Sikarni - (yogurt, saffron, pistachio dessert)

Sikarni - (सिकर्नी) - Saffron-Pistachio Sikarni from Kathmandu

...Brighten your day by sampling the most delicious sikarni of Nepal ...from my mother's kitchen ...

Let's Celebrate Nepali culture this week by preparing the most loved yogurt desert of Nepal that we lovingly call it सिकर्नी - sikarni, pronounced, "see-kar-nee." Simple but elegant, sikarni is an exceptionally full-flavored, delicate, and creamy dessert made from drained yogurt, sweetened with sugar, flavored with saffron-green cardamom and sprinkled with chopped pistachios.  This savory desert was made lovingly by my mother regularly when growing up in Kathmandu with my siblings in the heart of the city.  It's probably where it originates too, in the Kathmandu Valley.  The sikarni was so delicious, and we savored spoonfuls at a time, sometimes with freshly cut-up tree-ripened mangoes, or just about any other seasonal fruits, or simply chopped nuts. This classic recipe was passed down from my mother, and I have been making it for festive occasions and family get together ever since.  

Sikarni is a versatile dish that takes on the flavor of whatever it is mixed with such as ground nuts, flavorful spices such as nutmeg and ground cardamom or any other ingredients of your choice, and let your creativity run wild to give a new twist to the dish.  Adjust its sweetness by using more or less sugar to suit your taste.  Refrigerate it for up to four days in an airtight container.

To celebrate and honor Mother's Day, (May 9 - Nepali Matha Tirtha Aunsi) and (May 11- USA) this week, I would like to share this recipe in my blog. It is such an easy and simple desert with a great taste that comes from simple ingredients.  It is definitely worth trying and I hope it becomes a traditional yogurt desert in your family too!

To get started, all you need is yogurt, sugar, cardamom, saffron, and chopped nuts.  I usually make my own home-made yogurt from one gallon milk, but you can use two 32-oz container of store-bought yogurt.  Here are my directions... Homemade Yogurt (page 394 - Taste of Nepal cookbook) or two 32 oz containers of ready-made yogurt, 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, plus 8 to 10 saffron threads for garnish, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 cup of sugar or to taste, Seeds of 8 to 10 green cardamom pods, finely ground with a mortar and pestle, 1/2 cup raw pistachios, coarsely chopped.

Directions - line a large colander with 3 layers of cheesecloth or muslin cloth.  Place the yogurt in the colander and bring the corners of the cheesecloth together to form a bag.  Set the colander with the yogurt over a large bowl, and drain whey.  Make sure the bottom of the colander is high enough, so the yogurt does not get touched the drained whey.  Place the colander and bowl in the refrigerator and check in a few hours to make sure the whey has not reached the colander.  Depending on the fit of your colander and bowl, you may need to remove the whey once or twice as the yogurt continues to drain. 

To facilitate the draining, adjust the bag, shifting it about and turning it upside-down in the colander from time to time.  Drain until the yogurt reduces to about half its original volume, or until it resembles soft cream cheese.  This may take 12-14 hours.

Gently crush 1/8 teaspoon of saffron with mortar and pestle.  Dissolve in the milk and set aside.

Remove the yogurt from the cheesecloth and transfer to a bowl.  Add the saffron-infused milk, sugar, and cardamom seeds and beat until light and creamy.  Stir in 1/4 cup of the chopped pistachios.  Transfer the mixture to a decorative platter, sprinkle with the remaining chopped pistachios and saffron thread.  Serve it immediately or cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.  Sikarni keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  If any whey rises to the surface, stir to incorporate it into the yogurt mixture. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

From Jyoti's kitchen - my favorite desert sikarni - pamper your taste buds!

.... using my home-made yogurt for sikarni ..

... scooping out the yogurt and pouring in a cloth-lined colander...

... traditional way of straining yogurt through cheesecloth to remove the whey ...

....removing the collected thickened yogurt and transferring  into a bowl - a little lengthy process to drain the whey

... getting ready to mix the nuts with drained yogurt

... coarsely grinding a small amount of nuts in a mortar and pestle and the green cardamom seeds is getting ready to be grind into fine powder.

....saffron strands mixed with warm milk in a mortar and pestle to dissolve, which will impart golden hue and delicious flavor to yogurt dish, sikarni ...

... the drained yogurt is ready - it should be a little thinner than cream cheese, but thicker than sour cream. Beat the yogurt until well blended, smooth and a little fluffy ...

