Mishti Doi

Mishti Doi, Bengal’s one of the most prized possessions, is a classic sweet yogurt variety which is made with milk, curd culture and jaggery or sugar. Traditionally set or even baked in earthenware, which imparts an earthy and unique flavor to the flavored yogurt. The use of the winter specialty, date palm jaggery or nolen gur gives it a beautiful brown hue as well. I also have used the same in my Mishti Doi recipe. You can’t really miss on trying this one, as it makes for a delicious dessert – something different than your usual mithais or sweets.

What is Mishti Doi

When we translate this Bengali name in English, it would simply mean:

Mishti – sweet

Doi – curd or yogurt

So, if you want to even translate Mishti Doi into Hindi, it would be called as Meetha Dahi.

The method of making mishti doi is different than making a simple curd or dahi. The milk is thickened and reduced first and then palm jaggery is added. When the milk becomes warm, curd is added. This mixture is then allowed to set for some hours.

For making mishti doi its better to use earthen bowls or pans. The porous walls of the earthern bowls absorbs the moisture from the doi, which in turn makes the mishti doi nicely thick.

Mishti doi was and is one of my favorite Bengali sweet. Some 12 to 14 years back in Mumbai, on occasions I would visit one Bengali sweet shop in inorbit mall in malad west. From there I would buy many Bengali sweets and stock them in the fridge.

I used to work then, so obviously it was easier for me to buy sweets than make them at home. The simple and yet humble mishti doi would undeniably be one of the sweets I would always buy.

Few Bengali sweets which I have shared on blog are:

1. Rasmalai recipe
2. Sondesh recipe
3. Rasgulla recipe
4. Cham cham sweet
5. Rice payesh recipe

Fermenting mishti doi takes more time as compared to making curd. The timing also varies with the local temperature conditions. If you live in cold climate zones, then keep the curd in a warm place in your house e.g near a heater or inside a lit oven or near the gas stove.

Usually no flavorings are added, but I feel some hints of cardamom powder gives a good aroma as well as flavor to the doi.

Serve mishti doi as a dessert or sweet.

How to make Mishti Doi

Boiling milk

1. Take 1 litre full fat milk in a heavy kadai or pan. Keep flame to low or medium-low and begin to heat milk.

2. Stir occasionally when the milk is getting heated. Let the milk come to a boil.

3. Then continue to simmer the milk on a low to medium-low flame. Stir often when the milk is getting simmered.

4. This continuous simmering will reduce the milk.

5. stir often. also scrape the dried milk solids from the sides and add to the simmering milk.

6. simmer milk till it reduces to ⅓ or ½ of its original volume.

7. Keep the kadai down and let the milk cool for about 8 to 9 minutes. scrape the dried milk solids from the sides and add to the milk.

Making mishti doi

8. Meanwhile finely chop or grate 175 to 180 grams of palm jaggery. You will need ¾ cup of finely chopped palm jaggery.

9. After 8 or 9 minutes, add the chopped palm jaggery to the milk. When adding jaggery, the temperature of milk can be 60 to 65 degrees celsius.

10. Mix very well till all the jaggery is dissolved.

11. Add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder. Mix well and let the milk become warm. After adding jaggery, the temperature of milk will reduce. So you can check the temperature after adding milk.

12. The milk should be warm – meaning if you dip your finger in the milk, your finger should feel comfortably warm but not hot. If you have a cooking thermometer, you can check the temperature. It should be between 40 to 44 degrees celsius.

13. Now add 2 tablespoons curd.

14. With a whisk mix very well. The curd should dissolve in the milk. If you want you can even beat the curd before you add.

Setting mishti doi

15. Now pour the doi mixture in earthen or terracotta bowls or earthen handi.

16. Cover with a lid or seal with aluminium foil.

17. Keep in a warm place for the mishti doi to set. Mishti doi takes longer to set than curd. the timing will also vary with the temperature in your city. Since its cool and not hot where I live, it took 23 hours for the curd to set. So you keep for 9 hours to 24 hours.

18. When the mishti doi is set, then refrigerate. Serve mishti doi with your meals or as a dessert.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Mishti Doi post from archives first published in February 2018 has been updated and republished on January 2023.