127 replies to this topic

[gingerly]

'the rest' want to know

[arnab]

i have no recipe but i want to hail gingerly for "pre-splitting" the thread. soon i will be redundant here and wandering random internet forums asking if i can split their threads.

[anil]

fuggetaboutit (my brooklynese ) [No, I'm not from the boroughs ]

[Ammini]

anil, on Apr 5 2005, 08:39 PM, said:

[No, I'm not from the boroughs ]

Isn't Manhattan one of the boroughs?

[anil]

Ammini, on Apr 5 2005, 11:55 PM, said:

anil, on Apr 5 2005, 08:39 PM, said:

[No, I'm not from the boroughs ]

Isn't Manhattan one of the boroughs?

Sheesh !!!!!! You know what it means Many folks who are from BKLYN and talk about going to the city they mean Manhattan ; and others from the mainland a.k.a The Bronx talk about heading downtown ... I don't no...... I guess when we say borough - we mean the other four   Remember its - New York NewYork rest is ... oh Well...

Edited by anil, 06 April 2005 - 07:38 AM.

[gingerly]

take that!
and
that!

dishoommm!





gingerly mighty pleased

[Akronym]

And another food fight breaks out on AS.com!  :D

[ravum]

gingerly, on Apr 7 2005, 07:58 PM, said:

take that!
and
that!

dishoommm!

Gingerly,that looks luscious!!!.Unfair to post it without recipe and method  

[shanta]

ravum, on Apr 7 2005, 07:25 AM, said:

gingerly, on Apr 7 2005, 07:58 PM, said:

take that!
and
that!

dishoommm!

Gingerly,that looks luscious!!!.Unfair to post it without recipe and method  

Ditto!
Can it be done without a claypot?

[gingerly]

heeheehee!send sae with cheque for absurd sum of money-payable to'cracker of bengali sweet code'
shanta-i set two lots in glass bowls simultaneously and they turned out just as well!
will give blow by blow account in a bit.


edit:to add pic.

Edited by gingerly, 08 April 2005 - 01:07 AM.

[gingerly]

here it is-
take two standard cartons of milk (i used 3.25 mf) or 2 kg by weight.
pour into a large vessel and bring to a steaming simmer.use a heat diffuser if you have one.
keep it on that steaming mode,do not allow 'malai' to form.
stir around and lift and froth the milk at regular intervals with a ladle or cup-you've seen those halwais,now do it!
keep going.
meanwhile,combine between 75-100 gms-i used 75gms(this is for a 1kg finished volume batch)light brown cane sugar,two dsp(really!)liquid palm jaggery if you have it  and a couple of spoons of water in a heatproof bowl and stir to mix.place this in a pan of water and keep on a low heat to dissolve.leave the heat on and allow the sugar syrup to start crystallising slowly.
take a tsp(not more)of your starter dahi and combine it with a tbsp of euro style unsalted butter.smoosh them around till you have something that looks strangely like 'makkhan'.set aside.
check the volume of the reducing milk by pouring it into a measuring cup/pan.when it's down to half,remove from the heat,scoop out a cupful and add it to the by now crystalline sugar in the bowl.dissolve and mix into the main batch.
while the sweetened milk is cooling,take a little(and this is key)of the starter and smoosh it in the palm of one hand with one finger of the other.smear the resulting paste over the inside of the dish you're using to set the dahi.
when the milk has cooled to the right temp to pour into the dish,spoon in the 'makkhan' mixture and gently stir to melt.make sure the milk isn't too hot.
pour into the prepared dish,cover and place in a suitably cozy nook.i used the trusty oven with the light on but covered in a tea towel to provide a slightly less direct heat,
about 9 hours later,you should have perfectly set mishti doi.
any questions?
beginners luck?maybe!
still mighty pleased :D
and i'd like to hear if anyone else attempts this or other versions.

edit:one last pic!

Edited by gingerly, 08 April 2005 - 01:53 AM.

[frangipani]

First attempt at making mishti doi at home. After having had some incredible lal mishti doi in Cal recently, am craving some, and the one I picked up in CR Park didn't do it. So I called up the MIL and got a recipe from her. It included nuggets like "ekta mosh hole bhalo hoto" (a buffalo would have been handy) while asking about quality of milk available and clearly not approving of full fat Mother Dairy. But the seems fairly simple, and the milk is boiling to be reduced even as I type this. Hope it turns out okay, even without the handy mosh.

yum. lal doi. yum.

