This dense, intense yogurt custard is a specialty of Bengal, where it is called bhapa doi—steamed custard. Bengalis have quite a sweet tooth, and this is one of the hundreds of sweet things they buy from the market, all set in terra-cotta pots, to have at the end of their meals. Here is a quick, easy version that I learned from a Bengali friend. It can be eaten by itself or with fruit. You may double the recipe, using a 4-cup dish. The cooking time should be the same.

　　

Ingredients

serves 2¿3

　　1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

　　1 cup sweetened condensed milk

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 300°F.

　　

Step 2

Put the yogurt in a bowl. Beat lightly with a whisk until smooth and creamy. Add the condensed milk. Mix it in thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a 2-cup ovenproof dish and cover it, with foil if necessary. Put this dish into a larger ovenproof dish—or a baking pan—that can hold enough water to come halfway up the sides of the smaller dish and act as a bain-marie. Pour very hot water into this second dish and place both dishes in the oven. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven. Lift out the smaller dish and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.