Mishti Doi: Bengali Sweetened Yogurt
Mishti doi — the set sweetened yogurt of Bengal, baked in earthenware pots — achieves a characteristic caramel sweetness and slightly grainy, dense texture through the use of jaggery (raw cane sugar) rather than refined sugar, and through the slow evaporation of some of the milk's water content during the setting period in a warm oven. The earthenware pot absorbs excess moisture through its porous walls, concentrating the yogurt further — a function no metal or ceramic vessel replicates.
- **Jaggery:** Provides the caramel note distinctive to mishti doi. Refined sugar produces a neutral-sweet result; jaggery produces a complex, slightly molasses-forward sweetness. Dissolved in warm milk before the yogurt culture is added - **Reduced milk:** The milk is reduced by approximately one-quarter before culturing — concentrating the protein and fat, producing a denser set - **The culture:** A small amount of existing yogurt (or commercial starter) — added at body temperature (37°C). Too hot kills the culture; too cool and the culture is inactive - **The earthenware:** Traditional mishti doi pots are unglazed terracotta — their porosity draws moisture from the yogurt during the 6–8 hour setting period, concentrating the flavour - **Setting temperature:** A warm oven (40°C, or an oven with just the pilot light on) provides the ideal fermentation temperature. Room temperature works in summer; a cold kitchen will prevent setting
Indian Cookery Course