Ghee recipe Indian | how to make ghee from butter | desi ghee benefits

Ghee recipe Indian style | How to make ghee from butter

Homemade ghee recipe Indian style | how to make/prepare ghee at home from butter | ghee making process | clarified butter | nei recipe | pure desi ghee 

Ghee is simple to make at home and takes only 40 minutes to prepare. Ghee is also known as clarified butter. It is an essential ingredient in every Indian kitchen and my cooking will never be completed without adding ghee on roti, dal rice, rasam, sambar, subzi's. I love to consume a spoonful of ghee for my lunch and dinner. I even apply ghee to my hair to get a soft and glossy look. Back then, my Ammama (grandma) used to prepare ghee from the scratch. The homemade butter used to be fresh and rich in taste. I still remember and loved the way she churns butter and makes ghee out of it.

After moving to the US, I used to buy ghee from an Indian grocery store. Most of the store-bought ghee lacks in aroma, taste, and flavor. In fact, I have tried all the popular brands right from the organic to non-organic ones, sadly not a single brand was up to my satisfaction. Finally, I thought to make ghee at home using the store-bought butter, which took almost a year to figure out my personal favorite brand. 

I stumble upon this Kerry Gold unsalted pure Irish butter in Walmart a few years back. It is grass-fed butter, rich in flavor and velvety in texture. This butter is so addictive and tastes delicious. It has a nice yellowish hue which looks appealing too. I have been using this butter for the past 5 years and very much satisfied with the texture, taste, aroma, and especially the quality. 

I have to admit that this Kerry gold butter is not pocket-friendly, price is the only drawback otherwise the grass-fed butter is amazing in taste. It's totally worth it to try. The Kerry gold butter is available in all US grocery stores. They have both salted and unsalted butter, I prefer to use unsalted butter to make ghee. I buy them in bulk from Walmart and prepare ghee in small batches to retain the freshness and aroma. (Disclaimer: I'm not advertising Kerry Gold Butter and this post is not a paid review).

Ingredients and other things required to make ghee:

Unsalted Butter - 1 Kg

Stainless Steel Saucepan or Kadai
Stainless Steel Ladle
Storage container with lid - 1 big or 2 small
Stainless steel strainer

How to make ghee:

1. Take a deep saucepan and keep the flame low. Then add all the unsalted butter into a pan. (Note: Make sure the pan is dry before adding the butter).

2. Let the butter melt on "low heat". The melting process takes around 10 to 15 minutes. (Note: Do not keep the flame on high heat to speed up the process).

3. Now the butter melts completely. 

4. The liquid mixture starts to form bubbles and the whitish froth/foam layer starts to appear on top.

5. Keep stirring the liquid mixture in between on low heat. Let it cook for 15 minutes. 

6. The mixture boils vigorously and the frothy layer starts to disappear. (Note: Do not cover the liquid with a lid when the mixture increases).

7. The milk granules /milk solids appear on top and cook for another 5 mins to get a crystal clear golden liquid.

8. The froth starts to appear on the surface and cook on low flame until all the white milk solids turn dark brown. This process takes around 3 to 5 mins. (Note: Make sure not to burn the liquid).

9. Now, the ghee is ready and switch off the flame. Remove the saucepan from the stove immediately and keep it aside. Do not stir the mixture. This process takes around 15 mins. The mixture will turn into a golden liquid after the dark brown granules are settled down on the bottom. 

10. Take a metal strainer or cheesecloth and filter the ghee from the dark brown residue in a stainless steel container or a glass jar. The golden liquid will solidify into yellowish solid ghee once it is cooled down completely. (Note: Do not discard the residue, it can be used in tadka, rasam, sambhar). 

Wow, the ghee smells so divine. Enjoy this delicious ghee on roti, chappathi, paratha, dal rice, sweets, etc.  

*Health Benefits of Ghee or Clarified Butter: 

1. Ghee is a dairy-based product but it is lactose and casein-free. It is pure fat and doesn't contain any carbohydrates.
2. It contains healthy saturated fats. 
3. Ghee is rich in butyric acid
4. It has a high smoke point 
5. It has high levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and antioxidants
6. It contains fat-soluble Vitamins such as Vitamin A, D, E, K
7. Vitamin D helps our body to absorb calcium.
8. It keeps you satiated and helps with weight loss
9. Ghee is considered as a brain tonic in Ayurveda.
10. It helps with digestion.
11. Ghee is good for skin and hair.
12. It strengthens bones and boosts immunity.

Ghee is healthy when consumed in a smaller quantity. Homemade ghee can be stored for up to one year, use a clean dry spoon whenever you scoop ghee from the jar. Glass jars or stainless steel containers are better than plastic containers for storage. 

Try this recipe at home and let me know how it turns up. Click the subscribe button and follow me on Instagram and Facebook. Thank you for viewing this recipe and keep visiting my space. Happy cooking and have a great day:)