For sweet-lovers and Bengalis in particular, misti doi is more than just a sweet; it is an emotion. No matter how serious one is about their health, it is extremely difficult to stay away from such a delight. Taking to Instagram on April 21, certified nutritionist and digital content creator Aathira Sethumadhavan helps us out by sharing her recipe for mishti doi that has no added sugar and only 110 calories in each serving.
“Mishti Doi is one of my favourite desserts, and I could eat it every day, given a choice. But the OG version has too much sugar – so I reworked to fit into a higher-protein, lower-cal version without losing that deep caramel flavour,” she wrote in the caption.
The secret to Aathira’s recipe is allulose, a zero-calorie natural sweetener which the nutritionist claimed tastes exactly like sugar but without the calories or the blood sugar spike.
“Also used toned milk instead of full-fat, and Greek yoghurt, doing double duty as both starter and structure. Soft-set, spoonable, and every bit as indulgent as the version you grew up on,” she added.
The recipe below serves six, with each serving being approximately 100g and containing 110 calories, seven grams of protein, nine grams of carbohydrates and four grams of fat.
Ingredients for low-cal mishti doi
For the caramelised reduced milk:
- Toned milk — 1 litre
- Allulose – 80 g (5 tbsp)
- Pinch of cardamom powder
For setting:
- Full-fat Greek yoghurt — 150g (about 10 tbsp) (to whisk in)
- Full-fat Greek yoghurt — 50g (to line the pots) (3.5 tbsp)
Method of preparation
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan on medium flame. Add the allulose and let it melt and caramelise to a deep amber, stirring gently. This happens faster than sugar — about three to four minutes. Watch it closely.
- Lower the flame. Add the milk a splash at a time (about 100ml at a time), whisking continuously. The caramel will seize and harden — keep whisking until each addition dissolves before adding more. Once all the milk is in, your base should be a warm caramel colour.
- Bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce uncovered for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the milk has reduced to half (~500ml). Stir in the cardamom powder.
- Take off the heat. Cool until just lukewarm — around 40 to 45°C. Too hot will kill the culture, too cold won’t activate it.
- Whisk the 150g Greek yoghurt into the lukewarm milk until completely smooth, no lumps.
- Smear the inside of your matkas (or glass jars/ramekins) with the remaining 50g Greek yoghurt — this acts as an additional starter and helps with the set.
- Pour the milk mixture into the pots. Cover loosely with a muslin cloth.
- Set in a warm spot for eight to 12 hours (longer in colder weather).
- Once the top looks slightly set and smells gently tangy, transfer to the fridge for four to six hours to firm up fully.
“This will not set as thick as traditional mishti doi — allulose doesn’t feed the Lactobacillus culture the way sugar does, and Greek yoghurt has less whey to work with. Expect a softer, spoonable set with deep caramel flavour,” shared Aathira. “For a firmer set, whisk in 1 tablespoon of full-fat milk powder along with the Greek yoghurt.”
Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
This article is for informational purposes only.
