Ghee homemade is easy to make, but it needs a little bit of time. Ghee (Usli Ghee) is clarified butter. When all solid parts from the milk are disposed and the water contigent has completely evaporated,  remains ghee. There is ghee wich is made out of vegetable oils, it’s cheaper, but it doesn’t taste so good as usli ghee. To get this slightly sweet and nuttily taste it should be boiled very slowly. It’s used for cooking, deep-frying or roasting.

Health benefits: Ghee is absolutely essential in the ayurvedic kitchen. It´s the best “fatty” substance. Ghee has a balancing effect on all three doshas and increases the “agni” gently. It doesn’t harm the liver, but strengthens it. In the ayurvedic filosophy, Ghee is an “rasayana”, it’s rejuvenating, keeps the “srotas” (transport spaces) open, is detoxifying and strengthens our vitality and our resitance to desease. Drinking lukewarm water with Ghee, removes constipation. Ghee is often used as a carrier substance to bring the effects of de medical herbs deeper into the tissues (Dathus).

Ingredients

750 gr. butter – brings 600 gr. ghee. The quantity can be adapted acording to your needs.

Time for preparation aprox. 30 minutes. The bigger the amount of butter is, the more time you’ll need.

Put the butter blocks into a big heavy pot. Bring it to boiling slowly, with middle heat.

When there is white foam on the surface building, minimize the heat to “low” and let it boil slowly on. Take the foam away with a sludger. In the first 10 minutes you can hear a fizzling, because of the liquid which is evaporating. No need to stir right now.

Don’t let the ghee get burned. When its overheated, it will be dark coloured and smell awfully. The boiling time for 750 gr. to 1 kilo of butter is up to 30 minutes. Stir it from time to time to make sure, if the bottom of the pot gets brown. Than, inmediately turn of the heat. Don’t scratch these particals from the bottom, if there are some.

When the butter is so clear that you can see the bottom of the pot through the liquid, the ghee is ready. Pour the golden liquid into a clean glass jar or other heat resistant container. Your can pour the liquid through a tea strainer (cloth) or a mull cloth, to have an optimum cleared ghee. Let it cool down. In the fridge it remains fresh for 4 month, outside in room temperature for 4 to 6 weeks, and when you freeze it, it will last almost for ever.

Important:

• if you use ghee to deep-fry, it should be filtered afterwards. You can use ghee lot of times. When it gets dark, you should pour it away
• attention with water! When ghee gets in touch with water – just a few drops are enough – it will be splashing aroud like crazy
• vegetables which are cookes in ghee produce foam. Keep in mind, that the pot is big enough for the expanding foam.

Effects of ghee on your health: coming soon here