Written By: Pavitra Sampath | Published : June 29, 2015 3:42 PM IST
What is the one aroma that reminds you of home? Well, for me it is the wonderful fragrance of homemade ghee added to a dollop of rice and daal . But this is no ordinary ghee, mind you. It is ghee made painstakingly at home by my mom. The painstaking part is actually something I thought was true, but when my mom taught me how to make ghee, I realised that it is much simpler that it looks.
So, here's why you should switch from homemade to store bought ghee.
Why it's good for you
Ghee or clarified butter is an essential part of the Indian diet. Not only does it help keep you digestive tract healthy, but is also packed with antioxidants, healthy fat and has been known to keep your joints supple. You could read more about the benefits of ghee here.
But did you know that just any old ghee does not have the same health benefits as homemade ghee? Yes, the one you make at home is the healthiest and often the one that will give you all the nutrients you need.
Why making it at home is better
Did you know that store-bought ghee can be adulterated with vegetable fats and animal body fat? And, what's more, it's quite difficult to distinguish pure ghee from its adulterated counterpart. But what makes it even more essential is the fact that ghee made at home is definitely cleaner and more hygienic. You could read more about how to identify adulterants in food, here.
The different types of ghee
There are 2 ways to make ghee. Although essentially, ghee is made from butter, the source of the butter differs. While one kind of ghee is made from the malai of curd, the other is made from the malai or fat reduced from milk. These sources are essentially the purest form of butter you can find, but if you cannot collect that malai, you could also use unsalted butter to make ghee.
How to make it
What you will need:
Method:
Making ghee can be relatively simple, but it does take a bit of planning. So, to start the process collect the malai from either milk or curd and store it in an airtight container. Make sure you store the container in the refrigerator to avoid spoilage.
When you have enough (one big jar of malai will give you about half that jar's worth ghee) thaw the malai and transfer it into a big vessel.
Now use a whisker and beat the malai till you see the butter rising to the top. Butter is light and will form frothy lumps. You'll see a cloudy liquid form at the bottom. Once done, scoop the butter into a separate vessel.
(Skip these steps if you are using store-bought unsalted butter.)
Place this vessel on the gas and allow the fat to melt. Let it keep boiling on a low flame till it turns into a light golden-yellow, thick liquid. Make sure to stir it intermittently.
For that added zing, add a few leaves of kadi patta. This helps make the ghee more aromatic.
Next, strain out the ghee and store it in a glass or steel container to solidify. You can choose to throw away the milk solids (crumbly brown bits at the bottom of the vessel) or use it to make yummy ghee laddus.
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Reference:
Jirankalgikar NM, De S. Detection of tallow adulteration in cow ghee by derivative spectrophotometry. Journal of Natural Science, Biology, and Medicine. 2014;5(2):317-319. doi:10.4103/0976-9668.136174.
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