Description
This simple guide teaches you how to make homemade ghee, a form of clarified butter commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. By gently simmering unsalted butter, you separate the milk solids, resulting in a nutty, aromatic cooking fat that stores well at room temperature or in the fridge. Perfect for frying, roasting, or adding rich flavor to dishes.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 250g / 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
Instructions
- Choose Your Pan: Select a small or medium saucepan or a small skillet with a silver base. The silver base helps you monitor the color of the milk solids to know when the ghee is perfectly done.
- Melt the Butter: Place the cubed butter into the pan and melt it over medium-low heat. Allow it to gently melt without burning.
- Simmer the Butter: Let the butter simmer for about 10 minutes. Around 5 minutes in, you will see the butter start to foam. By 7 minutes, most of the foam should dissipate, and by 10 minutes, the foam should be nearly gone.
- Watch for the Milk Solids: The ghee is ready when the milk solids that settle at the bottom of the pan turn a golden brown color, indicating a rich, nutty flavor.
- Strain the Ghee: Pour the liquid through a mesh colander lined with a single sheet of paper towel to remove the browned milk solids. This results in clear, golden ghee.
- Store the Ghee: Transfer the strained ghee into a clean jar. Store it in the pantry for up to 3 months, where it will firm to a peanut butter consistency, or refrigerate it for up to 1 year, where it will harden like butter.
- Use and Enjoy: Use your homemade ghee as a cooking fat for frying, roasting, or as a flavorful addition to your recipes.
Notes
- Using unsalted butter ensures the purest flavor without added salt.
- Keep heat medium-low to prevent burning the butter and to allow proper clarification.
- The golden color of milk solids is key to perfect ghee; do not wait until dark brown as this will taste burnt.
- Paper towel filters out milk solids effectively, but cheesecloth can also be used for a cleaner strain.
- Ghee is shelf-stable due to the removal of milk solids but refrigerating extends its storage life.
- You can reuse the leftover milk solids in cooking or baking for a nutty flavor.
