Mishti Doi / Bengali Sweet Yoghurt

If there is any sweet that comes to my mind after rosogolla, it is the mishti doi. The sweet yoghurt that has originated in Bengal and has cast spell over everyone who had a spoonful of it at point of their life. Mishti Doi is not just sweet yoghurt, where you mix some sugar with the milk and then let it set. Making mishti doi requires as much effort and patience as required in making any sweets. What sets apart the Bengali Mishti Doi from just a regular sweet yogurt is its caramel taste and smell. And one needs to be as precise as they will be in making a caramel sauce while making mishti doi, because the if you don't stop cooking the sugar at the right time, the yoghurt just looses all the taste in it. An overcooked caramel is the end of mishti doi and there is no coming back from it. 

In the shops the bright caramel colour of the yoghurt comes from long cooking hours of the milk with sugar. The reason they achieve this colour is also because they boil large quantities of milk and sugar and they boil them on large gas or wood fire. Since in home we wont be able to have any of that advantage we caramelise the sugar to get that colour and taste that comes from long hours of cooking. But none the less, the yoghurt turns out exactly the same every time. Because of the addition of a large amount of sugar in it, the fermentation process sometimes gets very complicated and the yoghurt does not set. To prevent that uncertain outcome I use my oven to keep them in a steady warm temperature which will help in the fermenting process but at the same time it will not bake the yoghurt. In this case it is very important to see when to stop the oven because keeping them exposed to that warm temperature for a long time makes the yogurt very hard and creaminess of mishti doi gets lost. So the oven needs to stop once the yogurt reaches a semi set consistency, i.e. if you shake the bowl the yoghurt will appear set around the edge but the middle section will jiggle. It is also necessary to use very good quality full fat cow milk because that will ensure the collection of the cream on top which will harden once they get inside the fridge and give the mishti the much desired creamy top that everyone covets. 

Ingredients:

1. 3 litres of full fat cow milk
2. 500 gm white granulated sugar
3. 1/4 cup sour yoghurt 

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed large pot pour the milk and let it come to a rolling boil.
2. Once they start boiling, turn the gas to low and simmer on a low heat, scraping the bottom frequently, for around 2 hours or until the milk reaches to half of its original quantity.
3. In a separate saucepan pour the sugar with 1/2 cup of water and let it melt on a very low flame.
4. Stir and mix until the sugar reaches a dark amber colour. Pour one ladle of milk and keep stirring. Keep pouring milk to the melted sugar until the wild frizz stops. Now pour this sugar and milk mixture back to the pot and simmer again for 15 minutes on a medium flame.
5. In the end the milk should have a thick and sticky texture and a dark caramel colour.
6. Cover the pot and let it become cold enough to dip your finger.
7. In a strainer pour the yoghurt and let the excess whey drain.
8. When the milk is cool enough to dip a finger in it, take a cup of milk in a cup and mix all the strained yoghurt in it. Whisk vigorously so that no white lump stays visible.
9. Pour this mix into the milk and whisk again to have an even mix.
10. Pour the milk in small cups or bowls of your choice or in a big bowl.
11. Cover them with aluminium foil and leave inside the oven at 100F for around 2-3 hours.
12. After 3 hours leave them inside the oven overnight.
13. The next day take out the aluminium foil and keep them inside the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.