As a Bengali, always heard beginnings should be sweet. When someone visits for the first time, sweets are must in bong culture. Before you go for exam, interview and even marriage, you must have some mishti doi prior. If you are a Bengali, you can understand what I mean. But even if you are not a bong don’t worry.
Life is short, so dessert first.
My love for mishti doi flourished from my in laws. Because my in laws live in a city called Chinsurah, very well known for its mishti (sweet) and ofcourse mishti doi. The sweet level of this concoction is optimum. And it is always sold in terra-cotta pots and that enhances the aroma of this dessert. Hence my journey to find a recipe of this yogurt started immediately after landing in the new country. That's being said, i am sharing my easy-peasy recipe of sweetened yogurt. I make it in two way - one to bring that nostalgic red color ( which brings lot of childhood memories with the lal mishti doi from Bengali sweet shops) and second is simple white mishti doi. The color is created by caramelizing some sugar.
So lets start the cooking.
First lal mishti doi ( red sweet yogurt)
Ingredient
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 200°F (95°C)
2. You can start making the evaporated milk in a pan. Or you have store brought can of evaporated milk just reheat that in a pan on the stove.
3. In a small heavy bottom pan add the sugar and heat it till all the sugar melt and the color of the liquid becomes golden brown ( note it should not be deep brown). And turn off the heat and let it cool for a minute and 2 tbsp of the evaporated milk and mix it thoroughly so that there is no lumps in it.
4. In a mixing bowl add this sugar and milk mixture, the warm evaporated milk, the crushed cardamom seeds and condensed milk and mix it very well so that there is no lumps in it. I would recommend using your clean hands to mix it in the end. That will help you to feel the texture of the mixture and break the lumps if you find any. You should get a smooth brown color mixture.
5. If you have terracotta earthen pots then add the mixture and bake it for 2 hours that it create a nice aroma in the yogurt. If you don't have those earthen pots, don't worry use any bakeware or pyrex containers and bake them for 2 hours. If you want to single serve this then pour it small containers/ ramekins and bake it.
6. I know you have waited a lot, but please have some patience and you will get the best result. Now you have to check the consistency of the yogurt. Shake a little and if you find it is still jiggly bake for another 30 mins. If you feel it is little jiggly and almost set. Then take out the baking pan and let it cool for an hour outside.
7. Then chill it in the refrigerator ( not in fridger) for 2 hours and then serve.
Second white mishti doi
Ingredients same as first one.
Method:
Same as the methods of the first one. Only difference is that in this yogurt you don't have to melt the sugar. There is no need of making the caramel sugar and milk mixture.
1. Instead prepare/reheat the evaporated milk.
2. Then add all the ingredients even the 2 tbsp of white sugar in the mixing bowl and mix it nicely so that there are no lumps and then pour it in oven safe bakeware and bake for 2 hours.
3. Then let it cool and set outside and then chill in the normal fridge. You can serve it will any nuts of your choice, fruits of your choice or try as it is.
My love for mishti doi flourished from my in laws. Because my in laws live in a city called Chinsurah, very well known for its mishti (sweet) and ofcourse mishti doi. The sweet level of this concoction is optimum. And it is always sold in terra-cotta pots and that enhances the aroma of this dessert. Hence my journey to find a recipe of this yogurt started immediately after landing in the new country. That's being said, i am sharing my easy-peasy recipe of sweetened yogurt. I make it in two way - one to bring that nostalgic red color ( which brings lot of childhood memories with the lal mishti doi from Bengali sweet shops) and second is simple white mishti doi. The color is created by caramelizing some sugar.
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| Lal Mishti Doi |
First lal mishti doi ( red sweet yogurt)
Ingredient
- 2 tbsp of plain white sugar
- 1 cup of yogurt
- 2 cups of evaporated milk (Heat the whole milk till it come to boil. In medium heat stir it continuously from the bottom of the pan so that no layers get into the bottom of the pan. Note: you don't have to reduce the milk )
- 3-4 pods of crushed cardamom pod
- 1 cup of condensed milk (In the picture you can see that the can of condensed milk is fat free. Both fat free and normal one with fat works well. But I prefer the normal with fat condensed milk because it tastes good)
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 200°F (95°C)
2. You can start making the evaporated milk in a pan. Or you have store brought can of evaporated milk just reheat that in a pan on the stove.
3. In a small heavy bottom pan add the sugar and heat it till all the sugar melt and the color of the liquid becomes golden brown ( note it should not be deep brown). And turn off the heat and let it cool for a minute and 2 tbsp of the evaporated milk and mix it thoroughly so that there is no lumps in it.
4. In a mixing bowl add this sugar and milk mixture, the warm evaporated milk, the crushed cardamom seeds and condensed milk and mix it very well so that there is no lumps in it. I would recommend using your clean hands to mix it in the end. That will help you to feel the texture of the mixture and break the lumps if you find any. You should get a smooth brown color mixture.
5. If you have terracotta earthen pots then add the mixture and bake it for 2 hours that it create a nice aroma in the yogurt. If you don't have those earthen pots, don't worry use any bakeware or pyrex containers and bake them for 2 hours. If you want to single serve this then pour it small containers/ ramekins and bake it.
6. I know you have waited a lot, but please have some patience and you will get the best result. Now you have to check the consistency of the yogurt. Shake a little and if you find it is still jiggly bake for another 30 mins. If you feel it is little jiggly and almost set. Then take out the baking pan and let it cool for an hour outside.
7. Then chill it in the refrigerator ( not in fridger) for 2 hours and then serve.
Second white mishti doi
Ingredients same as first one.
Method:
Same as the methods of the first one. Only difference is that in this yogurt you don't have to melt the sugar. There is no need of making the caramel sugar and milk mixture.
1. Instead prepare/reheat the evaporated milk.
2. Then add all the ingredients even the 2 tbsp of white sugar in the mixing bowl and mix it nicely so that there are no lumps and then pour it in oven safe bakeware and bake for 2 hours.
3. Then let it cool and set outside and then chill in the normal fridge. You can serve it will any nuts of your choice, fruits of your choice or try as it is.
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| Sada Mishti Doi |
Don't worry if you don't have a oven. The original mishti doi (sweet yogurt) is never baked in any oven. So, place the final mixture bowl in a hot place for 8 hours (like near the stove), overnight is best. It is slow process but it will give the most authenticate taste.
Please try these recipes especially in the summer. I would suggest both. But the plain white mishti doi is quick one. Just dump, mix, bake and chill. Viola you have a dessert in our hand. Please let me know your comments and which one you like the best. And if you have any question regarding the ingredients or method do leave a comment. I will try to answer you as soon as possible.
Have a nice day and please enjoy this lovely dessert.
Thanks,
Moumita
