No Bake Mango Shrikhand Tarts

Mango Shrikhand tart is a delectable summer dessert that can be made very easily at home with a handful of ingredients. Chilled Amrakhand (mango-flavored hung curd dish) is filled in the no-bake tarts made with digestive biscuits and topped with mango chunks to make this super easy and utterly delicious mango shrikhand tart. You can serve these cute little mango tarts on special occasions or at kids get-togethers, potlucks, and kitty parties or simply enjoy it as an after-dinner dessert. Involve kids in making this no-cook treat for the added fun! 

What are Tarts?

Tarts are a sweet or savory dish with shallow sides and only bottom crust. The top is open and filled with either cream, custard, jam, fruits, or chocolate. The crust of the tarts is made with pastry dough and baked to get a firm crumbly base. The tarts are unmolded before serving. You may want to check out these Pineapple Jam tarts, from the Malaysian Cuisine, my first ever attempt on tarts from scratch.

No-Bake Tarts

No-bake tarts are an easy cheat treats that do not involve any cooking. Delicate crumbly tarts are made using crushed cookies and butter and simply pressed in tart pans and refrigerated to set. The tarts are then filled with any filling like chocolate, custard, fruit, jam etc, and unmolded before serving.

What is Shrikhand?

Shrikhand is a traditional yogurt dessert from the Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Curd is allowed to hang in a muslin cloth for about 4-5 hours so that all the moisture (whey) drips down and you are left with a creamy hung curd. This hung curd is called chakka in Marathi. This hung curd is then sweetened and flavored with saffron strands and cardamom to make a delectable Shrikhand. 

You can flavor this shrikhand with fruit pulps to make different varieties like Strawberry Shrikhand, where fresh strawberry puree is added to the shrikhand to give it an appealing pink color and beautiful flavor. When you flavor the shrikhand with mango puree you get another delectable dessert, Amrakhand or the Mango Shrikhand.

What goes into my No-Bake Mango Shrikhand Tart? 

It is raining mangoes here in the local markets. Summer is at its peak in North-India but in other parts of India, with the onset of monsoon, it is the official end to the mango season. I made these Mango Shrikhand Tarts to bid adieu to the king of fruits, the tropical delight-Mangoes. No-bake Mango Shrikhand tart is a delight to all ages and it is very easy to make as well. The dessert has 2 elements, the tarts, and the mango shrikhand. Once you are ready with the two, you just have to fill the tarts with shrikhand, garnish it and allow the dessert to chill until serving time. The tarts are unmolded just before serving. So let's have a look at the ingredients. 

For the Mango Shrikhand you require

• Hung Curd: Making hung curd at home is very easy. You may use thick home-made curd or store-bought plain yogurt for this, only make sure the curd is not very sour. You have to tie the curd in a muslin cloth and allow it to hang for 4-5 hours with a bowl underneath it to collect the dripping whey. After 4-5 hours you are ready with a creamy hung curd. I would highly recommend you to make the hung curd a day prior and allow it to chill in a refrigerator in an air-tight container.

• Mangoes: The next key ingredient is mango. You can use any variety of ripe mango, that is non-fibrous. A puree is made of mango by blending the peeled mango pulp in a grinder without adding any milk or liquid. You also require few mango bits for garnishing. For that use a ripe yet firm mango.

• Sweetener: The hung curd and mango puree is then blended with a sweetener. I have used powdered sugar here. Jaggery may also be used but then the color of the shrikhand will not be appealing. Honey can also be used if you wish to. 

• Saffron strands: This is optional but i have added saffron to the shrikhand and also used it for garnishing the tarts.

• Green Cardamom: Shrikhand is flavored using green cardamom. It lends a lovely aroma and flavor to the shrikhand and compliments very well with mangoes.

For the Tarts you need

• Biscuits/cookies: You may use any variety of biscuits or homemade cookies to prepare tarts. I have used digestive biscuits here. You may use chocolate-flavored biscuits also like oreo biscuits. The biscuits are simply crushed in a grinder jar to obtain a fine powder.

• Butter: Butter or melted ghee can be used here. It acts as a binding agent and allows the biscuit crumbs to take up the shape of the mold by adhering to mold.

The powdered biscuit and butter mixture is then pressed in tart molds and refrigerated so that it sets well. It takes around 40 minutes in a refrigerator for the tarts to set and become firm so that you can unmould them If in a hurry you may pop the tarts into freezer section for 15 minutes and the tarts come out easily. To unmold, you have to just insert a toothpick delicately at one corner and the whole tart comes out clean. I have used small 8 mm mini metal tart molds here. You may use silicone molds or molds with detachable bottoms. If you do not have any of the above, you may simply grease a shallow steel bowl and use it instead. However, the curved edges of the tart molds are easy to unmold and also give an appealing look to the tarts. I have garnished the shrikhand filled tarts with mango bits, saffron strands, pistachio and tutti frutti. You may use any fruit or nut of your choice instead.

