How to Make Organic Ghee at Home
Ghee is Indian clarified butter made from rich butter that is heated until it melts and then separating the resulting milk solids to produce a clear golden cooking fat. As there is only one ingredient you need, it is best to pick the richest and best quality organic butter that you can find. If you can source farm-fresh butter all the better.
Mrs Balbir Singh says:
"Ghee enhances the cooking process and flavour of many North Indian dishes in a way that other oils and non-clarified butters are just not able to match."
Homemade Organic Ghee
Category: Indian Culinary Methods & Guides
You Will Need:
- 750g Unsalted Organic Butter
- 1 Medium or Large Heavy-Bottomed Pan
- 1 Large Glass Jar (or 2 smaller ones)
Step 1:
Heat the butter on medium fire, stirring every now and then, until it is fully melted. The froth at the top of the liquefied butter should be stirred until it is mixed up. Remove from the fire and put the pan into the refrigerator.
Step 2:
In 3 to 4 hours a thick layer of clarified butter sets on the top and the undesirable protein residues sink to the bottom. In the absence of a refrigerator place the pan over iced water contained in a basin. The time that setting takes depends upon the temperature of the water surrounding the pan. During the cold weather season, it is sufficient to leave the pan overnight near a window. The solidified butter should then be transferred to another pan with the help of a knife and a spoon without disturbing the residue at the bottom.
Step 3:
Heat the butter again till it boils for 1 to 2 minutes. The crystal clear fluid resulting from this process is called ghee. Strain it through a muslin cloth and store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. The ghee thus prepared from buffalo’s milk is white in colour and that from cow’s milk is creamy yellow. It can be kept for 2 to 3 months at room temperature, or 6 months in the refrigerator.
Ghee's Amazing Benefits
India's famous clarified butter has been revered by ayurvedic experts as the ultimate health tonic for thousands of years. Modern science now agrees that ghee has a whole host of health and cooking benefits and is good for the body, mind, and spirit. Read our blog post on India's Culinary Liquid Gold here.
Did you know?
Ghee is the oil used the world over in Indian homes on auspicious occasions such as Diwali, to light small lamps called diyas.
Mrs Balbir Singh
Award-winning godmother of Indian home cooking, and author of Mrs Balbir Singh's Indian Cookery, as featured in "The Best Indian Cookbooks Ever, as Judged by the Experts" - The Telegraph (UK)
