A dessert that earns its place on the festive table

In Sylheti and Bangladeshi homes, no celebration feels quite complete without mishti doi — sweet set yoghurt, faintly perfumed with cardamom and finished with nuts. It appears at Eid, at weddings, at the end of a long iftar, and at the anniversary dinners that stretch late into the night. The version I want to share here is the one most of us can actually manage on a busy week: a thickened yoghurt dessert, sweetened with condensed milk, scented with cardamom and crowned with pistachios. There is no cooking involved, it sets in the fridge, and it can be made two days before you need it. That last point matters more than any fancy technique.

What you will need

The whole dish rests on the quality of the yoghurt, so buy the best full-fat one you can find. Skimmed or low-fat yoghurt gives a thin, watery set that no amount of chilling will rescue.

• 1 kg full-fat natural yoghurt — or 750 g Greek-style yoghurt if you are short of time
• 1 × 397 g tin condensed milk, or 150 g caster sugar dissolved in 100 ml whole milk
• 200 ml double cream
• 6 green cardamom pods, seeds finely ground
• 2 tbsp milk powder (optional, but it gives a lovely old-fashioned richness)
• 60 g shelled pistachios, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
• A pinch of fine salt
• Rose water, kewra water, or a few saffron threads soaked in warm milk — all optional

A clean muslin cloth, a sieve and a deep bowl are the only equipment you genuinely need.

Thickening the yoghurt — the step that matters

Line a sieve with muslin, set it over a bowl, and tip in the yoghurt. Gather the cloth loosely, cover, and leave it in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. You will be surprised how much whey comes out; discard it, or keep it for rice or a lassi. What remains is a thick, spoonable curd that holds its shape. If you are using Greek-style yoghurt, two hours of straining is plenty.

Now whisk the condensed milk, cream, ground cardamom, milk powder and salt together until smooth. Fold this into the strained yoghurt with a spatula rather than a whisk — you want to keep it dense, not aerate it. Taste and adjust: it should be sweet but still taste of yoghurt, with cardamom humming in the background. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes before pouring.

Setting, flavouring and the Sylheti touch

Spoon into individual ramekins, small glasses or one shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. The set will be soft — think thick custard — rather than rubbery.

If you want the deeper, denser texture sold in sweet shops, look for small unglazed clay pots. Clay draws a little moisture from the yoghurt and lends the dessert a faint earthiness that no fridge-set version quite matches. Rinse the pots, dry them well, and chill them before filling.

For flavour, add a teaspoon of rose water or kewra to the mix, or swirl saffron milk through just before chilling so it streaks rather than blends. Keep the pistachios back until serving — stirred in early, they go soft and lose their bite.

Making it ahead and taking it to a gathering

This is a genuinely useful dessert for entertaining because almost all of the work happens in advance.

• Up to 3 days ahead: strain the yoghurt and mix the base; keep it covered in the fridge.
• Up to 2 days ahead: portion into ramekins or one dish and let it set.
• On the day: scatter toasted pistachios, a pinch of dried rose petals, or a few fresh pomegranate seeds just before serving.

If you are carrying it to someone else's house, set it in a lidded dish, nest it in a cool bag with a frozen block, and add the toppings once you arrive. It will hold for a couple of hours at room temperature without collapsing.

Serving it well

Serve cold, straight from the fridge, in small portions — it is rich. In summer, a spoonful of mango purée or a few halved lychees on top is lovely; in winter, a drizzle of date syrup or a little honey works better than fruit. A crisp biscuit alongside gives a welcome contrast in texture. Leftovers keep for four days covered in the fridge, though the surface will weep slightly; stir it through and it is still excellent.

Make it once, and it tends to become the thing people ask you to bring.