How to Prepare Ghee From Butter

A few sticks of butter is the only ingredient needed to make ghee.

For those interested in cooking Indian foods, one of the first things you need to learn is how to make ghee. Ghee is very similar to clarified butter but it is not exactly the same thing. Ghee is cooked longer than clarified butter so that all of the moisture is removed, and all milk solids are caramelized before being removed in order to give the butter a nutty, rich flavor and aroma. Although it takes some time, making homemade ghee is the first step in preparing Indian food.

Things You'll Need

• 1 lb. unsalted butter
• Heavy-bottomed deep pan
• Fine mesh sieve
• Clean glass jar

Instructions

1. Place the unsalted butter in the pan over medium-low heat on the stove.

2. Keep the stove on low heat even after all the butter has melted and it begins to simmer and slightly boil.

3. Wait for the simmering butter to begin to separate. The top layer will be foam, which is the butter's water content; the second layer will be the actual butter liquid, and the bottom layer will be the milk solids.

4. Watch the pot carefully to make sure that the butter is not burning. The foam at the top will begin to evaporate after about 30 minutes.

5. Stir the now-translucent butter occasionally and gently, watching the milk solids at the bottom turn light brown.

6. Remove from the heat immediately once the milk solids are brown and the butter has become a clear, golden hue.

7. Allow the ghee to cool before straining it through a fine mesh sieve into a clean jar. This prevents the sticky milk solids from getting into the ghee.

Tips & Warnings

• In order to allow the flavors to continue to develop, do not refrigerate the ghee, which can be used for more than a year if properly kept away from any moisture.

References

• What's Cooking America: Clarified Butter and Butter Ghee
• Aayi's Recipes: How to Make Ghee
• A Life (Time) of Cooking: Ghee Whiz! How to Make Ghee

Resources

• Food India: Ghee (Indian Clarified Butter)