Bangladeshi Sweet Yogurt (Mishti Doi)
মিষ্টি দই Mishti DoiSay it: MISH-tee doy
A caramel-toned set yogurt from Bengal, mishti doi has a long association with Bogura, where milk and earthen pots help create its brown color and dense, smooth body. It is a wedding and festival sweet and a common final course at a special meal, usually presented in a small clay pot. Whole milk is cooked down until thick, sweetened with caramelized sugar, and cultured with a spoonful of yogurt, giving a lightly tart, aromatic yogurt firm enough to slice.
Bangladeshi Sweet Yogurt (Mishti Doi)
মিষ্টি দই, Mishti Doi
Pronounced MISH-tee doy
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains milk. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Method
In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk with 1/2 cup (100 g) of the sugar. Warm over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and keep cooking, stirring frequently and cleaning down the pan sides, for 30-35 minutes, until the volume falls by roughly half and the milk is clearly thicker.
Meanwhile, begin the caramel in a small heavy saucepan: add the last 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar and the water. Cook over medium heat, moving the pan in circles but not stirring, for 3-5 minutes, until the syrup is dark amber. Take it off the heat.
Pour the hot caramel into the thickened milk with care, keeping your face and hands back because it will bubble up. Stir until no caramel remains and the milk has a pale brown tint, then let it bubble gently for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Allow the mixture to drop to lukewarm, 105-115°F (40-45°C); a clean fingertip should feel comfortable in it for 5 seconds. Stir any skin that forms back into the liquid.
Spoon the yogurt into a small bowl, add 2-3 tablespoons of the warm milk, and whisk until no lumps remain. Return this to the saucepan and fold it in gently, stopping as soon as it is uniform.
Spoon the mixture into six clay pots or ramekins of 5-6 oz (150-180 ml) each. Put a lid or foil over every pot.
Move the covered pots to a warm, draft-free place, such as an oven with just the pilot light, a closed casserole, or a sheltered corner. Leave them alone for 6-8 hours or overnight; they are ready when the top is set and the whole pot moves only slightly as a single body.
Chill for at least 3 hours before eating. Offer it cold, directly from the pot.
Regional variant: Date-Palm Jaggery Mishti Doi (Gur-er Mishti Doi)
Use 3/4 cup (120 g) grated date-palm jaggery or dark jaggery instead of the sugar and caramel. Stir it into the hot reduced milk until melted, skip the caramel stage, then cool and add the culture as above. This version is a little softer and tastes strongly of molasses, and it is especially popular in winter.
Cook's notes
- New unglazed clay pots should be soaked for 30 minutes and then dried before their first use; they can lend an earthy note and take up some of the whey.
- Never mix the starter into hot milk; it must be lukewarm, otherwise the live cultures will be killed.
- To speed setting, set the covered pots on a steamer rack above gently boiling water for 20-25 minutes, then leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours before refrigerating.
Serve with
Offer it cold in its clay pot; if you like, add a little date jaggery or a few pistachios.
Make ahead and storage
Cover and refrigerate for as long as 4 days; freezing is not recommended.
