ghee

1 tbsp water

Pinch of salt   

METHOD:

To make Shrikhand Mousse:

1. Hang approx. 700 -800g greek yogurt in a muslin cloth in a cool place for approx. 3 hours until all the liquid (whey) has drained off.
2. Next gently squeeze the excess water from yogurt.  
3. Combine the hung yogurt, salt, sugar, saffron mixture, cardamom powder in a bowl and mix well till the mixture becomes smooth.
4. Now add the slivered almonds and pistachio and reserve some for garnish
5. In another bowl whip the cream until soft peaks stage. Now carefully add the whipped cream to the yogurt mixture and fold in gently.
6. Shrikhand mousse is now ready. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make Peanut Brittle/Chikki:

1. Roast peanuts for 5-6 minutes on medium-low flame until raw smell disappears. Stir continuously so that the peanuts get roasted uniformly.
2. Set aside to cool. If you are using peanuts that aren’t deskinned, now is the time to simple rub the peanuts between your palms to deskin it.
3. Place jaggery / sugar, ghee and water in a pan on medium low heat. Stir continuously and once the jaggery / sugar starts bubbling check for doneness. The syrup should achieve a hard ball consistency. To check this, drop some syrup in a bowl of cold water. If it sinks to the bottom and solidifies, this is the right stage.
4. At this stage switch off the heat and add roasted peanuts to the pan and mix well till peanuts are well coated with the syrup.
5. Transfer the mixture immediately to a parchment paper. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll the mixture to 1/4-inch thickness.
6. Mark lines with a knife so it’s easier to cut into pieces once set. Let the brittle/chikki cool completely.
7. Once cool, break peanut brittle/chikki into pieces and enjoy. The brittle will get crispier as it cools down. You can store in an airtight container to eat as a snack.

To assemble the mousse:

1. Transfer a dollop of mousse in a bowl and layer with crushed peanut brittle
2. Add another layer of the mousse and top with crushed peanut brittle and chopped nuts
3. Garnish with rose petals.
4. Serve cold 😊

For more yummy desserts, try these:

Thandai

Rasgulla

Nan Khatai

Gajar/Carrot Halwa

Angoori Rasmalai

Kaju Katli

Pista Sandesh

Chirote

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Love & Hugs,

Trupti