Today is the end of the week-long celebration. On this day, with heavy hearts and teary eyes we bid adieu to Maa Durga for Kailash. We have to wait for another whole year to welcome her back. So to keep things happy and cheerful, we wish each other greetings of “Shubho Bijoya” and exchange sweets. So, today I want to share one of the popular sweets of Bengal, laal mishti doi.
Bengalis are known for their fondness of sweets and fish. There are so many varieties of Bengali sweets and this Mishti Doi is one of them. Mishti Doi is quintessentially a Bong thing and is very famous in Bengal.
Every occasion in a Bengali family starts with mishti doi, be it wedding, rice ceremony or any puja. On the wedding day, at the crack of dawn, the bride and groom are fed dadhi karma (a ritual where mishti doi is mixed with flattened rice and puffed paddy). Doi or yogurt is considered to be very auspicious in Hindu Shahstra. On Bijoya Dashami, our family has a tradition to see a bowl of sweet yogurt (mishti doi), the first thing in the morning.
How is mishti doi made at home?
In Kolkata since it is very widely popular, it is not usually prepared at home. We rely on the best sweetshop to deliver as and when needed. But my Maa prepares homemade yogurt for us to have it after lunch every single day. The yogurt she prepares is not sweet, just the plain variety. As a kid I used to fuss about having that, so she added couple of teaspoons of sugar to sweeten it before setting the yogurt and I was one happy soul. This recipe is quite similar to what Maa used to make for me. The only thing is that here you need to caramelize the sugar to get that typical reddish brown hue to the yogurt.
The recipe is quite simple but the key ingredients are the patience and time. It is not something you could have it just after making it. It needs good 8 hours for the yogurt to set. So it is very important to give that much time and plan ahead before preparing this.
How does Laal Mishti Doi Taste?
Laal Mishti Doi is a delight in itself. The sweet taste, the color and flavor from the earthen pots make it a perfect dessert each and everytime. With this Laal MIshti Doi I wish all my readers Subho Bijoya!
Points to note before making Mishti Doi
For thick yogurt you may use the Greek Yogurt or strain it through the strainer for an hour. That way you will get thick yogurt.To speed up the process of thickening the milk you may heat at medium flame but in that case you need to be very cautious and have a very close eye on the milk, stirring every couple of minutes. After setting the yogurt for 8 hours the doi may seem to jiggle in the center. That is absolutely fine. Once it is chilled it is set perfectly.
Tips:
If you are preparing this on a cold day, then you may keep the tray in a warm oven to speed up the setting time. For that you need to pre-heat the oven at the lowest temperature for half n hour. Switch off the oven and then place the tray with the earthen pots. The warm cloth will also help in setting the yogurt.
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LAAL MISHTI DOI
- YIELD: 8-10 Servings
- PREP: 5 mins
- COOK: 60 mins
- READY IN: 9 hrs 5 mins
Laal Mishti Doi is a delight in itself. The sweet taste, the color and flavor from the earthen pots make it a perfect dessert each and every time.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups full fat milk (1 1/2 litres)
- 1/2 cup thick plain yougurt see tips
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar more or less according to taste
- 4 tablespoons sugar for caramalizig
- 2 tablespoons water
INSTRUCTIONS
-
- In a heavy bottom pan heat milk at medium flame. When the milk starts to boil reduce the flame to low and let it thicken to half the quantity. While thickening/reducing the milk stir occasionally so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- When the milk is reduced to half, add the granulated sugar and cook further until it is thickened to almost like malai or rabri and the color is turned to light brown.
- In a separate pan add the 4 tablespoons of sugar and water and heat at medium flame. Let the sugar melt and form a syrup. Do not stir. Continue to cook until the syrup changes to golden brown in color. Switch of the flame and very carefully add to the thickened milk.Mix well. Keep aside and let it cool down slightly.
- When the milk mixture is just lukewarm and not too hot, take a big measuring cup and add the plain yogurt to it. With a whisk combine the thickened milk with the yogurt and mix to form a homogeneous liquid.
- Pour in the yogurt mixture on to earthen pots or glass bowls. Cover with a foil or a plastic wrap. Place the pots on a tray and cover with a warm piece of cloth. Keep the tray in a warm place undisturbed for about 8 hours or overnight.
- After resting for 8 hours the yogurt will set. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve chilled at the end of any meal. Enjoy!
Sonali, that is a lot of mishti doi. Utterly tempting to look at. Certainly must taste good too. 🙂
Thank you Shreyashi! Yes it tasted just like Kolkatar mishti doi 🙂
Awesome, I love sweets, this is great blog. Thanks for sharing this article with us.