Posted on
20 December 2016
by
Liz Robb
Nepalese Sikarni with Melon
Ingredients
8 heaped tablespoons of thick full fat Greek yoghurt
4 heaped tablespoons of soured cream
2 teaspoons of runny honey
Fresh nutmeg
Cinnamon
1 pomegranate
Watermelon
Honeydew melon
Preparation
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Spoon the yoghurt and soured cream into a piece of muslin or cheesecloth, tied or twisted at the top, then place inside a colander over a bowl to catch the drained liquid. Leave to drain off the whey in the fridge for a few hours. [You can omit this stage if you’re short of time, but it does thicken the dessert.]
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Mix the drained yoghurt and cream together in a bowl. Stir in the honey and a good grating of nutmeg, try it and adjust to taste, then spoon the mixture into small dishes. Place the dishes in the fridge to chill.
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When you are ready to serve dessert, carefully sprinkle cinnamon on top of each dish in the shape of a cross. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and arrange some of them in the spaces between the cinnamon lines.
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Cut the watermelon and the honeydew melon into small slices and arrange them neatly on the plate, ready to dip into the sikarni, and garnish with some of the remaining pomegranate seeds.
Cooks Note
I first tasted this creamy dessert as the final course of a wonderful Nepalese banquet in Kathmandu, a perfect light ending to a rich meal. Sikarni is a traditional simple but delicate dessert which consists of thick drained Nepalese yoghurt, sometimes with the addition of soured cream, sweetened and spiced.
It has many variations, usually with one or more of the following additions:
Fruit, such as mango, melon, pomegranate or banana.
Nuts, pistachios and almonds for example.
Spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, saffron, cardamom, cloves or saffron.
Sugar or honey.
Grated coconut.
This is my version, so easy to make but lovely to eat!
Makes 2 generous servings.