Craving some new flavors? Learn how to make ghee with this ghee recipe, and try swapping out regular butter for this nutty alternative to add a rich flavor to any dish!
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Changing up the fats you choose to cook with (along with herbs and spices) can drastically change the flavor of any dish.
If you’re like me, looking to discover new flavors and shake things up a bit in the kitchen, then you’ll love ghee.
Ghee is typically found in Indian cooking and can make a world of difference when it comes to flavor.
This post is all about how to make ghee with the simplest ghee recipe.
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Which Fat Should I Use?
Lately, Indian cuisine has been greatly inspiring my cooking. I attribute this to the awesome Priya Krishna. Check out her cookbook, Indian-ish for some delightful family stories and Indian-American dishes for more cooking inspiration!
If you’re in the market for more cookbook inspiration, check out the Dite & Patra Bookshelf HERE! >
Different cuisines around the world use different fats for cooking. These fats heavily influence the flavors of the food, giving cuisines their distinct regional taste. For example, in Italy, and other parts of the Mediterranean, the fat of choice is olive oil. France is known for its love of butter in cooking. In India, it’s ghee.
What Is Ghee?
Ghee is clarified butter typically used in Indian cooking, and it has a delicious nutty flavor. Basically, ghee is made by heating butter until the water evaporates and the milk fats separate. What’s left could almost be described as butter oil.
This butter oil, or ghee, has quite a long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature. It’s similar to coconut oil in the sense that it is a solid until a certain temperature, in which case it turns into a liquid. The melting point of ghee is around 76 degrees Fahrenheit so on a hot summer day you may find the top layer of your ghee has liquified (which is totally okay)!
What Is Ghee Used For? Why Is It So Special?
Ghee originated in India where the climate is quite hot. Butter would often spoil in the heat, making ghee the better choice. Indian cuisine has used ghee for thousands of years, but not just for cooking!
Vegetables with ghee? Delicious! Try this ghee-baked cauliflower recipe HERE! >
Ceremonies
In fact, in Hindu mythology the origin story features ghee. Prajapati (the lord of all born beings and creation), was said to have rubbed his hands together to create the first ghee. Then he poured it into flames to create his offspring. Today, this act is a part of many Hindu traditions. Hindus will pour ghee into sacred fires during special ceremonies for events such as marriage, funerals, and more.
Health Benefits
Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems. It originated over 3,000 years ago in India and is still practiced today. Ayurvedic medicine considers it a cooling food, meaning it lowers the body’s temperature. Ghee is believed to have physical healing properties, aiding in memory and digestion, the absorption of nutrients from herbs, for lubricating connective tissue in the body, and for soothing burns. It also works great as a body oil and moisturizer!
Ghee is also high in butyrate. Butyrate is a type of fatty acid that is created by microbes in your gut (good bacteria) when they break down dietary fiber. This is important because it reduces inflammation in the body. Ghee is also rich in vitamin A. Did I also mention that it is perfect for people who are lactose intolerant because hardly any of the butter’s lactose or casein remains after the clarifying process!
History
In ancient history, in Sanskrit literature (the ancient language mainly spoken today by Hindu priests during religious ceremonies), ghee was considered so important that food was categorized as either “food cooked with ghee (pucca khana)” or “food cooked without ghee (kacha khana).” Food with ghee was considered superior since ghee itself was said to be food for the gods.
Ghee also has quite an interesting history in the United States! In the 1950s, it was discovered that American dairy farmers had a huge surplus of butter, about 260 million pounds to be exact. The government had the brilliant idea to turn the extra butter into ghee and try to sell it in India. This plan, however, never came into fruition when American dairy experts discovered in India that ghee preferences were regional. The north preferred ghee from cow’s milk, while the south preferred ghee from buffalo’s milk.
How To Make Ghee – Ghee Recipe
I found it at my local Aldi, but you can make your own ghee if you’re up for it! Highly highly recommend, it’s delicious! Read on for the details and check out my illustrated recipe below. 😉
The Recipe
Rich, Nutty, & Delicious Ghee
Ingredients
- 1 lb. unsalted butter (from grass-fed cows)
Instructions
- It's important to use the best quality butter that you can find, preferably made from the milk of grass-fed cows. Cut the butter into smaller pieces.
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat without stirring.
- The butter will begin to simmer, bubble, and separate. You will see the whey form on the top. Skim the whey off.
- Cook the ghee until clear and milk solids begin to form and sink to the bottom. Watch carefully to make sure the milk solids don't burn. You'll know it's done when the ghee is a clear golden color with a few bubbles on top.
- When the ghee has cooled, strain it through a cheesecloth, removing the milk solids. Store the ghee in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!
This post was all about how to make ghee with the simplest ghee recipe.
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