What Is a Ghee Alternative?
A common ingredient in South Asian and Indian cuisine, ghee is a clarified butter that has the consistency of oil and a particular taste. Ghee can be created at home quite easily, but for dietary restrictions, alternatives are available. Does this Spark an idea?
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Olive Oil
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As vegans choose not to eat products made from animals, the milk used to make the butter for ghee is not permitted in the vegan diet. Use olive oil in place of ghee to provide a substitute that is free of dairy but retains similar cooking properties to ghee.
Vegetable Oil
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According to the Good Food Channel website, vegetable oil is a healthier alternative to the calorie-dense ghee. You will not get the distinct nutty flavor associated with ghee in the lighter-tasting vegetable oil, but the cooking properties are similar.
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Butter
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Ghee is a clarified butter that removes the dairy solids from the mixture to create an oil. This process allows the ghee to have a longer shelf life, but an alternative would be to use regular butter. The nutty flavor associated with ghee will not be found in the butter, and the textures will be dissimilar. However, both are usable for frying and add similar flavors to a dish.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Butter image by Cornelia Pithart from Fotolia.com
