Beetroot Bengali Mishti Doi

Mishti doi is a traditional Bengali dessert. It is one of the most famous Bengali sweets. This rich, creamy and decadent sweet yogurt is loved by all. Mishti doi or meetha dahi is a fermented sweet yogurt which is made by thickening whole milk and then adding caramelized sugar to give it that burnt flavour and colour. This mixture is then poured into earthen pots and kept in a warm place. It is allowed to ferment overnight. Once set it is kept in the refrigerator and allowed to chill. This cold sweet yogurt is quite refreshing for a hot summer day. Traditionally mishti doi has a light brown colour. But in this recipe I have added beetroot to give this bright pink colour. You heard correctly, that's beetroot mishti doi! Not only does it give the mishti doi an amazing shade of pink but also provide a natural sweetness and a mild earthy flavour. But if you want then you can add strawberry or vanilla essence. To extract the beetroot juice, you can use a juice or can blend it in a blender with some water. Then with a sieve strain the juice. You can use this rich natural food colour in other recipes as well. It is an excellent alternative to artificial food colour.