Mishti Doi (Sweetened Yogurt, Bengali Style)

[bong]

Mishti Doi (Sweetened Yogurt, Bengali Style)

Serves 6 as Dessert.

[ In Bengali, "Mishti" = "Sweet" and "Doi" = Yogurt ]

This is a classic Bengali dessert, also known as "Lal Doi" (literraly, "red yogurt"). In Bengal, folks very rarely makes this at home, instead preferring to buy it from the neighborhood sweet shop, where it is served in these little containers made from unglazed clay.

• 1 qt Whole Milk
  
• 1/2 c Instant Non Fat Dry Milk Powder (NFDM), Optional
  
• 1 c Sugar
  
• 1 c Plain Yogurt (with "live" or "active" culture)
  
• 2 T Water
  
• 1 T Water, optionally to be added to caramel
  

Place saucepan in medium low heat, mix milk and NFDM and bring the mixture to boil. (about 45 minutes). In the last 10 minutes, add half the sugar to the milk, and stir to mix. Reserve the other half of the sugar to make caramel.

In the meanwhile, in another flat bottomed saucepan, mix the sugar with 2 tablespoon water and bring to boil. When boiling, stir the mixture slowly so the sugar dissolves into water. Continue on medium-high heat until the mixture turns light golden yellow in color. It has now started to form a caramel. Add in another 1 tablespoon of water, if needed, to thin the caramel a little bit.

Make sure that the caramel does not turn dark in color. Stop cooking the caramel as soon as it has turned a light yellow color.

Slowly stir in this caramel to the boiling milk mixture. Be careful, as the caramel is very hot. Continue boiling the milk for about 5 more minutes.

Remove milk from heat, and cool to lukewarm (110 degree fahrenheit, 50 degree celcius).

In a container, beat the yogurt and form into a paste. Add a bit of the warm milk to this, continue to beat it so the yogurt becomes like a thick liquid. Now pour this yogurt back into the warm milk and stir thoroughly to mix well.

Place the milk in a warm place (Ideally, 120 degree fahrenheit or 55 degree celcius) for about 6-10 hours, until it has set. ( I turn my oven on at its warmest setting for 5 minutes, then turn it off. I then turn the pilot light on; I then place the milk inside this oven and leave it in there).

Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Vegetarian, Indian, Snack

( RG1137 )