Making ghee at home can be a long process, but the result is worth it. Ghee is used in many different Indian dishes and is considered a staple in Indian cooking. Making your own ghee may seem intimidating or difficult, but it is actually a very simple process if you follow these 10 steps.
Ghee is a kind of clarified butter that is used in many different Indian dishes. Ghee can be made from cow’s milk, but it is more commonly made from buffalo’s milk. Ghee is popular in India among vegetarians because it contains no water, which would spoil the flavor of any dish made with ghee.
Ghee has a nutty flavor and is slightly yellow in color. Ghee has a higher smoke point than butter, so it can be cooked at higher temperatures than butter without burning. Ghee does not spoil as easily as regular butter does because ghee is cooked longer, which kills bacteria that can spoil the butter.
Ghee can be used to make many different types of Indian recipes and also can be used to replace other oils and fats in cooking. Because ghee has a high smoke point and does not burn easily, it makes an excellent fat for frying foods like samosas.*
There are many reasons to make ghee, but the most basic reason is because it tastes better than butter. Butter has had all the flavors boiled out of it, and is just salty and sweet. Ghee tastes like what you cooked it with. Even if you don’t eat a lot of Indian food, you can make ghee to use in other recipes where butter is called for.
Taste aside, ghee has a number of culinary advantages over butter: It doesn’t burn as easily, it can be heated to higher temperatures without burning, it keeps longer at room temperature and doesn’t go rancid as quickly.
Ghee is basically clarified butter; clarified butter is made by heating butter until the milk solids separate from the water and then pouring off the water (or using a centrifuge). Clarified butter keeps for months in the fridge, or longer in the freezer. Ghee is clarified butter that has had the water boiled off entirely so only an oil remains. There’s not much point in clarifying butter unless you plan on making ghee from it.
Making ghee couldn’t be simpler: Just put some butter in a saucepan over medium heat until most of the water boils away (you’re left with little brown bits–that’s the
**1. Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan. Once it has melted add the cumin and mustard seeds.
2. Allow them to pop, this should take about 30 seconds.
3. Add the fenugreek seeds and let these sizzle for about a minute before adding the asafoetida and turmeric powder and allow them to cook for about 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour in water(you can add as much water as you like, I have added around 1/2 cup) and allow the mixture to come to a boil, once it has boiled reduce heat to low and cover with a lid, allowing the ghee to simmer for around 30 minutes or until you see oil on top of the clarified butter.*
5. Once this happens turn off the heat and let it cool before pouring through a fine strainer or cheese cloth into jars for storage and use when needed.*
1. Place the butter in a saucepan and place on a medium heat.
2. Allow the butter to melt and simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Using a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan as it will start to brown on the base of the pan, do this every so often to prevent burning.
4. After 10 minutes remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, using a wooden spoon strain into a bowl through a fine sieve lined with muslin cloth or cheesecloth, make sure you press all of the liquid out of the ghee and discard the remaining solids.
5. At this point your ghee is ready to use, you can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months or freeze for up to 1 year.
Kasuri Methi is an essential ingredient in North Indian cuisine. It tastes great with Rice, Roti, Parathas and even Naan. Ghee or Clarified Butter is a fat which has been cooked until all water has evaporated and the milk solids have separated.
Kasuri methi is used both as a garnish for many curries and lentils and also as a flavoring agent. It is made from dried fenugreek leaves, which when cooked with ghee gives it a very pleasant aroma and delicious taste.
The process of making kasuri methi is not complicated at all but requires a little patience. Unlike most gravies or dishes where you can cook for a little while and then check if the dish is ready, this one calls for slow cooking over a low flame so that the moisture from the leaves evaporates gradually without burning them.
1. Wash the methi leaves very well in running water by using your hands to remove all dirt and sand particles which are present on the leaves. Also check if there are any insects on the leaves as they should be washed off too.
2. Take a deep vessel or pot and fill it up with water. Dip the washed methi leaves in it for about 30 minutes. The leaves will expand in size so make sure that you have a large vessel to keep them in. Discard the water after 30 minutes and then wash the leaves again with fresh clean water for another 5-6 times until the water becomes clear. This process of washing is very important as it will remove all dirt, sand and insects from the surface of the leaves.
4. Now put this washed methi into a mixer grinder jar along with 1 cup of water and grind it well for about 2-3 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer grinder then use a blender instead. The consistency of this ground methi mixture should be such that you can pass your finger through it without making any hole or dent on its surface (just like water) and also should be thick enough so that you can hold a spoon upside down inside it without any dripping of batter coming out of it