Mitha dahi

Mitha dahi or mishti doi (Bengali: মিষ্টি দই, Hindi: मीठा दही, Odia: ମିଠା ଦହି, Urdu: میٹھا دہی‎") is a fermented sweet dahi or sweet yogurt. This type of yogurt is common in the states of West Bengal and Odisha in India, and in Bangladesh. It is made with milk and sugar, while also using yogurt and curd.

Mitha dahi is a popular dessert in the states of Odisha and Bangladesh. It is prepared by boiling milk until it is slightly thickened, sweetening it with sugar, either guda/gura (brown sugar) or khajuri guda/gura (date molasses), and allowing the milk to ferment overnight. Earthenware is always used as the container for making mitha dahi because the gradual evaporation of water through its porous walls not only further thickens the yoghurt, but also produces the right temperature for the growth of the culture. Very often the yoghurt is delicately seasoned with a pinch of elaichi (cardamom) for fragrance. Baked yogurt is a similar preparation in the west.

Mishti doi is prepared usually by adding sugar or jaggery to the normal curd. The chain of Annapurna Sweets in West Bengal and Delhi is very famous for its mishti doi. In 2010-2011 Mother Dairy tried to market its own mishti doi prepared under their brand name. But sales didn't pick up then. Of late, in 2014-15 Mother Dairy and Danone brands are doing pretty well with their mishti doi in the Indian market.