Source: wikiHow
Ghee, made from butter with the water and milk solids removed, is an ingredient from Indian culture that dates back thousands of years. By removing everything but the fat from the butter and clarifying it, ghee can be stored safely for months, add some delicious buttery flavor to almost any dish, and may even have some health benefits.
Whether you want to know how to use ghee in cooking or as a health product, or even want to know how to make it yourself, there are plenty of ways to make use of ghee.Makes 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) of ghee
- 1 Use ghee in place of cooking oils. As it doesn’t contain any of the milk solids or water found in butter, ghee has a much higher smoke point. Use ghee instead of cooking oils or butter in almost any recipe to add a slight buttery and nutty flavor.[1]
- The smoke point is the temperature at which something will begin to burn and smoke. Butter has a smoke point around 350 °F (177 °C), whereas the smoke point of ghee is around 465 °F (241 °C). For comparison, the smoke point of olive oil is around 400 °F (204 °C), and the smoke point for sunflower oil is 440 °F (227 °C).
- Use ghee only as a replacement for butter in cooking, and not in baking. Ghee is oil more than it is butter, so your baked goods might not work quite as well if you use ghee instead. Ghee can be used as a replacement for oils in baking, however.
- 2 Toast spices in ghee to make a tadka. Tadka is a widely utilized concept in Indian cuisine, where whole herbs and spices are toasted in ghee to infuse the ghee with flavor. Try heating 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of ghee in a saucepan on high, before adding roughly 1 teaspoon (2 g) of cumin seeds and toasting for around 5 minutes. Add it to the water used when cooking rice for an extra burst of flavor.[2]
- Tadka can be made with almost any whole herb or spice and added at the beginning or end of cooking for extra flavor.
- For the best results, make the tadka just before you have to use it. If made in advance and kept in the fridge, it will lose a lot of the aroma that makes it so flavorful.
- 3 Spread ghee on toast instead of butter. Ghee keeps a lot of the same buttery flavor, but without all of the milk solids and water found in butter. Use ghee in place of butter when spreading over baked goods for the same flavor but without a lot of other things you don’t need.
- Ghee should be safe for people who are lactose intolerant but shouldn’t be considered safe if you are allergic to milk or dairy.
- 4 Saute vegetables in ghee. Due to its high smoke point, ghee makes for the perfect ingredient when sauteing fresh vegetables. Melt 1 tablespoon (15g) of ghee in a frying pan over a high heat and add around 100 grams (3.5 oz) of your chosen vegetables. Cook them for around 5 minutes, or until they begin browning lightly and caramelizing around the edges.[3]
- Vegetables sauteed in ghee are great on their own with a sprinkle of sea salt or added to another dish.
- Onions, peppers, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts are all delicious vegetables that you can saute in ghee.
- For extra flavor, make a tadka with the ghee first before you add your vegetables.
- 5 Add a spoonful of ghee to your morning coffee. Adding butter to coffee for extra flavor and some potential health benefits is a growing trend. As it is clarified butter, ghee will work even better as an addition to coffee. Blend your coffee with 1 teaspoon (5g) of ghee for some extra sweetness, nuttiness, and creaminess.[4]
- Ghee can be a source of a lot of important fatty acids and vitamins, so it may have some additional health benefits. However, this has not been confirmed, so it should not replace any other regular sources of vitamins in your diet.
- 1 Use ghee as a balm for chapped lips. Some have found that the oil and vitamins in ghee will help revitalize and heal chapped lips. Try rubbing a few drops of ghee over your lips just before you go to sleep to try and…
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