Ghee is good for the soul and adds a real flavour punch to ANY dish and this is an Easy Ghee Recipe. I use Ghee to make eggs (You haven't lived until you have had a fried egg cooked in Ghee), cookies (OMG SO GOOD), Rice (obvs, who doesn't), Curries (Beginning to hate that word but it is the blanket word for any saucy indian meal so it will have to do), Roti, Naan, Bread, Desserts, Kichri, Daals..

In short, I use Ghee for EVERYTHING. I even use it on my skin. I know you may be imagining a greasy Safira sliding around the kitchen floor face down but it isn't quite like that. I promise I use only the tiniest amount of it on my face. I go crazy on my feet though and slide around everywhere. OK I don't..

How to make traditional Ghee

Ghee is made by heating butter to separate the liquid and milk solid portions from the fat. First, butter is boiled until the liquid evaporates and milk solids settle at the bottom of the pan and turn gold to dark brown. Next, the remaining Ghee is left to cool a little. It is then strained before being transferred to jars or containers.

How Butter transforms into Ghee

As it simmers, the butter will transform. The foamy surface will slowly transform into a thin, transparent golden liquid. The milk solids fully settle at the bottom of the saucepan where they will begin to colour.

The heat level, and the length of time you cook the ghee, will determine the ghee’s flavor. Watch carefully near the end, and turn off the heat when you are satisfied with the color of the milk solids. The darker the milk solids become, the nuttier the ghee will taste. Some believe that if the milk solids get too dark, you have gone too far. I think this is down to individual taste. It is still Ghee.

After this stage, you allow the ghee rest for 15 minutes before straining through a fine mesh strainer, or through at least four layers of cheesecloth/muslin cloth, into a jar of your choice. Cover the jars only after the ghee has fully cooled. The Ghee will transform from clear liquid, to an opaque, semisolid state.

What is Ghee used for

Ghee is used in place of oil and butter in many recipes. It adds an extra nuttiness and depth of flavour. You can try it on:

Potatoes
Eggs
Sautéing Vegetables
Rice
Naan
Roti
Dal (For tempering spices at the end as can be seen in this recipe).

Ghee vs Butter

According to Miriam Polunin in her book Healing Foods, the fats present in ghee are not associated with heart disease in the same way as the long-chain fatty acids in butter. This is because they are used directly as energy by the body and not stored as fats.

Ghee has a higher smoke point when compared to butter, so it doesn't burn as quickly. This means that you can easily use ghee for baking, sautéing and roasting without the risk of destroying the important nutrients that it contains.

Ghee does not need to be refrigerated. Given that its milk solids have been removed, it does not require refrigeration and can be kept at room temperature for several weeks. In fact, like coconut oil, it may become solid when kept at cold temperatures.

Ghee and butter have similar nutritional compositions and culinary properties, although there are a few differences. It is higher in calories though because it is more concentrated with the water and milk solids being removed. 1 tablespoon of Ghee contains 112 calories, compared to 100 in Butter. Ghee is literally all of the best parts of butter. The process of simmering the butter and filtering out the sediments and milk solids removes 99% of the lactose and casein.

Ghee Benefits

In Naturopathy and Traditional Medicine, Ghee is considered warming and therefore it is great for the colder months and is used a lot in Soups, Halwas and even Panjeeri.

Ghee is thought to be soothing as it helps reduce inflammation in the digestive tract.

Ghee helps with constipation and promoting regular bowel movements, which assists in elimination and detoxification.

Ghee is a nutritional powerhouse containing plentiful amounts of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. These nutrients are essential to a wide range of body functions from the brain to the immune system. In addition, Ghee aids in the body’s absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from other foods.

Great For Skin - Ghee is known to be suitable for all skin types and it also has vital fatty acids that help in hydration of the skin cells. Externally, ghee is moisturising and nourishing for the skin, and a balm for wounds and rashes.

To learn more about the benefits, check out this article here.

What to look for when buying Ghee

The most important consideration when buying ghee is that it comes from 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised cows. If it is also organic or biodynamic, that is an added plus.

How to make Ghee - Process Photos

Place the butter into a heavy bottomed pot on medium-low heat.
Allow the butter to come to a boil gently. The ghee will begin to foam.
After a few minutes, reduce the heat to very low.
Simmer undisturbed on very low for 25 minutes and up to an hour depending on how many blocks of butter you are using. The milk solids that settle on the bottom of the saucepan will turn a golden brown at this stage.

Too Brown?

Yamuna Devi, writing in “The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking,” suggests noting the color and fragrance of your ghee. If the solids on the bottom of the pan are darker than golden brown, or if the fragrance is intense—like toasted sesame oil—the butter has cooked too long, or over too high a heat. If this is the case, Devi suggests discarding the solids. The ghee is still usable, but next time adjust the heat or cooking time.

Is Ghee the same as Clarified Butter?

Ghee is sometimes referred to as clarified butter, but it is not the same.

Clarified butter is similar, in that it's cooking process also removes the moisture from the butterfat, but clarified butter is ready as soon as the milk solids drop out, and before they start to brown.

When making clarified butter, you also actively skim off the foam from the top of the pot as the butter simmers. This is not done when making ghee, as the foam transforms during the cooking process and you basically leave it to do its thing.

Ghee is simmered longer to bring out the butter’s inherent nutty flavor and is left with a higher smoke point than butter, meaning that it can be heated to a higher temperature before it starts to smoke.

Solid ghee in traditional silver indian pot

Easy Ghee Recipe

Safira

How to make nutty, delicious, vibrant, nutritious golden ghee .

5 from 5 votes

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Cook Time 45

Total Time 45

Cuisine Indian

Servings

Calories 112 kcal

Ingredients

750 g Butter Salted or Unsalted

Instructions

Place the butter into a heavy bottomed pot on medium low heat and allow to melt. The ghee will begin to foam. Allow the butter to come to a gentle boil for 10 - 15 minutes.
Simmer undisturbed over very low heat for 25 minutes up to 45 minutes until the milk solids that settle on the bottom of the saucepan turn golden brown.
Cool the ghee for 15 minutess and line a sieve with cheese cloths or muslin. Strain the ghee with the lined sieve into a pouring jug/jar.
Store the ghee in a sealed jar. Cool and store the jar at room temperature. Ghee will remain fresh at room temperature for several weeks when sealed properly and last months in the refrigerator.

Notes

There is no need to skim the foam from the top when making Ghee, That is usually done when making Clarified Butter.
Leave the butter to simmer gently for 25 - 45 minutes.
Make sure you allow the Ghee to cool for 15 minutes before sieving.
If possible, use a good creamy Organic butter.
The Calories mentioned here are for 1 tablespoon.

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal

Keyword Ghee

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Comments

5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)