[Wildflower]

frangipani, on Jul 31 2007, 10:32 AM, said:

First attempt at making mishti doi at home. After having had some incredible lal mishti doi in Cal recently, am craving some, and the one I picked up in CR Park didn't do it. So I called up the MIL and got a recipe from her. It included nuggets like "ekta mosh hole bhalo hoto" (a buffalo would have been handy) while asking about quality of milk available and clearly not approving of full fat Mother Dairy. But the seems fairly simple, and the milk is boiling to be reduced even as I type this. Hope it turns out okay, even without the handy mosh.

yum. lal doi. yum.

Where is JM when you need him?  Family friends had a dachshund named Mosh. They got him when they were just leaving Calcutta.  In their case Mosh was short for moshai, and when they named him they didn't realize mosh means buffalo.  He did get quite portly in his old age and did rule over their backyard in a bhainsa-ish way.

Btw, I hope fotus and recipe are forthcoming.

[Anjali]

frangipani, on Jul 31 2007, 10:32 AM, said:

First attempt at making mishti doi at home. After having had some incredible lal mishti doi in Cal recently, am craving some, and the one I picked up in CR Park didn't do it. So I called up the MIL and got a recipe from her. It included nuggets like "ekta mosh hole bhalo hoto" (a buffalo would have been handy) while asking about quality of milk available and clearly not approving of full fat Mother Dairy. But the seems fairly simple, and the milk is boiling to be reduced even as I type this. Hope it turns out okay, even without the handy mosh.

yum. lal doi. yum.

Fran, arrey, why this gaddari? I have no problems with you enjoying mishti doi but to confess to the same here on AS? what happened to marathi solidarity and all? remember how "they" have maligned our shrikhand? you are only providing more fodder for their cannon.*




and yes, I am aware of the possible pun on "cannon/Canon" there, so don't even try it, anyone, okay?  

Edited by Anjali, 31 July 2007 - 11:59 PM.

[frangipani]

But Anjali, any dish that includes a yemmi as an ingredient has got to me yummy, no?

WF, the rechargeable fodder for my Canon is misbehaving of late, so fotus might not be forthcoming. But if all goes well, recipe, certainly.

[Anjali]

frangipani, on Jul 31 2007, 11:34 AM, said:

But Anjali, any dish that includes a yemmi as an ingredient has got to me yummy, no?

Fran, the delhi heat and the mishti doi or both are getting to you.  Yenamma, I expected better of you.

[Matilda]

Anjali, on Aug 1 2007, 04:28 AM, said:

Fran, arrey, why this gaddari? I have no problems with you enjoying mishti doi but to confess to the same here on AS? what happened to marathi solidarity and all? remember how "they" have maligned our shrikhand? you are only providing more fodder for their cannon.

As for me I have no compunction about eating both shrikhand (yum, my favourite dessert!) AND mishti doi (which BTW I have never eaten, but I have a strong urge to make when Fran gives her recipe).....Why I've even been known to gobble down lemon-cheesecake flavoured yoghurt to satisfy my cravings when no shrikhand was forthcoming!   

[dabbler]

frangipani, on Jul 31 2007, 11:34 AM, said:

But if all goes well, recipe, certainly.

And what needs to go well before we are graced with the recipe?
An entire bulletin board turns its lonely eyes to you.
(I wanted to say "lonely tongues" but that sounded weird and icky.)

I'm very curious about your recipe. All along I'd thought a clay pot
was essential to absorb the liquids given off by the mishti in the
setting doi, but then recently I ran across Gingerly's recipe.
I've seen recipes that call for the setting to take place in a shallow pan in a
low oven, the water evaporating as it is released, but the oven light in
G's recipe will not yield enough heat to achieve this.  It would be fair
to say that Dabbler is confused.

So, was yours a clay pot method?  Was there a lot of liquid?

