NOLEN GURER MISHTI DOI / मिष्टि दोई (Sweetened Yogurt Pudding)

This post made its way to the blog as a result of some damage control. It is a known fact in my marital house, that I will always end up spilling the milk if given the responsibility of boiling it. However good I may be at multi-tasking, this is one task I always manage to goof up. To counter this issue, I have long back, stopped boiling the milk on high heat (in a rush to get over with the task) and instead keep it on low flame. Once I get the waft of milk, I know it has boiled and I switch off the heat; mission ‘boiling milk’ accomplished without spills. This one time, after finishing all household chores, I picked up a book to read, while I kept the milk for a boil. I got completely lost in the book & lost track of time and I totally forgot about the milk. It was only when I went to the kitchen to get myself a glass of water that I noticed the milk on the stove top, reduced to nearly half its original amount. I was really upset with my careless self, however I quickly recovered from the disappointment and began thinking of how I could use the milk and put it to some decent use. What dessert could I possibly make with the rich reduced milk? Mishti Doi was the first thought that popped up in my mind and I didn’t feel the need to go any further. It is one the simplest desserts to make, an absolute no brainer if I may say so. Yes, all that you need to do is reduce the milk to less than half its original amount. And by now you probably know it can be done easily while you finish other chores…or perhaps read a book like me 😛 Then, add a sweetener of your choice to the milk and when it is warm, add some cultured yogurt and keep it aside to set. Once set, chill and garnish with nuts and serve! Basically it is a three ingredient dessert that is very satisfying and healthy (I used low fat/ toned milk/ cow milk)

Whole milk/ full cream milk/ full fat milk works best for this recipe as the resulting pudding is richer and thicker in consistency. What makes this sweetened milk different from a regular one is that, for this one, the milk is reduced to nearly half its original amount, sweetened and fermented. The end result is a luscious dessert that also happens to be good for digestion (with all that probiotic goodness).  Some recipes use caramelized sugar to give caramel color and flavor to the pudding. I have used date palm jaggery (you can use regular jaggery) that adds a mellow sweetness and give it a natural color in a healthy way.

Here is the amount of ingredients I had used to make this dessert the traditional way. (The only deviation I made is that I did not use  terracotta bowls for setting the yogurt)

1 litre Milk

6 – 7 tbsp scrapped, Date Palm Jaggery (adjust sweetness)

2 tbsp Cultured Yogurt

Heat and simmer the milk on low heat till it gets reduced to 400 ml. Since I boiled the milk in a heavy bottom pan, the milk did not catch at the bottom despite me not having stirred it even once during that time. (I didn’t stir the milk even once, for reasons mentioned above)

Once it is medium hot, stir in the date palm jaggery till it is completely dissolved. (do not add on high heat as the milk might curdle)

When the milk turns warm, add whisked yogurt and mix it well. (read THIS post on how to set yogurt)

Pour the milk in the terracotta container (traditional way of setting the curd) or individual serving bowls.

Set aside for at least 4 – 5 hours (time will vary hugely depending on the weather conditions).

As is obvious from the pictures, I set the pudding in individual glasses. I heated the oven at 40 – 45 degrees C for a few minutes and then switched off the heat, covered the glasses with foil, placed them on a tray and kept them undisturbed inside the oven. OR you can keep them at a warm place to set. Once set, chill in the fridge. When ready to serve, remove from fridge and garnish with nuts of your choice.

Note – For an authentic taste, it is preferred that the curd be set in terracotta / clay pot / earthenware pot. The porous walls of the clay pot keep the temperature of the yogurt at just the right amount helping the growth of the culture thereby leading to thicker yogurt.

Note – Full cream milk/ whole milk yields best result for a rich thick yogurt.

Note – I drizzled the top of the pudding with some date palm syrup.

Note – Feel free to add half a teaspoon of cardamom powder to milk before setting.

Serves – 4

Thanks for your visit. See you soon again with another exciting recipe!

4 thoughts on “NOLEN GURER MISHTI DOI / मिष्टि दोई (Sweetened Yogurt Pudding)

  1. What a great save! I’ve also been guilty of get diverted from what’s cooking on the stovetop so many times, that I now do my reading in the kitchen even when it’s the pressure cooker. 🙂 Love the simplicity of this pudding and the few ingredients. I guess the most time consuming part is reducing the milk to half, but you have the solution for that. 🙂 I have the perfect book in mind.

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