... transfer into a serving dish and mix with saffron infused milk and chopped nuts

... sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top to garnish

... here is the picture of simple and scrumptious yogurt dessert, sikarni eaten at the end of a Nepali meal.  Have friends and family come over to enjoy!

As a variation - serving the creamy sikarni dessert,  mixed with pureed mango pulp in an individual bowls topped with a cherry in the middle.

Another picture of sikarni with chopped fruits and nuts in an individual bowl.

Freshly cut mangoes getting ready to be mixed up with sikarni

... making individual desserts cups by spooning mango-sikarni mixture, topped with chopped nuts into parfait glass bowl.

... mouthwatering dessert just looking at it.  Make sure to cool it, before serving!

Authentic and simple yoghurt sikarni from my mother's kitchen...

No matter what your favorite fruits are - mangoes, banana, pomegranates, strawberries, lichees, berries - just add the chopped fruits in a decorative bowl, scoop sikarni yogurt dessert as a delicious topping with chopped nuts as a garnish.

I hope you enjoyed my blog posting on Sikarni dessert of Nepal, specially prepared for Mother's Day - शुभ-कामना आमालाई! 

Happy Mother's Day In Different Languages
    Arabic: Eed omm sa-eed
    Chinese Mandarin: 母亲节快乐 (traditional: 母親節快樂) Mǔqīnjié kuàilè
    Czech: Den Matek
    Danish: Mors dag
    Dutch: Gelukkige Moederdag
    Finnish: Äitienpäivä
    French: (La) Fête des mères ("Day of Mothers")
    German: Alles Gute/Liebe zum Muttertag!
    Hindi: Matri Divas
    Hungarian: Anyák Napja
    Indonesian & Malay:  Selamat hari ibu
    Irish: Lá na Máithreacha
    Italian: (La) Buona Festa della mamma
    Japanese: 母の日 (Haha-no Hi omedetō)
    Korean:  Eomeoni-nal or Ŏmŏni-nal
    Malay: Hari Ibu
    Mauritian Creole: Bonne fête mama
    Polish: wszystkiego najlepszego w dniu matki
    Portuguese (standard) : (O) Dia da Mãe
    Portuguese (Brazilian) : Dia das Mães ("Day of Mothers")
    Spanish: Día de la Madre
    Swedish: Mors dag
    Turkish: Anneler Günü
    Icelandic: Mæðradagur
    Indonesian: Hari Ibu
    Lithuanian: Laimingos motinos dienos!
    Japanese: Haha no Hi
    Korean: Oboi Nal
    Latvian: Mates diena
    Malay: Hari Ibu
    Maltese: Jum l-Omm
    Montenegrin: Dan majki
    Norwegian: Morsdag
    Persian: Rúze mâdar gerâmi bâd
    Polish: Dzien Matki
    Portuguese: Dia da Mãe
    Romanian: Ziua mamei
    Spanish:  Madre
    Slovak: Den matiek
    Slovenian: Materinski dan
    Swedish: Mors dag
    Swahili: Liepstacoq Bua
    Tagalog: Maligayang araw ng mga ina
    Tamil: Annaiyar Dhinam
    Turkish: Anneler Gününüz kutlu olsun!
    Welsh: Suly Mamau
    Malayalam: Ammamar Dinam
    Kannada - Ammandira Dina
    Vietnamese: Ngày của Mẹ (officially Ngay quoc te Nu - "International Women's Day")
    Ukrainian: Свято Матері
    Urdu: Maanon Ka din mubarak

Kaaphal or Kafal Fruit - काफल - (Bay-Berry)

Kaaphal or Kafal - काफल - A Very Popular Wild Fruit of the Central Himalaya

Himalayan Wild Fruit - Kaaphal - काफल  - photo courtesy S Bhattarai

Nepali name: Kaaphal or Kafal

Common name: Bay-Berry, Box myrtle

Bot. name: Myricaceae Buch-Ham. ex D.Don. (M. nagii Thunb.)

Family Myricaceae - information source - An Introduction to Nepalese Food Plants by Regmi

Kaaphal is one of many extremely delicious wild fruits found throughout mid-Himalayan region. The fruit looks somewhat like deep-red colored raspberries.  They barely have any pulp, have a big round seed in the center.  Since they are very refreshing to eat, they are well liked by many Nepalese.  When I saw the above picture of Kaaphal in the Facebook, captured by Saroj Bhattarai (around April-May), it made my mouth water. I was remembering my childhood days.  

