Mishti Doi recipe with tips and tricks
West Bengal is renowned for many desserts. Among all of these desserts mishti doi is an exclusive one. It requires very few, rather two basic ingredients sugar and milk along with little yogurt to prepare mishti doi. Earlier mishti doi was an integral part of biyebari(marriage feast) but these days in many places mishti doi has been replaced by some other desserts or ice-cream. I believe the reason behind this is the amount of time it requires to set. However, mishti doi has not lost its popularity in Bongs and rather has also become popular in other states of India.

Tips and tricks to prepare Mishti Doi
It is often said that mishti doi cannot be prepared at home but this is absolutely wrong. Well, as you all yogurt is set in presence of live bacteria. These bacteria are extremely good for our health. However, in case of mishti doi the added sugar inhibits the growth of these bacteria and slows down the formation of mishti doi. First of all, while preparing mishti doi, you need to be patient as it requires more time to set. Secondly, it requires warm temperature for setting. Since it is winter now, I had left it in oven at 40°C for 4 hours to set and I was all sorted. If you do not have an oven just cover it properly with few layers of woolen clothes and leave it in any warm part of your kitchen. Thirdly, the yogurt you have taken as starter should have live culture and should not be sterilized.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: (Bengali)Indian
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 1 Litre full fat milk
- 2 tablespoons of milk powder
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of yogurt
Directions
- Boil the milk and keep stirring to reduce the volume of milk to half. Avoid formation of malai/cream as much as possible.
- Take some milk out in a glass and to it add the milk powder and mix properly.
- Now, mix this milk to the remaining milk.
- In another pan add about 1/3 of the sugar and keep stirring on a low flame. Gradually, the sugar will start caramelizing. Be careful not to burn the sugar.
- Now, turn off the flame and add some milk to the caramelized sugar.
- As all the caramelized sugar dissolves add this milk to the remaining milk.
- Also add the remaining sugar and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Addition of sugar makes the milk dilute therefore the simmering is necessary.
- Now, turn off the flame and let the milk cool down. The milk should cool down till the point when you dip a finger and is able to keep the finger dipped for 1 minute.
- Whisk the yogurt properly else you will find lumps of yogurt in mishti doi after it is set.
- Then add the tablespoon of yogurt to the milk and mix properly.
- Cover the mixture and keep it in any warm corner of your kitchen.
- If you are preparing mishti doi in winter or in cold places cover it properly with woolen clothes or you can also keep it in oven at 40-45°C.
- Leave it overnight. Next day keep the mishti doi in refrigerator for 3-4 hours and your mishti doi is ready to serve.
Step by step instructions to prepare mishti doi
Boil the milk and keep stirring to reduce the volume of milk to half. Avoid formation of malai/cream as much as possible.Take some milk out in a glass and to it add the milk powder and mix properly.

Now, mix this milk to the remaining milk. In another pan add about 1/3 of the sugar and keep stirring on a low flame.

Gradually, the sugar will start caramelizing. Be careful not to burn the sugar.

Now, turn off the flame and add some milk to the caramelized sugar.As all the caramelized sugar dissolves add this milk to the remaining milk. Also add the remaining sugar and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.

Whisk the yogurt properly else you will find lumps of yogurt in mishti doi after it is set.

Then add the tablespoon of yogurt to the milk and mix properly.Cover the mixture and keep it in any warm corner of your kitchen.

If you are preparing mishti doi in winter or in cold places cover it properly with woolen clothes or you can also keep it in oven at 40-45°C.Leave it overnight. Next day keep the mishti doi in refrigerator for 3-4 hours and your mishti doi is ready to serve.
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