1. Add sugar and milk in a saucepan. Give it a quick boil over high heat, reduce the heat. Keep stirring frequently over medium heat until reduced to 50%. It will take about 40 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and keep aside.

3. In another saucepan start making the caramel.

4. Add sugar and keep on stirring with a fork over low heat until the sugar melts, and turns sticky and rich brown in colour. You need to be very careful at this stage, the caramel might burn within a few seconds. 

5. Remove from the heat, and add water into the caramel. Care needs to be taken at the time while adding the water to the very hot caramel, a few drops might split here and there. The caramel will turn hard after adding the water, don’t worry. Transfer the saucepan over the heat again, and keep on stirring quickly over low heat until all the caramel which would be sticking at the bottom of the pan dissolves. It will take 1 or 2 minutes.

6. Now pour this caramel into the reduced milk mixture. Mix well, the milk mixture will turn into a beautiful Mishti Doi colour, keep aside.

7. Whisk the yogurt until smooth and lump-free.

8. When the milk mixture becomes lukewarm, add the yogurt. Mix well, use a hand whisk for even mixing.

9. Pour the yogurt mixture into an earthen pot preferably (read note), close with a lid and keep overnight in a warm place.

10. You can switch on the microwave with the light on and keep the container inside with the microwave door slightly opened. Or you can leave the yogurt pot at kitchen counter if you’re making the yogurt at daytime because the kitchen area usually become hot when we cook.

11. Don’t move the pot several times while the Mishti Doi is setting. The ideal setting time of Mishti Doi is 10-12 hours. When the yogurt sets, keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, serve cold or at room temperature.

How to make Bhapa Doi/Steamed Yogurt with your homemade Mishti Doi

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Bhapa Doi intensifies the caramel taste more, which is the key point here. The process makes the yogurt more thicker. If you've not tasted Bhapa Doi before, then you must try once.

1. In a deep bottomed pan add 1 cup of water. Place a trivet inside the pan.

2. Now transfer the Mishti Doi pot upon the trivet with a lid on or you can seal the Mishti Doi pot with a piece of aluminium foil, close the pan with a lid. 

3. Steam over low-medium heat for 30 minutes. Take out the Mishti Doi pot carefully, or you can wait for some time let it be cooled a little bit for easy handling. 

4. Cool the Mishti Doi pot at room temperature, keep it in the refrigerator until chilled, serve.

5. p.s. You might find extra liquid floating over the top of Bhapa Doi, don’t worry, discard that liquid carefully. This will not appear if you bake the yogurt instead of steaming.