..a guest post by Pavithra of Dishes from my Kitchen
I have just completed a cross country drive across America (read about it here and here!) and moved to Portland, OR. While I’m settling in, I’ve asked my good friend and talented blogger, Pavithra to guest post today. Pavithra and I made an instant connection because we are from the same city in India. And I have followed her beautiful blog and seen it grow into a hugely popular destination for Indian food lovers. You are going to love this sweet yogurt recipe! Take it away Pavithra.
First of all I should say thanks to Sala for giving me an opportunity to do this guest post. I am truly honored! Who can say no when your favorite blogger friend asks you to guest post?
I am here today with very rich dessert but really simple to make. Mishti Doi is a Bengali dessert. Bengal is a part of East India and Bengalis are very famous for their sweet preparation. Mishti Doi is among their well known dessert, I have enjoyed having them from my childhood days. Whenever my dad visits Bangalore he will never miss to have them, similarly whenever he takes us to Bangalore we used to enjoy them in a cute earthen pot in a famous Bengali sweet shop.
Mishti Doi is a sweet yogurt. It is made with milk and sugar. A part of sugar is caramelized to give lovely caramel flavor. This is a very popular dessert. Earthenware is always used as the container for making this because the gradual evaporation of water through its porous walls not only further thickens the yogurt, but also produces the right temperature for the growth of the culture. Very often the yogurt is delicately seasoned with a hint of elaichi (cardamoms) for fragrance, but this is absolutely optional. I some times make with Saffron, elaichi or just with caramelized sugar. You can prepare the way you like.
I am giving you two ways of preparing this delicious and flavorful yogurt. If you have evaporated milk and condensed milk handy then go for ver I else you can do the ver II.
Mishti Doi Recipe 1
makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
1 can (12 oz) Evaporated Milk
1 cup boiled whole milk
1/2 can (7 oz) Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon Water
1/3 cup Yogurt
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 degree Fahrenheit and switch off the oven.
1. Pour the evaporated milk and whole milk in a vessel.
2. Heat them until it is above body temperature.
3. To this add the condensed milk.
4. In the mean time heat 2 tbsp of sugar in a pan on low heat until the sugar is caramelized to nice golden brown. Turn off heat. Now add 1 tbsp of water and stir with a spoon.
5. Add this caramelized sugar to the milk mixture.
6. When the milk mixture is warm add the yogurt and blend well.
7. Pour them in individual serving containers.
8. Close with lid or foil. Let the yogurt set overnight in the preheated oven (dont turn on the oven!)
9. Then refrigerate set yogurt for at least few hours before serving.
Mishti Doi Recipe 2
If you don’t have the condensed and evaporated milk called for in recipe1, no worries here is another recipe for mishti doi without using condensed milk or evaporated.
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup Sugar
1/3 tablespoon Plain Yogurt, whisked
1 tablespoon Water
Method
1. Heat the milk in the heavy bottom pan. Reserving 1/3 cups of the sugar for caramelizing and add the rest to the hot milk. Let boil and reduce to half the quantity.
2. In the mean time heat reserved 1/3 cup of sugar in a pan on low heat until the sugar is caramelized to nice golden brown. Turn off the heat. Now to that add 1 tbsp of water and stir with a spoon.
3. Add this caramelized sugar to the milk and stir until well blended.
4. Let the milk cool just until it is warm (but not hot). Then add the yogurt and mix well.
5. Pour in serving dishes/ pots and set overnight in a warm place*.
6. Once the yogurt is firm, put it in the refrigerator for few hours before serving.
Notes
- Mishti Doi taste’s best when served in earthen pot but it’s optional. But we love making them in earthen pot it really comes out very creamy its my personal experience.
- *Using the warm oven is optional, if the weather is really hot just put the pot in a cool dry place and let them set overnight. If the weather is very cool then opt for oven method to set the yogurt.
- If you want to flavor the yogurt using cardamom or saffron, just omit the caramelization part of sugar. Instead add less then 1/4 tsp of cardamom powder or Saffron (mixed with hot water) to the milk mixture before the yogurt is added
thanks for the recipe ! great post
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Thank you sharing this fabulous recipe.
You think Danon yogurt will do, or I will have to get the “real yogurt”..??
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pavithra Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Dida you can use Dannon natural yogurt (plain one) for this.
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My very own and favorite Misti Doi
I had plenty at home and these beautiful pictures remind me of good times! Pavithra, the photographs are simply gorgeous!!! Sala hope you get settled soon.
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Loving your guest post series Sala…
Fantastic guest post Pavithra, the pictures are simply stunning… they compel me to make my own Mishti Doi.. beautiful!
