Aam Doi Mango Yogurt Bengali Summer Sweet

Ingredients

• 2 cups thick full-fat yogurt — hung for 30 minutes to remove excess water
• 2 ripe mangoes — peeled and pureed smooth (Alphonso, Langra or Himsagar variety; about 1 cup pulp)
• 3 to 4 tbsp sugar (adjust to mango sweetness)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• a pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk (optional)

Method

1. Hang the yogurt briefly: Line a strainer with muslin. Pour 2 cups yogurt through. Let hang for 30 minutes — this removes excess water and makes the aam doi thick and creamy rather than thin and runny.
2. Prepare the mango pulp: Peel 2 ripe mangoes. Cut the flesh off the seeds. Blend to a completely smooth, lump-free puree. The mango must be fully ripe — unripe or under-ripe mango makes the aam doi sour.
3. Whisk the hung yogurt: Transfer the drained yogurt to a wide bowl. Whisk vigorously for 2 minutes until smooth and glossy.
4. Add sugar: Add sugar to the whisked yogurt. Whisk for 1 more minute until sugar is fully dissolved and no grains remain.
5. Add mango pulp: Pour the mango puree into the sweetened yogurt. Fold gently with a spatula rather than whisking aggressively — folding preserves more of the mango fragrance.
6. Add cardamom: Add cardamom powder. Fold once.
7. Add saffron milk if using: Add the saffron-steeped milk. Fold to distribute the golden colour in streaks through the mango yogurt.
8. Taste and adjust: Taste the aam doi. It should taste strongly of mango, be pleasantly sweet and have the gentle tang of yogurt. Add more sugar if the mango was not sweet enough.
9. Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate for minimum 1 hour. The cold sets the texture and melds the mango and yogurt flavours together.
10. Serve chilled: Serve in small bowls or glasses. Garnish with a small spoon of additional mango pulp if desired.
11. Note: Aam Doi is the summer sweet of Bengal made during the mango season (May to July) when local Bengali mango varieties — Himsagar, Langra and Fazli — are at their peak. The combination of mango and yogurt appears across Indian cuisines but the Bengali version specifically uses the hung yogurt technique from the mishti doi tradition. Made at home and also sold at sweetshops during mango season in Kolkata.