Ghee is the king of oils in India. It has historically been a sign of wealth, health, and even beauty. It's certainly tasty! And so easy to make.
Take 1 lb of UNSALTED butter.
Melt it over a low heat.
Gently cook until the milk solids precipitate out and turn crispy, lightly browned.
Strain the solids out - I use flour sack cloth lining a small metal strainer.
Store in a metal or glass container. Ghee may be kept on the countertop for at least 3 to 4 months (assuming you properly cooked and strained out all the milk solids).
You can use it in place of oil in Indian recipes. It's kind of expensive to do on a regular basis but a nice change of pace once in awhile. The flash point of ghee is quite high - if the milk solids have all been removed it is actually higher than most vegetable oils. So it won't burn the way butter does at higher temps when frying.
Or serve warmed so that diners can drizzle a bit of ghee over their food as they eat. This is particularly good with dal dishes.
That's really all there is to ghee.
