If you want to learn the age-old process that turns butter into a flavorful cooking foundation, this is just for you.
Ghee is the foundation of Pakistani cooking. It is cow’s butter that has been heated low and slow, then strained to remove all the milk solids. It’s cooked a step further than clarified butter, which gives it a beautiful golden color and nutty flavor.
What makes ghee especially beneficial is how the process of heating and straining the milk solids actually removes almost all of the lactose, making it lactose-free.
This also preserves the butter, allowing it to be shelf-stable for long periods of time, an ancient technique practiced for thousands of years in this part of Asia.
How To Make Homemade Ghee?
In a nutshell:
Heat butter over low heat until milk solids separate and sink to the bottom.
Continue cooking until solids turn deep golden brown and the liquid is fragrant and nutty.
Strain using a cheesecloth.
Pour in a clean, sealable jar.
Ghee is shelf-stable for 6-12 months.
Just FYI, homemade ghee takes around 40-60 minutes to make. You’re bound to get confused about how much butter you’d want to use if the batch isn’t just for you.
Use unsalted, organic butter. Since you’re removing the liquid from the butter, there’s a 20% decrease in the ingredients you initially started off with.
Melt the butter in a pot over medium-low heat.
Pot | Ghee | Ghar | ProPakistani
Butter will start to separate, creating a milky-white foam at the top layer. This layer will be skimmed, and milky solids sink to the bottom of the pot. With time, you’ll begin to notice a clear golden liquid in between. This typically shows that the mixture has become a clarified butter.
Allow the ghee to cook a little further.
The solids at the bottom get toasted until they’re dark brown. The nutty flavor comes from here!
Once the milk solids are golden-brown, turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then strain over a double-lined cheesecloth. This separates the remaining foam and solids.
Allow the homemade ghee to cool; seal it later. You can keep the homemade ghee on your kitchen counter, or in a cupboard for 6-12 months. Feel free to refrigerate it!
Well, there you have it, folks! This was all about how to make homemade ghee.