Fat free, gluten free, Indian dessert made from just 3 ingredients!

Do you remember foods you loved as a child but have not had in a while? I suddenly found myself thinking of the sweet and tangy, Shrikhand Vadi this week. It is a yogurt based sweet that is so popular that we even had Shrikhand flavored hard candy.
Shrikhand Vadi is one of those childhood memories where I get transported back in time and can almost smell and taste the vadi and savor those fond memories. But this time ‘almost’ was not good enough……and I suddenly found myself reaching for the Greek yogurt and sugar….hmm why not try the microwave I thought…
In India ‘chakka’ or hung yogurt is used. I remembered how fabulous my Shrikhand had turned out with Greek yogurt here in the US, so I used fat free plain Greek yogurt for the Shrikhand Vadi.
I combined the yogurt and sugar and microwaved for 3 minutes. The mixture was a watery mess and I thought I have to abort this experiment. But I figured, no matter what it looks like, it will taste good, so I added the saffron and put it back in the microwave for another 2 minutes. You know how it is when that hankering hits:) Cardamom powder also tastes yummy with this but I did not add any.

Luckily the mixture seemed to be coming together but the yogurt mixture looked more like paneer (See photo 1) I put it back in the microwave for another 2 minutes and voila! The mixture was bubbly (photo 2) Photo 3 shows the mixture when the bubbles settled. Then I added the confectioner’s sugar. I could knead the mixture! At this point, quickly put it in between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll it out with a rolling pin. If the mixture cools, just stick it back in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to warm it and roll it out quickly. Cut into square or diamond shaped Vadis!
Are you ready to make Shrikhand Vadi in the microwave?
Shrikhand Vadi in 7 minutes!
Ingredients-
- ½ cup plain, fat free, Greek yogurt
- ½ cup sugar
- A fat pinch of saffron
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder (optional)
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
To make the Shrikhand Vadi-
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the yogurt and the sugar. Microwave for 3 minutes. Stir, add saffron and /or cardamom powder and microwave again for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the microwave, stir well, breaking up the granules with a spoon or spatula, and microwave for 2 more minutes. 7 minutes total so far. The mixture will be bubbly, as shown in the picture above.
- When the bubbles settle add the confectioners’ sugar and stir well. Knead the mixture for 30 seconds or so.
- Roll it out with a rolling pin, between 2 sheets of wax paper. If the mixture is too cool to roll, you can warm it for 10 seconds or so in the microwave again and roll it out immediately.
- Cut into diamond or square shapes.
Notes-
- Individual microwaves vary, so adjust the timing according to your microwave. The timings are based on my 1000 W, 110 V microwave drawer.
- Readymade ‘chakka’ may be even denser than the Greek yogurt so may cook even faster.
- Confectioners’ sugar may be substituted by finely ground sugar.
Enjoy!
Happy Friday everyone!
Love,
Sandhya
love this http://www.misskymmiee@gmail.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow how quickly this came together Sandhya. If at first you don’t succeed, then try and try again eh? Your persistence paid off beautifully. I made a shrikhand mango dessert a while back on my blog, I had never heard of shrikhand prior to that. Love the diamond shapes and the saffron in the finished product. You know my weakness for sweets, I’d grab a handful of these and wouldn’t be satisfied with just one. Happy weekend! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy weekend to you to Loretta. Yesterday I had some of my cousins over for dinner and was happy to share these shrikhand vadis with them as part of dessert…..or else I knew I would eat them all:) I was so happy that the experiment worked plus I used much less sugar than the traditional stove top recipe that tests one’s arm strength:)
I will check out your mango shrikhand dessert…sounds yummy!
Shrikhand is a very popular festival sweet in Mahrashtra, and is eaten with puris
LikeLike
Good for you for keeping on trying! I love yogurt in all its forms and will definitely give this a try. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Ronit. I appreciate your encouraging words, always!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes persistence pays off. Looks like a treat that’s easy to prepare and delightful to the palate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes Jonathan. This is a childhood treat made with much less sugar than the traditional recipe. thank you for your kind comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tried. Failed. It remained a liquid mixture (chotha-paani) even after 14 min of microwaving
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jyoti, i am so glad that you wrote to me. 14 minutes is way too much time in the microwave for 1/2 cup of the yogurt.
After the initial 3 minutes of cooking, it does look like chotha paani, like I said in my post. But in the next 2 minutes + 2 minutes, the water evaporates quite a bit, as you can see in my step by step photos in the post. The cofectioners’ sugar then brings it together in a soft dough like consistency that I could knead.
