Monday, July 27, 2015

CLARIFIED BUTTER (GHEE)

Ghee is used a lot in Indian cuisine be it north, south, east or west. It plays an important role in festivals, weddings and so on. Ghee is also used in place of oil to light lamps on auspicious days. It imparts a special aroma and taste to any dish and a little goes a long way. 




Lets get started.

Ingredients:
1 Kg Fresh cream 

Method:
Take a heavy bottom vessel and start melting the cream. Remember to keep the heat at medium.


When the boiling starts you will also hear a hissing or gurgling sound. 
Continue boiling on medium heat. You cannot speed up the process by increasing the heat. Always keep it medium to low.
Few minutes later, you see the solids settling at the bottom. 



 Solid particles beginning to change color.


Ghee tends to sputter while cooking, so cover it with a lid. Ensure that you keep stirring time to time to avoid the milk solids from sticking to the bottom.


They are white now and when they turn brown, ghee is ready.



When you can clearly see the bottom of the vessel and when the solid particles have turned brown, ghee is ready. 

Let it cool and pour the clear liquid into a container and store. You can use a muslin cloth or strainer to pour just the liquid. 


The solid particles left behind is khoya/mawa which I use to make delicious mithai (Indian sweets) for my son. (CLICK for recipe)


 I like to store the ghee in clear glass bottles which are labelled with the date for quick reference.
Ghee can be stored at room temperature and does not need refrigeration. 


Ghee when made is like clear oil, but solidifies after few hours at room temperature.