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(make sure to press the cooked mixture nicely to squeeze out any ghee it retains)
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Indian Ghee
I know that most Indians will know what I am talking about but most others will be a little lost. Ghee is clarified butter. It is used in all kinds of Indian cooking, especially in the sweet meats. It has a very distinctive flavor and is delicious with piping hot rice and a pinch of salt. It adds a nice aroma to most curry dishes and meat becomes more flavorful. It is one of the most sought after ingredients of a good Indian meal. Now that we have that established, where do we get it? Most Indian grocery stores will carry some form of ghee and so will some of the more inclusive department stores such as Meijer. However, ghee is traditionally very expensive. There are a couple of very simple ways to make it at home.
Method 1: Buy some unsalted butter. Unsalted is best because it prevents the flavor of salt from tainting the flavor of the ghee. Heat it in the microwave in a pot (microwave safe of course) till it melts. Let it sit for a few after it has melted. This will force the milk solids to settle to the bottom. Grab some cheese cloth and dampen it with some water. Then carefully strain the melted butter onto the cloth, making sure none of the milk solids are transferred. Get rid of the milk solids. Thats it.
Method 2: A more refined method is to actually boil the butter till the solids seperate and then perform the same straining as above. The dampening of the cloth will make sure less of the butter gets absorbed by the cloth.
Enjoy a nice aromatic and delicious (albeit somewhat unhealthy) meal with your ghee!
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They were just talking about ghee last night on Food Network. Here’s the link. They also said to pour it into a bowl that is partially filled with water. The ghee floats on the top; and when it cools, it forms a disc that can be easily stored.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I will one of these days!!
Comment by Micah 7/22/2004 @ 12:09 pmWell my mom makes ghee in a kind of heavy bottomed pan and when the ghee boils adds a handful of flour to it… Then she cooks the flour a little and slowly all the milk solids are absorbed into the flour and then cooked with it… This process makes it much easier to then strain out the ghee… because now u r separating a solid from a liquid rather than 2 liquids…try it out its easier than it sounds
(make sure to press the cooked mixture nicely to squeeze out any ghee it retains)
Comment by henna 7/25/2004 @ 2:58 pmI love Indian food. I think my favorite is chicken masala. I used to rent a room in London from Bangoly family. Sometimes they asked me to join them for dinner or so. I like it all, even if it was soooo spicy!
Roasted chilli peppers with avocado and persley…hmmmmmm…delicious!
Comment by HDTV Info 7/25/2004 @ 11:33 pmdesi ghee ke laddoos is what I am eating right now.
5 minutes between 2 comments? I had rather keep them to myself.
Comment by Sushubh 7/27/2004 @ 5:44 pm