There’s nothing like the fragrant, nutty, golden, and delicious Ghee.
Even though ghee has recently gained popularity in the US, it is a vey typical staple in all Pakistani & Indian households. From curries to breads to desserts, ghee is the preferred fat to use, because of it’s medicinal values and delicious taste of course! It’s like the Olive oil of the South Asia.
Ghee is a traditional Indian food and has been enjoyed in the Middle East and Asia for thousands of years. It’s also frequently used in Ayurveda and other healing medicines. Because ghee and butter both derive from cow’s milk, their nutritional profiles and fat content are very similar. However, because ghee does not contain the same levels of dairy proteins as butter, it may be better for people who do not tolerate dairy products well.
It’s shelf stable and has a high smoke point. That means it’s a great cooking fat and you can fry with it. It also has a distinctly sweet and nutty flavor that’s just delicious in so many different recipes. Ghee is made by melting regular butter. The butter separates into liquid fats and milk solids. Once separated, the milk solids are removed, which means that ghee has less lactose than butter. Having a high smoke point makes it really versatile, you can cook anything with it. Use it for sautés, stir frying, baking, spreading, and OMG bullet proof coffee that’s out of this world delicious. One of my most favorites is fried eggs in ghee.
It’s so easy to make ghee at home using regular unsalted butter, not to mention it’s CHEAP. I mean Grab a pound of butter from Aldi at $1.79 and make ghee with that, honestly it doesn’t get cheaper than that. Even if you were to use grass fed butter, it’s still high quality and so much cheaper than store bought. Ok back to topic, melt the butter slowly and skim off the solids that gather on the surface. Continue to cook the butter until all the milk solids have sunk to the bottom and the liquid is clear, this stage is your clarified butter. Continue to cook for a few more minutes until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn brown. The cooked milk solids give the ghee its flavor and color. Pour the liquid into a jar or bottle and let it cool and solidify. You can keep this in your pantry for well over a year, though I doubt it’ll last that long.
Ghee
Equipment
- dutch oven 6 QT https://amzn.to/3tT6t2j
- glass jar https://amzn.to/2OKAPoN
- fine mesh strainer https://amzn.to/3f1tawH
Ingredients
- 2 lbs unsalted butter
Instructions
- Melt the butter and bring it to a boil.
- Skim the foam as it gets collected on top. Do not walk away as this happens rather quickly.
- Keep skimming the foam from top until the ghee becomes clear and the milk proteins on the bottom of the pot start to turn brown.
- Once the milk proteins start turning brown, turn off the heat as the ghee will continue to cook.
- Cool for a few minutes and then strain into a glass jar and leave uncovered to cool completely and set.
- Once completely cool and set, you can cover it and keep in the pantry for up to one year.