Mishti Doi: Time makes it unique

Mishti Doi
Mishti Doi: The delicacy which gets better with time.

 

Mishti Doi
Mishti Doi- A spoonful of deliciousness.

What do you do when late at night you crave for Mishti doi? You cannot do a thing about it as all the shops are closed by then and yes it is not something which you can go and cook in the kitchen. You have to give something precious to it, time. Yes time makes Mishti Doi unique. Time you put in boiling the milk, time it takes to set in and time you take to enjoy the final output. It is sacrilege to gulp Mishti Doi in a jiffy. You have to enjoy every spoonful. Let it be there in the mouth.

Mishti Doi in Earthen Bowls
The earthen bowls add a different flavor to the Mishti Doi

Mishti Doi, the name itself spells sweetness. Once you taste it and if you love sweets you would vouch for this. This has to be enjoyed in the earthen bowls. The traditional feel is there and somehow I think the taste differs if you have it in any other bowl. Mishti doi or as it will be called in Hindi Mitha Dahi is not only sweet yoghurt. It is something different. The taste is unique and there is nothing like Mishti Doi, no similarity whatsoever. For preparing this milk is boiled till it is thickened and then Khajur gur (date jaggery)is mixed with and the yoghurt is set in earthen bowls. The earthen bowls add a different flavor to the Doi and the result is thick, delicious flavoured yoghurt.

This sweet is popular in West Bengal, Odisha and neighboring Bangladesh. You can try experimenting at home and make the Doi but I would advise go for the ones available in the sweet shops and yes the traditional shops. No artificial flavor or sugar can compete with the reddish Mishti Doi which  melts hearts. Once you have a bowl, finish it off that day only. Don’t keep it for another day if you have taken some Doi out of it as it would leave water and taste is not the same. Don’t go for the Mishti Doi which has thick layer on top, that is  not the proper one as Vanaspati is added to it. Go for the one which seems soft on top as well. That is prepared in the original way.