How to Make Ghee

Rashmi September 22, 2012 0 Comments

Ghee or Clarified butter has been a staple of Indian cooking and diet. You can saute, pan fry and deep fry with Ghee which has a higher smoking point than most vegetable oils; or simply add a dollop to your Daal just before serving. Ghee is made by cooking butter and separating milk solids and water from fat. Because the fat in butter has been cooked, Ghee has a more intense flavor than butter and a great shelf life. Try substituting Ghee for butter in baked goods such as chocolate chip cookies, you will fall in love with its flavor!

yeild:
1 3/4 cups

ingredients:
1 lb. (2 cups) butter (salted or unsalted)

cooking time:
9-10 minutes

preparation:

Place butter in a 4-5 quart saucepan, heat a 3-4 quart pot on medium heat.
After butter has melted (about 3-4 minutes), the milk solids will foam at the top and the butter will start to make spattering noises as the water evaporates.
Continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to scrape any milk solids stuck to the pan. By this time the spattering will be a lot less, foam will start to subside and the browned milk solids will settle at the bottom (it is okay if all the foam does not disappear completely).
Take pot off the stove and let Ghee cool as it continues to cook.
Do not overcook or Ghee will burn (it is better to undercook Ghee than overcook it, it will be heated again when you cook with it later).
Strain into a glass jar using a strainer lined with cheese cloth. If you do not strain the ghee, the residue will settle at the bottom and you can throw it out as you get to the bottom of the jar.