Ghee (Clarified Butter),
Oil of the Kitchen Goddess:  

What You Need to Know



compiled by
Mary Ceallaigh




Many people in the West have become fat phobic. We may fixate upon fat-free or low-fat
foods to protect our hearts, reduce our waistlines, or assuage guilt about other excesses.  
Many people view spreading butter on bread as one step above using motor oil!  Yet in
India, "Usli Ghee" - clarified butter - is a central part of Ayurvedic Medicine and a secret
to the indescribably aromatic Indian vegetable and legume dishes, as well as rice pilafs
and sweets which are so fragrant to the palate, and waft through the house like a
blessing.   What should you do?

The truth is that our bodies need fat to function. People who diet and exercise to the
point where their body fat is extremely low run the risk of dangerous heart arrythmias if
they do not take in enough fat in their diet. Our bodies also need healthy fat to produce
and regulate hormones and assimilate the essential nutrients as well as other
elementals that nourish the physiological communication of the body's glandular system.  
Thus, the ancient healing oil of Ghee is an ally for fertility of mind and body.

On the other hand, the saturated cooked fats in butter can cause problems, especially in
excess.  When not organic, the milk solids in butter contain the concentrated substance
of all the toxins of milk, such as pesticides and hormones.  Turning that heart-clogging
butter into Ghee removes those dangerous solids, producing a golden-clear and pure oil.

Ayurvedic practitioners (and a growing number of Western researchers) believe Ghee has
conductive  properties that carry healing deep into the body tissues and glands.  Highly
valued in Ayurvedic healing as a rejuvenative and elixir, Ghee is easier to digest than
pasteurized butter  (raw butter is a different, wonderful substance hard to come by these
days, another subject altogether).  Ghee is high in HdL "good" cholesterol and has no LdL,
the "bad" cholesterol.

Many women in India rely on ancient Ayurvedic Medicine to maintain good health and
Ghee is a cornerstone of that approach.  Ayurvedic medicine, widely practiced in India and
growing in acceptance around the world, proposes that keeping your body in balance
promotes health. Western medicine, especially in its most aggressive form here in the
United States, instead focuses on fighting disease. Ayurvedic theory rests on the concept
that people have one of three basic body types (doshas) - vata (air), pitta (fire) or kapha
(earth and water) and each requires different strategies to achieve balance.  Ghee is
considered of universal value in promoting health, no matter your body type - it is
rejuvenative to all.  Ghee is reputed to benefit connective tissue and joints, promoting
flexibility.  Mixed with Honey, it is also used as a topical remedy.

Ghee, being a most precious oil, has also been used as a devotional offering in Hinduism
since ancient times, at weddings as well as a variety of other ceremonies.  Ghee oil lamps
are also used for high holiday  purposes.

Clarified butter, Ghee, is made by heating butter long enough to allow the moisture
present in the milk solids, which cause spoilage, to evaporate.  Thus, it does not need to
be refrigerated, and its spreadability takes morning toast to a whole new level!  Ghee has
a gentle, nutty aroma and a pale yellow color when cool.

To increase the shelf life of Ghee and to give it an interesting dimension, Indians add
leaves of the betel nut plant or cinnamon plant, nutmeg, cloves, dry ginger, or a piece of
turmeric.  Also, when making Ghee, the separated milk solids can be saved for using in
flaky breads on special occasions, as they are very flavorful (and terribly saturated it's
true)...

If you love Ghee, making it is a pleasure, as well as much cheaper than buying it at the
market.  Though you may begin with the over-caution and worry of any novice, after your
3rd or 4th time, you will find you have developed a relationship with butter's
transformation that has as much to do with your listening heart as it does with any
kitchen timer.  As butter cooks, it speaks with continuous gurgles, pops, and sizzles.  
When clarifying is complete, it quiets down, and the Kitchen Goddess responds by taking
the pot of Ghee off the burner!  Thus, when you make ghee, you want to be sure you can
stay connected and LISTEN - no frying onions or stereo music to confuse the sounds.  It
is advisable to keep your focus in the kitchen, and maybe pour yourself some tea or lemon
water... Making good ghee is a meditation.

HOW TO MAKE GHEE:

Have a widemouthed jar ready for filling with Ghee.  Have a fine wire mesh strainer or
cheesecloth attached with rubberband to the jar, ready for straining.

Put 1-2 pounds of organic butter into a saucepan and set the heat on the stove to  
medium-low...not too low, not too high.

As the butter melts, it merrily crackles and pops and foams as the water in the butter
evaporates and the small white milk curds sink to the bottom of the pan.  These are the
solids that you will strain later.  The foam can be skimmed off while cooking.

It will take around 15 minutes for 1lb, and 20 minutes for 2lbs, before the liquid gold
stops sputtering.  Depending on your stove, you may need to turn the heat up to medium
once the solids have begun to cover the bottom of the pan. You want to ensure that
complete clarification has happened, if not, the Ghee will be prone to mold during
countertop storage.  Experienced cooks purposely add an extra few minutes to brown the
oil darker, yet not burn it, which is an intuitive art that can be learned.  Roasted Ghee is
richer in flavor, and smokes even less than lighter Ghee when cooking with it.

When ready, gently strain the Ghee into your jar.  Cover partially with lid or cloth until
cool - a few hours, then seal the jar.

As long as the oil stays free of water, it need not be refrigerated.  If kept in a warm
kitchen, Ghee will stay liquid.  In a cool kitchen, it will solidify to thick soft spread.

Swad!