It’s wonderful and simple to make!
Ghee is the most amazing substance. Melted, it pours like liquid gold. At room temperature, it is semi-soft and creamy.
Ghee can be kept at room temperature for months and heated to frying temperatures without burning. It takes only moments of hands-on time to make at home. Ghee is derived from butter from cooking off milk solids. It becomes an easier-to-digest, healthier alternative to butter and oil or as an ingredient to add flavour and richness to foods.
Ghee heals your body from the inside. In Ayurveda, ghee is recognised as one of the most sattvic foods. Ayurvedic doctors have used ghee for centuries. Ghee is known to reduce heat in the body, sharpen memory and intellect, lubricate and strengthen the digestive tract, and help you on your yogic journey.
Ayurveda recommends adding a spoonful of ghee to one’s morning and evening meals for overall health. When adding ghee directly to food, it is recommended to add it in liquid form (melted).
cooking benefits and tips
- Excellent cooking oil—Ghee doesn’t start smoking until it’s heated to 375F/190C, so it will neither burn nor splatter easily. When heated, its chemical structure remains more stable than that of other oils.
- You will know when you have over-toasted or burnt ghee, which takes on a granular texture when chilled and turns a dull beige colour.
- Stores well—Due to its low moisture content, ghee can last weeks without refrigeration. It should be consumed within a month or two.
- The key to ghee longevity is to store it somewhere cool, keep it covered, and avoid letting any moisture or water into the ghee, as this promotes bacterial growth.
- Although milk-based, it lacks both lactose and casein.
- As it sits, it will become semi-soft and creamy. (It will stay liquid unless you live in a very hot climate.)
- Use it as a replacement for oil or butter in cooking.
- It can also be used to ‘cool down too spicy food’.
ghee
Cooking ghee is a continual process that requires a watchful eye. The butter goes through several different stages of clarification, from a gentle simmer to frothing, boiling, and even rising and settling down. Watch closely!
preparation 10 – 15 minutes
makes about 1½ cups
The quality of ghee rests on the quality of butter, so use the best available and unsalted.
ingredients
500 grams unsalted organic butter
preparation
- Place butter in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. It will take approximately 5 minutes to melt. Initially, it will froth and foam and then begin to settle down.
- The ghee will begin to bubble and crackle quite vigorously. Continue boiling until the bubbling and crackling stop—approximately 3-4 minutes. Use your sense of hearing, as you will hear the intense bubbling and a quieter sound. Watch carefully, as the ghee will burn quickly at this stage.
- Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit on the stove—it will continue to bubble slightly. Eventually, it will turn from white to a fawn colour. The ghee will become clear, translucent, and pleasantly fragrant. At this stage, it is done. Allow it to cool slightly in the pan.
- Pouring the hot ghee through a very thin sieve, possibly a tea strainer, is optional. Alternatively, allow the ghee to settle and pour as is into a jar.
You can add the leftover residue to a pot of cooked brown rice or make a delicious ghee treat. See below.
a ghee sweet
Use the residue left in the strainer and the pot to make a sweet treat.
preparation
- Add ½ cup/75g whole-wheat flour to the pot and stir for 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Add 2-4 tablespoons of jaggery or unrefined sugar and continue stirring for another 2 minutes.
- Add ½ cup/115g milk, stir, and turn off the heat.
- Form into balls, roll in coconut, and enjoy!
variation
- Replace the whole wheat flour with semolina or coconut
Goodness shared from Stacey