Hope this helps.
LikeLike
I actually used 1 cup … got greedy I guess… :):) Anyway, will try again since I have the greek yogurt sitting in my fridge anyway. (Oh I got whole milk one btw. )
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jyoti, let me know how it turns out with 1/2 cup. You may need to check the timing in your microwave. I think with whole milk Greek yogurt you will have some fat oozing out of the mixture, but vadi will be even more khuskhusheet.
LikeLike
Success!! Not as pretty and shapely as your’s . (cannot attach a pic here)…. but shrikhand vadi .. Yum.. memories of aaji flooding back … I had to microwave a minute more and add a little extra confectioner’s sugar. Did not turn out too sweet at all. Just perfect. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
jyoti, I appreciate you writing back to me. I have been thinking of you and am so glad that you not only enjoyed the vadi but also fond memories of your Aaji!
LikeLike
Superb
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sandhya am glad you tried and the outcome is awesome. These days everything has short cuts as life is become busy. But sometimes these shortcuts make us attempt. I have a weakness to all sweetness, if I make them just like that I end up eating most of it. 😂😂😂 your main picture is looking awesome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Meena.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Can’t wait to make this!! I love shrikhand Vadi!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you enjoy this easy recipe, Archana.
LikeLike
I want to try one! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sure! Thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m still hungry actually. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love this!! Thanks for the share😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Sumith. This vadi brings back memories of childhood for me
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, I tried the shrikhand vadi today, it is looking awesome, (waiting for it to set)… but I did taste some out of the bowl I used to prepare it and it tastes awesome, just like the ones we used to get in the sweetmeat shops. I had to microwave the mixture a bit longer as water oozed out of the mixture, though I had used fat free greek yoghurt (guess the one we get here has some water in it)… may be next time I will try hanging the yoghurt for a bit so that the water content reduces…but thanks a ton for a keeper recipe… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ruchika, So happy to hear from you and get feedback! Thanks so much for writing to me. I truly appreciate your kind words!
LikeLike
Hi Sandhya, I tried this recipe 3 times today and it was a failure all the time. I followed the recipe to the tee… and thats why i tried it 3 different times. I even checked my microwave settings, but for some reason the end product was very watery. I tried cooking it longer but still same. I do not know if it is the yogurt, or amount of regular sugar or god knows what. Can you please check your recipe again and see if there is a typo in quantity of sugar? Thanks
LikeLike
Yadvendra,
I am sorry to hear that. The shrikhand vadi in the photos here is made using this recipe. Did you use Greek yogurt? Regular yogurt is watery so the water in it will have to be drained. That is the only reason I feel your shrikhand vadi may be watery.
Hope that helps.
LikeLike
Thanks for the link Jayashree!
LikeLike
Thats a quick and nice one Sandhya. They look so good, ideal for any time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jayashree!
LikeLike
Wow! These vadis even I will love Sandhya and mind you I do not like Shrikhand. I love the idea of MW to make these vadis. Will try them out when I have some sweet lovers at home.
LikeLike
Do let me know when you try them Archana. I especially liked how the texture came out perfect too.
LikeLike
These look so tempting Sandhya.. I never made anything like this using yogurt..loved the recipe.. the vadi bites look so delicious want to grab one and eat right away!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Swaty. A friend who made it today just texted saying she loved the taste and ease of the recipe- made my day!
LikeLike
That’s one very interesting sweet. Never had it but it sure has caught my attention. Wondering if it can be prepared using a normal stove and not in the micro. I too love using Greek yogurt in Canada for Shrikhand. Its ready in a matter of minutes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it can be made on the stove top Mayuri! The time will vary. Yes I am a big fan of the Greek yogurt too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi, I tried it with Greek yogurt and regular sugar. Taste is fine but they are not as a vadi texture a bit chewy. How can I fix it? Thanks for the recipe. It’s easy.
LikeLike
Hi Varsha, Adding the confectioners sugar gives it that vadi texture.
LikeLike
Wow I never tasted this . But by reading your post , my mouth is literally watering. Beautifully explained and captured.. Hope someday i can taste this
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much dear Ruchi!
LikeLike
This looks so similar to Almond Chakki made in this part of the world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I should check out Almond Chakki! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s really new concept…ll try with hung curd
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let me know how you like it!
LikeLike
Nice recipe. Will ordinary yogurt work or do I need Greek yogurt?
LikeLike
Thanks so much for sharing the link ! Loved your post with 50 Asian desserts!
LikeLike