Ghee (Clarified Butter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ghee is a form of butter often used in Indian cuisines. It has a nutty smell and an almost caramel-like taste. It keeps very well and can be used in a lot of dishes. It has a higher burning point than butter and can thus be used for frying. Resent research shows that ghee has a lot of health benefits. It is a must for certain Indian flat breads such as naan. It is easy to make but has to be attended to diligently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

(1) Unsalted Butter

Note: Make sure you make use of unsalted butter for this recipe. The taste of the butter will affect the final taste of the ghee. I will thus suggest that you use very good butter, and if you can, make your own. Process here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURE:

(1) Cut butter into small chunks so it melts easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Place butter in sauce pan on medium heat and allow to melt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) When the butter has melted, reduce the heat further to medium low and start stirring the ghee. Your aim here is to achieve a golden color without burning the milk solids. If you do not stir the melted butter continuously, the milk solids will settle to the bottom of the pan and burn, thus affecting the taste of the ghee. In total, the process should take about 5 minutes, from start to finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: The butter will foam a lot during the cooking process. This is normal. Just keep stirring it.

(4) When you are satisfied with the color of the ghee, take if off the heat. By the way, the smell of the ghee during the cooking process is unbelievable. Allow the ghee to cool down a bit before scooping out any leftover foam on top of the ghee.

Trick: After the ghee has rested for about 2 minutes, pour a teaspoon of water into it. It will bubble a lot, so stand back. When the bubble settles, all the foam will be gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Strain the ghee to remove the brown milk solids. If you have a cheesecloth, you can line your strainer with it to ensure that your ghee is very clear.

Ghee should be stored in an air tight container and can last for a couple of months outside the fridge. I however store mine in the fridge. If it solidifies, just heat it a lit to melt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try dunking your naan and other breads in ghee. It does taste so very good. Recipe for Naan can be found here.