The fresh fruits have a reputation for being a little acidic even when they are ripe, but more sour when unripe. They have a limited harvesting period and available for a short period of time only.  When they were in season, local villagers picked and gathered the berries carefully from the wild growing areas and transported to Kathmandu in a wicker baskets (doko-daalo). We loved to eat the fruits with sprinkling of salt or rock salt and chili powder and it was a popular treat in the beginning of the summer months.  We were prevented eating under-ripe ones because they caused upset stomach, but we were hooked on these sweet, salty and spicy snack berries.  Now I wonder how simple things in life that made us so happy. Today I want to share with you the much loved wild berries that is growing throughout many parts of Nepal.  If you can get a hold of it, it is worth trying!     

I am so happy to introduce this weeks guest blogger, Bindesh Shrestha, and delighted to share his posting on the "Wild Berry from the Himalayas Kafal" written and posted originally at DesiGrub on July 28, 2012 (click the link). I have been a long-time fan of Bindesh's blog and find it very creative and inspiring. Please visit his site at "DesiGrub" (shared adventure with food from around the world)  and you will discover a very educational and informative site.   

Often described as one of the tastiest wild fruits, Kafal is a berry found on the foolhill of the Himalayas.  The raspberry-looking fruit with sweet and tangy flavors has a thin fruit coating with a large stone core, thus it's a drupe.  Eating kafal required you sucking on the fruity outer layer followed by spitting out its pit - (photo and text from DesiGrub)

Kafal is picked from a dozen-meter long wild trees during May and June.  Kafal trees are found on hills of Nepal and Northern India, between the altitudes of one and two thousand meters above sea level.  Kafal changes to reddish purple color ellipsoid-shape fruit at its maturity.  In scientific journals, kafal is mostly called Myrica esculenta, but also referred as Myrica integrifolia and Myrica nagi.  In ancient Sanskrit language, kafal is often called Kaiphala or Katphala, and believed to have a medicinal property in its bark. - (photo and text from DesiGrub).

Still today, street hawkers go door-to-door to sell kafal from a bamboo baskets in Kathmandu.  Once ordered, kafal are measured in a rusty tin container called manas (half liters), poured into a paper cone made from old newspaper, and sprinkle with spicy salt seasoning.  Since the shelf life of kafal is very short, only 2-3 days, people interested in eating kafal are recommended to fly to Kathmandu during May-June.

Kafal is celebrated with unprecedented number of songs and stories unlike any foods in the region.  Even a surname "Kafle" is said to be in honor of those kafal trees that gave fruits to people for millennia.  There are many songs about kafal such as reli khola bagar, kafal pakyo lahar (Nepal), kafal gedi kutukai (Nepal), Kafal pakyo hola banma (Nepal), and Rangeelo kumaon kafal kheja (Uttarkhand). Kafal is celebrated with unprecedented number of songs and stories.

There is much folklore interwoven with kafal and life in Himalayas than any other fruits.  Here are my two favorite tragic tales about why birds sing during kafal season.

A Nepali tale of a brother who leaves his sister to join an army.  He promises to return every year to enjoy kafal together.  He never returns, but she continues to send message every year when kafal ripens.  Even after her death, she now returns as a bird to let us know "kafal pakyo" or kafal is ripe".

Another story from Indian state of Uttarakhand is about a mom, who picks up a basketfull of kafal to sell.  She asks her daughter to look after the kafal basket and not to eat any fruit.  When mom returns, she realizes the kafal has lost some weight.  Suspecting her daughter must have eaten some, mom punishes her by beating.  The daughter kept on crying that she didn't taste any kafal.  It rains and kafal gain back some weight that they had lost due to scorching summer heat.  Unfortunately the girl died, and now she comes back every year in kafal season as a bird to sing "kafal pakko, meil ni chakkho" or kafal has ripened, but i didn't taste them."Often these stories are tragic, may be ripening of kafal symbolizes the change of season and end of beautiful Spring, kafal being one last sweet fruits of Spring before a harsh Summer. - (Photos and text - DesiGrub) 

Images of Kaaphal in the tree - photos courtesy xNepali

 The street vendor cries out, “Kaapfal aayo, kaaphal aayo” (the fruit has arrived) - photo from ECS magazine

Kaaphal for sale - photo courtesy Manoj Joshi

Bisket Jatra - Festival in Bhaktapur - भक्तपुर

The Greatest Festival of Nepal - Bisket Jatra of Bhaktapur भक्तपुर (2069-2070 B.S.)

