Shrikand (flavoured hung curd dessert)

My first taste of 'shrikand' was at my aunt's sister's place. The son-in-law of the house was a north indian and an ardent fan of shrikand. Sadly, his wife abhorred it ! As a result, whenever a guest turned up (this time us), he would happily feed them, along with himself, to a generous helping of readymade shrikand picked off supermarket shelves. To be honest, I did not quite like the over sweet, sour taste of the thing. Then recently had it again at a restaurant, the fresh variety this time, and fell head over heels in love! Made it at home yesterday, of course with minor variations to the traditional recipe ;-)
This is my entry to Paajaka's 'Sweet series event - cool desserts'.
Thick curd (plain yoghurt) - 500 g
Demerara sugar (brown sugar) - 2 teaspoons (10 gms)
Cardamom (elaichi) - 4 pods
Saffron - 4-5 strands
Pistachios - 10 Nos
Almonds - 10 Nos
Red pomegranate - 1 large

Place a large pored sieve over a deep vessal. Drape a thin muslin cloth over it. Now pour the yoghurt through this, cover with lid, and leave for 4-5 hours for the water to completely drain out. This is hung curd. Transfer to another container.

Dissolve the saffron in a teaspoon of warm milk.
Powder the cardamom. Crumble half the pistachios and almonds in a mixer. Add these, along with the sugar to the hung curd. Refridgerate for 1/2 an hour. Serve over a bed of pomegranate rubies. Garnish with silvered almonds and pistachios.

Yummy! especially when you know it's dessert that good for you! All those probiotics sans the calories!
The Paajaka 'Sweet series event - cool desserts' is on at http://www.paajaka.com/2008/07/announcing-sweet-series-cool-desserts.html