🍰 DESSERT
Juju Dhau
A rich, sweet set yogurt scented with cardamom, the King of Yogurts from the Newar city of Bhaktapur.
Nepali · easy · serves 6
prep 15 min · cook 30 min · plus 2 h hands-off time
~221 cal · 8g protein · 30g carbs · 8g fat · 0g fiber · 30g sugars · 5g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Juju dhau, meaning king yogurt in Newari, is the pride of Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley, a thick, creamy sweet yogurt so revered it earns its royal name. It is a fixture of Newar feasts and festivals, traditionally set in shallow clay pots that draw out excess moisture.
Whole buffalo milk is boiled down and reduced, sweetened, and gently spiced with and sometimes a little clove or coconut, then cultured and left to set undisturbed. The clay pot and the rich milk give it an almost custard-like density and a delicate caramel note. Cool, thick, and just sweet enough, it is a beloved end to a valley meal.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and gluten-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 6 cups buffalo milk (or whole cow milk)
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt (as starter)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp ground
Instructions
- 1Soak the clay pots in water for a few hours and drain them, then boil the milk and reduce it by about a quarter with the sugar and cardamom.✎ Chef’s noteReduce the milk properly. The thickness of juju dhau comes from concentrating the milk before it sets, not from any thickener.
- 2Cool the milk until just warm to the touch.
- 3Whisk in the yogurt starter and pour into clay pots or bowls.
- 4Cover and keep warm undisturbed until set, then chill before serving.
Bhaktapur Newar tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kathmandu Valley. The Kathmandu Valley cooks Newari specialties alongside dal bhat and momo dumplings. Fermented greens, buffalo dishes, and Himalayan-Tibetan influence define Nepal's cultural heartland.
🗺️
Nepal. Nepal preserves greens by fermenting them. Gundruk is leaf mustard, radish or cauliflower leaves packed tight, left to sour, then dried, and it turns up as soup and as pickle through the months when nothing green is growing. Momos, by contrast, came from Tibet and are shared across the Himalaya rather than being Nepali alone.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Nepal
Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling)Fig-shaped steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with chaku (jaggery molasses), toasted sesame, and coconut, made for Yomari Punhi.
Dal Bhat TarkariThe Himalayan daily plate: tempered black lentils, rice, and a turmeric-spiced vegetable curry.
Sel RotiA ring-shaped, lightly sweet fermented rice bread, crisp outside and soft within.
Browse all Nepal recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Whisk.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Juju Dhau?
A rich, sweet set yogurt scented with cardamom, the King of Yogurts from the Newar city of Bhaktapur.
Where does Juju Dhau come from?
Juju Dhau is a Nepali dish from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.
Can Juju Dhau be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Juju Dhau recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Juju Dhau safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Juju Dhau take to make?
About 2 h 45 min in all: 15 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking, plus 2 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 6.
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