A grand festival of Bhaktapur - repertoire of cultural experience...

Festivals are an integral part of life in Nepal, and numerous festivals held throughout the year are enthusiastically supported by the Nepalese people. Religious festivals are determined by the lunar calendar, while national festivals have fixed dates. There is one festival, however, which is determined by the solar calendar. This is the annual Bisket Festival, which takes place in early April in the ancient Newari Cultural City of Bhaktapur – and it is based on a fable.

Bhaktapur, the cultural capital of Nepal, is rich for its culture, heritage, traditional feasts and festivals and typical Newari life style. It is worthwhile to visit Bhaktapur especially when you can watch a live festival. The biggest festival of Bhaktapur is called ‘BISKET JATRA’. This year, it starts from 10th of April for a week. For the festival, people have started making Bhairab chariot and Bhadrakali chariot. The chariots will be pulled during the festival at Taumadhi square, Bhaktapur. They will be pulled by both sides of the chariot like a game tug of war.

Then there will be competition between the two parts of this ancient city called upper part (Thane) and down part (Kwone). It is so amazing to watch the chariot pulled by both sides.  At that moment people get so excited and with full of enthusiasm; they enjoy watching and pulling the chariot. The sound produced by pulling in full motion is just fantastic!!!

Because the nine-day Bisket Festival takes place over the period of the Nepalese New Year of Bikram Sambat, it is regarded as a New Year Festival as well. The festivities start off with a friendly tug-of-war between the residents of the lower and upper halves of the town of Bhaktapur, during which each group tries to pull an historical chariot containing an image of Betal and Bhairab to their side of the town. The festival includes parades, procession and the display of temple deities throughout the city. On the fourth day of the festival, and the last day of the “old year”, the men of the city work together to raise a approximately 25 meter high ceremonial pole, locally called "Yosing Dyo", into place. The pole has a crossbeam with two strips of cloth called "Halin Patta" hanging from it as a representation of two slain snakes. This ceremonial pole stays up until the following day when residents of the lower and upper halves of the city once more engage in a tug of war, but this time to pull the pole down to their respective sides. Once the pole crashes to the ground (sometimes resulting in casualties) it is seen as the official beginning of the New Year and the festivities continue for four more days.

The Bisket Festival of Bhaktapur is based on the story of a Bhaktapur King’s quest to find a husband for his daughter. Each time he made a suitable match, the groom would be found dead in the marital bed the following morning. Eventually eligible bachelors became a scarce commodity and the people prayed earnestly for deliverance from this mysterious curse. One day the father of the next prospective groom, on learning of the curse, offered to take his son’s place in the marital bed. Forcing himself to stay awake and alert following the consummation of the marriage, the substitute groom saw two deadly serpents slithering out of the princesses’ nostrils. The hero quickly killed the snakes and broke the spell, thereby earning the undying gratitude of the people and resulting in the celebration of the Bisket Festival.

Visitors to the beautiful city of Bhaktapur will more than likely be able to witness, and even share in a festival, no matter what time of the year they choose to travel here. Joining in the celebration of the Bisket Festival in April is sure to be an exciting and unforgettable experience for their entire life........ continue reading more here.


This week's pictorial blog takes us to the most beautiful and ancient  city of Bhaktapur to celebrate Bisket Jatra.  I would like to thank Rajesh Madhikarmi, for letting me share his pictures in the blog.  Rajesh is a very creative and talented photographer and his interest lies in capturing people and emotions.  He was born and brought up in Bhaktapur and is currently living there.   Visit his Facebook page "Lets SEE Through my Eyes." by clicking here.   My thanks goes to our friend, Prof. Yogendra Jonchhe, another native of Bhaktapur,  for providing me the official brochure of Bhaktapur Bisket Festival (jatra) and Madhyapur Thimi Bisket Festival (sindoor jatra).  The excerpts and write-ups are taken from the official page of Bhaktapur tourism department and Nagarpalika pages. 