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Gorgeous photos – I just want to taste this…
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Looks heavenly, and absolutely easy to make. Loves the earthen pot in the first pic
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I guess I gonna make this,:) thanksnfor the recipe
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Sala did she mean 175 degrees Centigrade…175 deg F is non existent in our ovens.
I follow Pavi’s recipes like I do my S.Meenakshi Ammal. Congratulations to both of you on this post.
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pavithra Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Its approximately 80 degree centigrade. Just to set the yogurt in warm place. If the whether is really hot then you can keep them in some closed place.
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Hy Sala,
sounds amazingly tasty…nice cliks
first time here…hopped in from pavithra’s space.
glad I stopped by here..
awesome space you have
love ur recipe collections..
Am your happy subscriber now..:)
do stop by mine sometime..
Tasty Appetite
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Sweet treat looks so delicious.. loved the presentation and the pics look stunning..:)
Reva
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Wow! Never tried this before but it sounds incredible. Going to try to make this tonight! Thanks Pavithra. All the best with the unpacking Sala.
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Wow…..i love it….love the simple variation of recipe too…..pictures are drool worthy…..
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I love this dessert very much…nice series going on Sala and Pavithra is one of my fav bloggers,gud 2 c her guest post here…:)
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looks perfect
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Oooo! I’d like more recipes using these beautiful little pots!!!
And…since you’re in Oregon…I’m hoping you promise us a visit–with pictures–to the Hoyt Arboretum spring and fall!!
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Love the series of photos… nice work in setting up and styling…
A bland white surface is hard to get details out of. I was shooting some Ricotta cheese the other day, and the blandness hurt, so had to add some things to give a surface contrast…
I will be borrowing the setting from the photos one of these days ? Did you copyright them ;-???
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fantastic. Looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
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Love the earthenware pots. Could you please tell me where I can order some from?
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Just thought I’d add my experience for the benefit of those who aren’t too good at following instructions. I made the Mishti Doi using recipe 1. Don’t have a thermometer so winged the temperatures and used Trader Joes Greek 2% Yogurt as starter and put the Doi in the oven to set. Next morning I come down and what I saw was basically a thick milkshake. Went to work wondering how to get the Doi to set since I had committed to taking this for a pot luck. Contemplated using (gelatin OMG). Anyway next day thought I would heat the liquid Doi and add more yogurt (instead of going the gelatin route). A soon as it started warming up the Doi started becoming thicker and I could see the acidophilus and his cousins procreating and the Doi beginning to look like it would set (w/o adding any additonal starter). Poured it into my chatti and then in the oven and sent an im to God:). Next morning had a nicely set Mishti Doi and it was awesome. Based on the response I got they loved the taste of the chatti and the caramel tasted like jaggery (OK I admit I burnt that a bit) but all in all I hope to resulted in more subscribers to your blog. This is the third recipe of yours I have tried and I am a fan.
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Wow this looks lovely. I love Indian desserts, we also had a carrot based pudding on holiday and the best Indian rice pudding ever, can’t wait to try this milky one too. Thanks again Sala and Pavithra.
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Dear Sala
Thanks for sharing the recipes. I tried to make mishti doi following ur RECIPE-2 very meticulously but I dont know even after keeping the mixture whole night in warm condition, the mixture did not get thickened. Any solution to it? Pl help.
Thanks
Regards
Saha
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pavithra Reply:
February 5th, 2013 at 7:23 am
Hi Saha ,
Make sure the milk mixture should be hot enough but not burning hot if u touch u should able bare the heat. Then add the Yogurt and keep it in nice warm place. Hope this helps.
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Hi,
Thank you for the recipe. I love mishti doi very much and I tried the recipe (whole milk version). But how do I boil milk long enough to reduce to half without turning it into kheer? I kept boiling and measuring its depth, but by the time it became half, it became like kheer. I still went ahead and added curd to it and am hoping it will still turn out alright. But in case it doesn’t, can you tell me the trick so I can try it next time?
Thanks
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pavithra Reply:
February 5th, 2013 at 7:28 am
Hi Soumyee… Just reduce the milk to half not further. When it is reduced to half it will be liquidy(Not so thick) and Make sure the milk mixture should be hot enough but not burning hot if u touch u should able bare the heat. Then add the Yogurt and keep it in nice warm place. Hope this helps. But in your case you already added the yogurt. If it is not set put in in the microwave for 30 sec to 60 sec it sets.
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Hi,
Where in restaurants do you find this yummy Mishti Doi.I am lazy to make but really really want to taste.
Thanks,
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Hi,
I luv to make mishti doi, but I m little confuse, which yogurt I have to add…
Sweet yogurt or plain yogurt, which one..
Thanks.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
May 30th, 2014 at 11:57 am
Plain yogurt
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