[frangipani]

Dabbler, I was waiting for the doi to set. Alas, about twelve hours of setting in an earthenware pot, and the doi is very half-hearted, with a thick creamy doi layer at the top but with the liquid below threatening to break through.   Anjali put panvati on it, and even the ants in the kitchen are sniggering. I don't know what I did wrong, but will call MIL this evening to find out. In the meantime, here's her recipe:

1 litre full fat, preferably buffalo's milk
17 tsps sugar (don't ask how I got her to arrive at this precise measure, she was most irritated)
1 earthenware pot
2 tsps of yogurt

Boil the milk, and after it boils once, reduce heat and continue to boil boil boil until it thickens and reduces to about 75% of its original quantity.

After its boils once, add about 14 tsps of sugar, and keep stirring until sugar dissolves into the milk. Take milk off heat.

Put remaining 3 tsps of sugar in a separate pan and put it on low heat, until sugar melts and browns. Add to the milk, dissolve and admire nice reddish colour.

When milk becomes lukewarm, add the curd to it, mix well and pour into earthenware pot.

Anybody spot any basic problems here? Maybe I took down something wrong? Or maybe she's getting back at me for something so now she can say the bouma cannot even make mishti doi. Gingerly, does the unsalted butter have to be used? Is 2 tsps too much dahi? It was one day old mother dairy dahi.

Incidentally, I did a search for "mishti" before posting in this thread and the mishti doi thread never showed up! LL or Shanta, could you please move these posts there? Thanks!

[Anjali]

frangipani, on Jul 31 2007, 09:40 PM, said:

  Anjali put panvati on it, and even the ants in the kitchen are sniggering.

Bola tha na maine, par koi sune to...

But let me now ask some serious questions to show my sympathy for your missed doi:

Quote

1 litre full fat, preferably buffalo's milk

and where be the buffalo now?

Quote

Boil the milk, and after it boils once, reduce heat and continue to boil boil boil until it thickens

Maybe you boiled it only three times, that was the problem?

Quote

Anybody spot any basic problems here?

two problems:
1) you did not sing 'yamma/e yamma/e' while making this.
2) you abandoned the shrikhand that is your mauli.

Quote

Thanks!

mosht bhelcome, as they say yonder...

Edited by Anjali, 01 August 2007 - 10:32 AM.

[Wildflower]

gingerly, on Apr 7 2005, 01:14 PM, said:

meanwhile,combine between 75-100 gms-i used 75gms(this is for a 1kg finished volume batch)light brown cane sugar,two dsp(really!)liquid palm jaggery if you have it  and a couple of spoons of water in a heatproof bowl and stir to mix.place this in a pan of water and keep on a low heat to dissolve.leave the heat on and allow the sugar syrup to start crystallising slowly.

add it to the by now crystalline sugar in the bowl.dissolve and mix into the main batch.

While we wait for Frangi and her panvatied by Anjali mishti doi recipe....pondering over G's recipe which I had not stumbled upon before.

About this crystallizing business: (a) not sure how the crystallizing happens -- is the idea just to dehydrate the liquid palm jaggery part? (b) if the sugar is being dissolved into the milk anyway why crystallize, and not just carmelize?

G, I think you need to do a ishtep by ishtep fotu feature (esp because I haven't even got in to that makkhan business).  What better time than summer for mishti doi, eh?

Ed: to fix link post merge.

Edited by Wildflower, 01 August 2007 - 09:56 PM.

[frangipani]

Anjali, don't be so hasty about mauli, they say one of the driving, yet little known reasons for the Maratha invasions of Bengal was the search for a good mishti doi recipe. A favourite of Nana Phadnavis's, I believe, or so Robi Thakur's poem has it...

[gingerly]

frangipani, on Aug 1 2007, 10:10 AM, said:

Dabbler, I was waiting for the doi to set. Alas, about twelve hours of setting in an earthenware pot, and the doi is very half-hearted, with a thick creamy doi layer at the top but with the liquid below threatening to break through.   Anjali put panvati on it, and even the ants in the kitchen are sniggering. I don't know what I did wrong, but will call MIL this evening to find out. In the meantime, here's her recipe:

1 litre full fat, preferably buffalo's milk
17 tsps sugar (don't ask how I got her to arrive at this precise measure, she was most irritated)
1 earthenware pot
2 tsps of yogurt

Boil the milk, and after it boils once, reduce heat and continue to boil boil boil until it thickens and reduces to about 75% of its original quantity.

After its boils once, add about 14 tsps of sugar, and keep stirring until sugar dissolves into the milk. Take milk off heat.

