Ghee. Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t. In Ayurveda it is referred to as ‘liquid gold’ – for many reasons. Ghee is considered so important in the Ayurvedic tradition that I decided to write a blog post about it. And I will explain how to make it!

First of all: what is Ghee? Ghee is sometimes referred to as clarified butter. That is partly true, however it is not just that. An extra step is added to the process, that makes the clarified butter into Ghee.

When butter is clarified, it is melted, and the milk solids and water are separated from the butter fat. Ghee is clarified butter that is cooked longer, until all the water has evaporated and the milk solids that have sunk onto the bottom are caramelised. This gives the butterfat a very rich and nutty flavour and what remains is pure butterfat. Put in Ayurvedic terms: Ghee is the pure extraction of oil from butter.
So why is this such a big deal? Well, for starters, it tastes delicious! Ghee is rich and a little sweet in flavour, and it has the creamy quality of butter, without the greasy, fatty sensation. In addition, it is very practical – as ghee can be heated to very high temperatures and it won’t spoil as quickly (or hardly at all!). It should be kept out of the fridge, and it is always soft enough to use with a spoon. Moreover, lactose intolerant people can use ghee, as all the lactose is removed in the process. But most importantly, Ayurveda states that Ghee has many benefits to people’s health – and even medicinal qualities.

To name a few:

Ghee strengthens the digestive system and immune system, nourishes the skin and gives a healthy complexion, has anti-inflammatory qualities, nourishes the brain, helps absorbing nutrients from food, accelerates weight loss (by helping to burn other fats), boosts your energy, protects the heart (as it contains omega-3 fatty acids), nourishes the eyes (it contains vitamin A), lubricates the joints, stimulates sexual vitality and alkalises the blood. And this is not even the whole list…
Ghee is used for cooking, massaging, as a medicine, in eye treatments, in cosmetics, as a substitute for ‘normal’ butter,… Here’s a funny video about the applications of Ghee.

In short: Ghee is Good for you. Another benefit, to my opinion, is that making it is very calming – almost meditative. It requires attention and time, and believe me, it will give you a feeling of true satisfaction once you put your liquid gold in a jar.

*MAKING GHEE*

FIRST OF ALL: use organic, unsalted butter. Biodynamic (Demeter) butter is best – you can find it in the organic food store. The quality of the butter really influences the taste of your Ghee.

Making ghee is easier in larger amounts, because small amounts of butter will burn more quickly.

Take a medium-sized pan and melt the butter on a medium fire. As soon as all the butter is melted, turn the fire down a little bit, you don’t want it to burn. The butter will start to foam up: this is good. Cook the butter for around 10 – 15 minutes on low fire, until the foam starts to disappear (sometimes, a little foam remains, this is no problem). The foam will turn into small particles that sink onto the bottom of the pan (these are the milk solids). They can burn easily, so stir on regular basis. The butter now looks clear. After a while, the bubbles will get bigger and eventually the butter starts making a ‘cracking’ sound. This means that almost all the water has evaporated (don’t forget to stir!). Cook for a little while longer (about 5 minutes, depending on how high your fire is), until the liquid starts to turn brown. Once the color starts changing, immediately remove the pan from the fire. You can now strain the liquid in a jar, through a metal strainer or a cheese cloth: you want to keep the caramelised particles apart from the Ghee. If you don’t have these things, or don’t feel like purchasing them, coffee filters also work!

And there you go: a jar of liquid gold, named Ghee, made by YOU!

Enjoy! <3