Sikarni (Nepali Spiced Yoghurt with Nuts and Saffron)

Name: Sikarni (Nepali Spiced Yoghurt with Nuts and Saffron)
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 700g full fat Greek yoghurt; 60g caster sugar; 0.5 tsp ground cardamom; 0.25 tsp saffron strands, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk; 30g pistachios, chopped; 30g flaked almonds; 40g raisins

Thick strained yoghurt whipped with sugar, cardamom and saffron, scattered with nuts and raisins. A Nepali festival dessert.

Time20 mins (plus draining)
LevelEasy
Costabout £1.05 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

4 servings

Ingredients

Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.

700 gfull fat Greek yoghurt
60 gcaster sugar
½ tspground cardamom
¼ tspsaffron strandssoaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
30 gpistachioschopped
30 gflaked almonds
40 graisins

Method

1
Line a sieve with muslin or a clean tea towel and set it over a bowl. Spoon in the yoghurt, cover, and drain in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight, until very thick.
240 min
2
Tip the thick yoghurt into a clean bowl and discard the whey, or keep it for baking.
3
Whisk in the caster sugar, cardamom and saffron milk until completely smooth and silky.
4
Fold in half the pistachios, almonds and raisins. Chill for 30 minutes.
30 min
5
Spoon into small bowls and scatter over the remaining nuts and raisins. Serve cold.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.