Put remaining 3 tsps of sugar in a separate pan and put it on low heat, until sugar melts and browns. Add to the milk, dissolve and admire nice reddish colour.

When milk becomes lukewarm, add the curd to it, mix well and pour into earthenware pot.

Anybody spot any basic problems here? Maybe I took down something wrong? Or maybe she's getting back at me for something so now she can say the bouma cannot even make mishti doi. Gingerly, does the unsalted butter have to be used? Is 2 tsps too much dahi? It was one day old mother dairy dahi.

Incidentally, I did a search for "mishti" before posting in this thread and the mishti doi thread never showed up! LL or Shanta, could you please move these posts there? Thanks!

frangi, the basic recipe sounds fine- i just did a check on how much 17tsps of sugar weighs, and it's very close to what i use, so i don't think it's the sugar throwing things off. i based my recipe on instructions in mrs haldar's book on sweets, with some tweaks of my own, like adding the butter. will post a deatiled breakdown and answers to q's in the doi thread.

[frangipani]

Thanks, Ging. I had kept the pot out for a few more hours while I went out to run an errand and came back to find the doi has set, although not as well as I would have liked. Certainly nothing like your pictures, or like the ones we get in Cal. I put it in the fridge cause I'm worried that it will turn sour.  It does taste fine so I might just beat it up and have it sort of like a mishti-doi-basundi-milkshake concoction.

I suspect it has to do with the quality of the yogurt I used, because it's certainly hot enough here, the milk was okay. Next time I'm going to make the setting yogurt at home and use it fresh, let's see. I also neglected to remove the malai from the milk, and now it's got all mixed into the milk. Should remember to not let the malai form by continuously whisking the milk while it's boiling, yes?

[gingerly]

selected bits from mrs j h's text-

Quote

method of preparing dahi-
take a pound of milk* and scald it. it may be boiled somewhat thick if so desired.**

when the milk has cooled down but is still tepid, add some starter... only a very tiny dose will suffice which is determined by rule-of -thumb. this varies according to the quality of the milk, its temperature and density, atmospheric and climatic conditions    and must be determined by experience only.
before inoculation the starter is whipped on the palm of the left hand with a finger of the right to disintegrate it thoroughly and then added to the milk by sprinkling.***

the best temp for setting is between 92 f and 95 f, though the range is 75-100 f.
the milk will set and form dahi in about six hours under favourable conditions.

the quality of the dahi depends upon the quality of the starter and the manner of its inocculation,as a rule, buffalo milk forms more solid dahi than cow's milk.

the process of sugared dahi is essentially the same as that of sour dahi. in this case the boiling milk is sweetened with the desired amount of sugar, say 3 to 4 oz for every pound of milk. It is preferably sweetened with batasa or sugar fondants.

Wildflower, when i first made this, i’d read that it was caramelized sugar that was used to sweeten and colour the dahi, but i really wanted to try it with some palm jaggrey that i had. i thought dehydrating to crystalline form might improve the  way it mixed into the  milk, as well as not adding extra liquid. don’t ask me why- sometimes i feel it in my bones and just do it.
you don’t have to do it the slow way- this came about because i had to be hovering around anyway to watch the reducing milk, and  watching crystals form is fun. yes. i know.
the addition of a little sweet  butter was another random idea that some more fat couldn’t hurt the rather wimpy milk i used, especially if it carried some culture too. unproven theory, but i feel the fat globules mix the starter in quickly and evenly.
while the dahi set well in both earthenware and glass, the consistency of the former got better and better, while the latter stayed the same or got a little weepy around the edges once it was cut into.
this recipe has worked consistently for me( x 3), and i think ravum has had success too. i’ve never got around to trying it with caramelized sugar!
it’s been more than a year since my last effort. hmm, let’s see what transpires this weekend.

* she does say buffalo milk preferred
** simmering down to half volume is what i do. like i said,wimpy milk.
*** not sure how sprinkling happens, but i prefer to smoosh some on the insides of the bowls and gently stir in the rest.

[Wildflower]

gingerly, on Aug 1 2007, 12:09 PM, said:

Wildflower, when i first made this, i’d read that it was caramelized sugar that was used to sweeten and colour the dahi, but i really wanted to try it with some palm jaggrey that i had. i thought dehydrating to crystalline form might improve the  way it mixed into the  milk, as well as not adding extra liquid. don’t ask me why- sometimes i feel it in my bones and just do it.