Khwopinggram is the ancient name of Bhaktapur. The term "Bhaktapur" (भक्तपुर in Nepali-Sanskrit) refers to "The City Of Devotees". This Bhaktapur City is also known as Khwopa (ख्वप in Nepal Bhasaa) or "Bhadgaon" (भादगाँउ in Nepali) or "Ancient Newari Town" throughout the Kathmandu valley - source

If you would like to read more about this grand festival, here are some of the useful informative links and webpages:

Bhaktapur - Wikipedia - please click here.
The Greatest Festival of Nepal "Bisket Jatra of Bhaktapur" - please click here.
Nepali New Year and Bisket Jatra - please click here.
Bisket Jatra: a guide to celebrating Nepali New Year (Lonely Planet) - please click here.
Hole in the Donut Cultural Travel - connecting the world through storytelling by Barbara Weibel - please click here.
Explore Himalaya Tourism News, Trip Reports, Travel Guide & Photos - please click here.     

... sharing the lively spirit of festival time in Bhaktapur - the sight of decorated chariot is being pulled....

... young accomplished flute players during the festival time ...

... the leading musician with dhakaa topee (Nepali traditional hat), flower in his ears, busy playing the classic instrument tabalaa in the packed courtyard of Bhaktapur festival site ...

......thousands of people come to Bhaktapur from every corner of Nepal to watch the festival ...

...most elaborate Nepali New Year celebration ...

... procession continues ...

... spectators watching Bisket Jatra - young children climbing on a statue ...

... the lady in the red is carrying a tray full of offerings for the deity ...

... night time view of the chariot being pulled at the Bhaktapur courtyard area and the narrow stone-paved streets - no one should miss the festival of Bisket Jatra ...

... experience the most authentic and traditional Newari festival of Bisket Jatra ...

... everyone is in festive mood ... one hundred different reason to love Nepal's cultural heritage ...

...the chariot is being pulled slowly by holding a thick rope that is attached to the chariot....

.... everyone is participating to push the chariot ...

... a big tug of war - between two sides - the winners are considered blessed and it brings  good luck and  fortune to them for the coming New year ...

... wonderful photo shot by Rajesh Madhikarmi -  a man sitting underneath the wooden chariot to check the rope....

...festival music and musical instruments ....

... local musicians playing all kind of instruments ...

... decorating and giving the finishing touch to the big wooden chariot wheels  ...

A guide brochure -  celebrating Bisket Jatra from Bhaktapur, Tourism Department Committee, Taumodhi, Bhaktapur, Nepal

Itinerary of the festival - let's celebrate Bisket Jatra peacefully ....

Newspaper clipping  Kantipur 

- Nepali New Year and Bisket Jatra - The famous Bisket Jatra, generally celebrated by locals of Bhaktapur for nine days and eight nights in every New Year as per the established tantrum method has begun on Monday for this year.

Mainly, a pole decorated with the banner of Lord Indra will be erected on the last day of Chaitra and it is pulled down in the evening the following day (Nepali News Year´s Day) after marking the Lingo Jatra with fanfare at Bhelukhel, Bhaktapur.

The Jatra that dates back to the Lichchhibi period starts with the procession of chariot carrying the palanquins of Hindu deities across the town square.

In one of the most exciting annual events in the Kathmandu valley, a huge chariot carrying images of the god Bhairab is hauled by locals to Khalna Tole. The creaking and swaying chariot lumbers around town, pausing for a huge tug of war between the eastern and western sides of town.

After the battle the chariots head to Khalna Tole, where a huge 25m-high pole is erected in the stone base. RSS

 Bhaktapur at a Glance
    Established in the 8th century A.D
    Total municipal are of Bhaktapur 6.88 sq km
    Population density on an average 145 per/ha.
    Main occupation of inhabitant- Agriculture
    Secondary occupations are waving, woodcarving, metal crafts, clay work and stone carving business5_storied_temple
    Only producer of Nepali National Cap.
    Famous for good Yogurt production
    Enlisted in the World Heritage list in 1979
    Example of living heritage & medieval town of the Newars.
    “The cleanest and least polluted city in the country.”
    Decorated with the Peace Award of the UNESCO in Asia and Pacific in 1999.
    First City in the Country to launch college with science, management, engineering& architecture stream for the community in the modest tuition fees.
    E.A. Powell’s (London) observation – “Were there nothing else in Nepal save the Durbar Square of Bhadgaon (Bhaktapur), it would still be amply worth making a journey halfway round the globe to see”...... source - Bhaktapur Municipality