Mishti Doi

मिष्टी  दोई/  Misthi doi is basically sweetened curd. For  south indians curd is part of every day meal. Curd which is nothing but curdled milk is bit sour in taste and often had with rice or roti by adding salt in it. For those who doesn't like to eat curd  as such here is the sweet version of it. This  is a traditional  bengali recipe  which  is often prepared in earthen ware .This sweet dessert is creamy, smooth melts in your mouth. Truly a wholesome dessert !!

Ingredients ( 4 Servings)

Milk - 1 litre 

Sugar- 100 gms

plain curd- 4 - 5 spoons

Saffron - 4-5 strands for garnishing

This recipe is absolutely easy and work free. Bring milk to boil and let it simmer till it reduces to 3/4 the quantity. Make sure to keep the flame in simmer during this process to avoid burning of milk. Add the sugar at this stage only and boil for another 3-5 mins until the sugar gets dissolved and the excess water is evaporated. Don"t over boil the milk after adding sugar. Switch off the flame and allow it to come to room temperature and not cool down completely. Add the plain curd to initiate the curdling process to the lukewarm milk. 

 Transfer it to the required earthen pot/ मटका  of your choices or  allow it to ferment in the same vessel over night or for 5-8 hours. Now Misti doi is set. You can notice that the liquid sweetned milk would have now changed to a jelly like substance. Also there might be clear liquid floating on top of the curd. This is the extra water content in the milk which now got separated. It is nothing but whey which is as healthy as the curd. This water content can be reduced by simmer the milk for long time. Now Sprinkle the saffron strands for extra flavor. You can also garnish it with sliced/ chopped almonds and pistachios. 

This dessert remains fresh and cool when prepared in earthen pots and doesn't need to be refrigerated. Enjoy the wholesome goodness of  sweetened curd !!!