I know better than to question your genius G, I'm more curious about the crystallisation itself -- if I started with raw turbinado sugar crystals for example, and dry palm jaggery would that extra step make any sense -- in your case, it was primarily the liquid palm jaggery getting crystallised right?  I was also wondering how dehydrated maple sugar would work (I love the taste of maple + non-sour yogurt) -- not  going to dehydrate in my kitchen, the local healthfood store sells it that way.

Quote

while the dahi set well in both earthenware and glass, the consistency of the former got better and better, while the latter stayed the same or got a little weepy around the edges once it was cut into.

I want to try this in one of my Spanish cazuelas or cocotes -- some of them are glazed inside, and unglazed outer surface.  When I leave water inside one of them, it does soak through to the outer surface; when I cook things with small amounts of liquid, the moisture doesn't reach the outer surface; have never made dahi in them.

The major impediment is going to be that on a perfect summer day, my idea of fun is not to stand over the stove for 2 hours, reducing down milk.  But payte pooja karna hai to price pay karna padayga.  

Ed to add:

Quote

it’s been more than a year since my last effort. hmm, let’s see what transpires this weekend.

Very glad to hear that the lab is being activated and that hem, ishtep by ishtep fotus are forthcoming.   I hope you will summon an assistant to take the smoosh in palm picture.

Edited by Wildflower, 02 August 2007 - 06:30 AM.

[gingerly]

Wildflower, on Aug 2 2007, 06:21 AM, said:

-- if I started with raw turbinado sugar crystals for example, and dry palm jaggery would that extra step make any sense -- in your case, it was primarily the liquid palm jaggery getting crystallised right?  I was also wondering how dehydrated maple sugar would work (I love the taste of maple + non-sour yogurt) -- not  going to dehydrate in my kitchen, the local healthfood store sells it that way.

i'm sure it isn't necessary. though in the  chapter on sugar and syrup, the author does mention the hygroscopic nature of sugar and  the need for 'transformed'* sugar in certain preparations.i don't know if the batashas quite qualify, or if it's just a purity issue there.
i to tend to buy rather murky looking lumps of jaggery that benefit from the filtering process!

istop with the ishtep..i promise nothing!


* sugar syrup that's boiled down until hard and dry, then powdered for use.

[frangipani]

gingerly, on Aug 1 2007, 09:39 PM, said:

i'm sure it isn't necessary. though in the  chapter on sugar and syrup, the author does mention the hygroscopic nature of sugar and  the need for 'transformed'* sugar in certain preparations.i don't know if the batashas quite qualify, or if it's just a purity issue there.
i to tend to buy rather murky looking lumps of jaggery that benefit from the filtering process!

istop with the ishtep..i promise nothing!


* sugar syrup that's boiled down until hard and dry, then powdered for use.

My MIL did say that I could use batashas if I had them. I would really like to use palm jaggery also, love the taste.

[Matilda]

Can mishti doi be made with canned evaporated or condensed milk?
I think I've seen a recipe for a Bengali dessert made with these but then steamed rather than set....but not sure ...will see if I can locate it....maybe it was some other dessert.   


Here's a concisely set out recipe from  bawarchi.com

MISHTI DOI

Ingredients

1 litre full cream milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
2-3 tbsp. water
3/4 tbsp. fresh curds

Method

Put the milk to boil with 1 cup sugar.
Bring to boil and further boil for 7-8 minutes.
Meanwhile put remaining sugar in a heavy saucepan.
Heat on high stirring continuously, till brown like caramel.
Add water and stir well till boil is resumed.
Add to the boiling milk and stir well.
Boil for a further 5-7 minutes.
Cool till warm. Add curds and stir.
Either pour into individual cups or a single vessel.
Cover with lids or lid.
Keep in a warm, dark, dry place (eg. a kitchen cupboard) till set.
Making time: 20 minutes (excluding cooling and setting time)
Makes: 1 litres curds or 7 individual 150 ml. cups

Shelflife: 1-2 days refrigerated

[gingerly]

here you go Matilda!
that's the thread that spawned this one!

Edited by gingerly, 02 August 2007 - 09:06 AM.