Sikarni in Croatia: a Tihar dessert you can make with 5 things from any supermarket

No Nepali shop nearby? Thick Greek-style yogurt, sugar, cardamom and nuts are enough for a creamy Sikarni for Tihar (7–11 November). Five steps, about 10 minutes of work.

Published 2026-11-01 · Source checked 2026-10-31

Sikarni is a Nepali dessert made from thick, strained yogurt sweetened and flavoured with spices and dry fruit. It is easy, needs no cooking, and it is perfect for Tihar when guests come for tika and sweets.

The Croatian trick is the yogurt. Nepali sikarni uses curd with the water drained out. In a Croatian shop, look for "grčki jogurt" (Greek yogurt) or "gusti jogurt" with no sugar added. It is already thick, so you can skip hours of draining.

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You need five things: 500 g grčki jogurt, 3–4 tablespoons of šećer (sugar) or powdered sugar (šećer u prahu), 4–5 cardamom pods (kardamom, in the spice aisle or at Nepali and Asian shops), a handful of nuts (orasi, bademi, or the raisins called grožđice), and optionally a few threads of saffron (šafran).

1. Put the yogurt in a clean cloth or sieve for 30 minutes if it looks watery. 2. Stir in the sugar until smooth. 3. Crush the cardamom seeds and mix them in. 4. Fold in chopped nuts and raisins. 5. Chill for at least an hour and serve cold in small bowls.

Taste and adjust: Croatian yogurt is often more sour than Nepali curd, so add sugar slowly. Sikarni keeps 2 days in the fridge in a closed box. Recipes differ by family and region, so treat this as a simple starting version, not the only one.

What to do: make it on the first evening of Tihar and take a bowl to a neighbour or colleague, a nice way to share your culture. For more festival help see our Tihar in Croatia guide and the sel roti recipe. What does your family add to sikarni? Tell us on our Facebook page.

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