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In Indian cooking, ghee serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it is a preferred cooking fat due to its high smoke point, making it suitable for frying, sautéing, and deep-frying without burning or imparting a burnt flavour to the food. Secondly, ghee adds depth and richness to dishes, enhancing their flavour profile. It's commonly used in preparing dals (lentils), curries, rice dishes like biryani, and sweets like halwa and ladoo. Additionally, it is a key ingredient in making traditional Indian bread like parathas and naans, imparting them with a distinct aroma and taste.
Beyond its culinary uses, ghee holds cultural and medicinal significance in India. It's considered auspicious and often used in religious rituals and ceremonies. In Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine, ghee is prized for its healing properties and is used in various remedies and treatments for its purported benefits for digestion, skin health, and overall well-being. Because of its clarified state, which removes lactose and casein, it is acceptable for people who are sensitive to dairy products and adds a distinctive richness to a range of recipes.
Here are some tips to prepare clarified butter at home:
Video credit: YouTube/ Hebbars Kitchen
Ingredients to use:
The sole ingredient needed to make ghee at home is unsalted butter, which we will prepare from the high-quality heavy cream extracted from whole-fat milk. This will have a great flavour and smell as well. We can also collect the fat from the milk daily and then prepare ghee from it.
Temperature:
Keep this heavy, full-fat cream at room temperature before we churn it into butter. Warm cream is easier to churn into butter than cold cream.
Churning Methods:
We need to be very patient while churning the cream into butter. Take the room temperature whole-fat cream into a mixing jar for the churning process. You can also use a hand mixer or manually shake it as per your preference. Just ensure the equipment is clean and dry before use.
Churning Time:
As already mentioned, we need to be very patient during the churning process, as it takes over 15 to 20 minutes from the transformation of cream to butter. The time also depends on the amount and thickness of the cream.
Need Of Observation:
We need to keep in mind the transformation of the cream. Firstly, you will find a whipped cream-like substance, and further, you will notice a buttermilk-like substance getting separated from the solid butter.
Also Read: 6 Important Tips To Check The Purity Of Ghee
Rinsing:
Once you observe the cream transforming into butter, keep aside the buttermilk. Then take out the solid butter and thoroughly wash it under cold water to remove the excess buttermilk. This process helps improve the shelf life of the butter.
Flavouring:
As per your desire, you can also add flavourings like beetel leaf, fenugreek seeds or turmeric powder to the butter or add some salt as well. This process is totally optional, as it will not affect the final result of the ghee.
Heat It Further:
Now heat this butter further on low to medium heat. Start with medium heat to melt the butter, and then lower the heat to simmer it without covering it fully.
Change of Colour:
Heat it till you observe the colour changing to yellow or golden brown. When the ghee is clear and golden with some sediment at the bottom, it is ready.
Filter the Ghee:
Pass the liquid through a strainer, mesh, or cheesecloth to remove the solid milk sediments that settle down at the bottom.
Storing Process:
Once it cools down, store the ghee in a clean, airtight container. You do not need to refrigerate it, as it already has a long shelf life. And here is your home-made, pure ghee to enjoy with your food.