Munchkin Meals @FoodieMondayBlogHop:

Foodie Monday Blog Hop is a gourmet Facebook group where a bunch of talented food bloggers from around the globe share their delicious food recipes every Monday depending upon any one of the chosen themes. All the bloggers take turns to suggest 2 themes each week and the theme that wins maximum votes is finalized. It is our 253rd week on this group and it was Narmadhas turn to suggests themes. The one which won maximum votes was healthy recipes for kids. Narmadha suggested that we share the food recipes that are healthy and nutritious. She wanted us to share the food ideas with which we can make the fussy kids eat food which usually they won't like to eat. My son does not eat plain curd but he loves it in the form of hung curd. He happily gobbles down the Hung curd sandwich and has a spark in his eyes when i serve him with Strawberry Shrikhand and Fruit and yogurt parfait. Summer is at its peak here in North India and so i wanted to make something cool and keep it simple. I also wanted to bid adieu to mangoes by making something delectable. This no-bake mango shrikhand tarts were just the perfect treats we could think of. In fact, making this no-cook dish was a fun activity as my little joined me in whisking the amrakhand and preparing the tarts. Meanwhile, do check out the three-ingredient Eggless Mango Mousse and homemade bournbon biscuit recipes by Narmadha. You may also want to check out her healthy toddler and kid recipe collection. 

                                                           

Health Benefits Of Hung Curd: Source

Before moving ahead with the recipe, let's have a look at the benefits of including hung curd in our diet.

Curd helps in improving gut health, bone health, digestion, and also regulates cholesterol and reduces high blood pressure. It is rich in protein and has weight loss benefits. 

• Good source of protein and a good low-carb alternative: As per experts, hung curd boasts twice the amount of protein and half the carbs when compared to normal yogurt.
• Good Probiotic: Just as yogurt, hung curd is also an exceptional source of probiotic. The fermented food increases the bio-availability of minerals present in food, helping the body assimilate more nutrition. Healthy gut flora is responsible for good digestion, immunity, and weight loss.
• Calcium Source: Hung is an excellent source of calcium. As per USDA, 100 grams of hung curd has a whopping 106 milligrams of calcium. Calcium keeps our bones and teeth strong.
• Low Sodium Content: Hung curd has much less sodium content than regular yogurt.

Preparation Time:  45 minutes 

Cooking Time: Nil

Serves: 5

Ingredients for the amrakhand (mango shrikhand): 

• 1/2 cup hung curd 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup mango pulp
•  1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
• Few strands of Saffron

Ingredients for the tarts:

• 150 grams digestive biscuits (i have used Nuti choice biscuits)
• 50 grams of melted butter

Other Ingredients:

• 1 ripe yet firm mango chopped into bits
• 2 tablespoon chopped pistachio
• Few strands of saffron
• Tutti frutti or pomegranate arils for garnishing

Method:

1. We will begin by making the tarts first. For that, roughly crush the digestive biscuits in a grinder jar to get a fine powder. Transfer the powdered biscuits to a mixing bowl. Add melted butter to it and mix well. Add this mixture to greased tart molds and press well. Refrigerate the tart molds for around 30-40 minutes so that they become firm and can be easily unmolded. 

                              

                              

                                           

2. Meanwhile, prepare the Mango Shrikhand, for that take hung curd, powdered sugar, and mango pulp in a mixing bowl. Whisk well using a wire whisker until all the ingredients blend with each other to get a lump-free creamy mixture. Add cardamom powder and saffron strands to it and give a good stir. Our delicious amrakhand is ready.

3.  Remove the tarts from the refrigerator and fill them with the prepared mango shrikhand. You may further refrigerate the tarts until serving time or unmold the tarts by simply loosening the sides using a toothpick. Garnish the tarts with chopped mango bits, pistachio, saffron, and tutti frutti or pomegranate arils before serving. Enjoy the flavorful mango treat with your loved ones!

Recipe Notes:

• Use fresh curd that is not very sour to make hung curd.
• Use any variety of ripe mango that is non-fibrous, sweet, and juicy to make Amrakhand.
• Any biscuit variety or homemade cookie can be used to make the tarts. I have tried these tarts with oreo and choco-chip biscuits as well and chocolate flavor complements very well with mango shrikhand. 
• You may use any fruit or dry fruit to garnish the shrikhand filled tarts.
• Mango Shrikhand tarts taste best when served chilled. Keep them refrigerated until serving time.

I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.

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For more no-cook Kid friendly recipes using Hung Curd, check out the following links from this blog.

• Strawberry Shrikhand

                        

• Hung Curd Sandwich

                        

• Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

                       

• Jamun Fruit Yogurt Popsicle

                                   

• Amrakhand

                       

• Rose Lassi Popsicle