One item that is present in every Indian kitchen is ghee. India is a vast country with a wide variety of cuisines, therefore only a few things are universally enjoyed by its many states and populations. But there's always a jar of ghee common in almost all Indian homes.
Indians have an intense love for desi ghee or clarified butter. Homemade ghee has a powerful scent that complements Indian cuisine. Ghee has a high-fat content, but it also has a high omega-3 monounsaturated fatty acid content. So, do you know the true process used to make desi ghee? Why not attempt to produce your ghee at home instead of purchasing the pricey, often adulterated cans from the market?
What Is Ghee?
Simmering cream(malai) or butter at low heat causes the milk particles to caramelise, resulting in ghee, a type of clarified butter. The milk solids are then completely removed by straining the fat. Ghee is the name given to the beautiful, clear, sweet, golden liquid fat that is left after heating the milk solids.
Indian cuisine heavily incorporates ghee, which has been produced and used for millennia. It's a great fat for high-heat cooking since it has a considerably higher smoke point than ordinary butter.
Moreover, it can be consumed by those who are lactose intolerant (remove this line) and is shelf stable, requiring no refrigeration.
Here's how you can make your own homemade ghee from malai.
Ghee Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1-litre malai
Method:
- Before beginning to make ghee, make sure the cream is cold. With a hand blender, churn the cream in a big bowl. The cream will begin to separate into butter and liquid after a few minutes. Continue churning for a further two to three minutes, or until all of the cream has separated.
- Over another bowl, place a sieve and cover it with cheesecloth. Gather the leftover liquid, or buttermilk, in the bowl after draining the butter through the cheesecloth. You can use buttermilk for baking afterwards, or you can drink it straight up.
- Gather the cheesecloth's edges and use them to press out any remaining butter liquid. Now wash the butter by pouring over it half a cup of ice-cold liquid. This aids in removing any sediments. Squeeze out any remaining moisture from the butter once more. At this point, the butter can be used to produce ghee or refrigerated for storage.
- Heat the butter in a pot on top of the stove to produce ghee. Allow the butter to boil when it has melted fully. The butter will bubble and spatter as it simmers.
- For another twenty to twenty-five minutes, cook the ghee over low heat, stirring now and again to prevent the bottom layer of milk solids from burning. It will begin to turn from a brilliant yellow to a somewhat greenish brown as it cooks, and then to a light golden brown.
- Your ghee is done when it becomes clear, stops foaming, and the bottom milk solids turn brown. After a few minutes of cooling, strain it through cheesecloth. Keep it sealed in a container.