Showing posts with label Kitchen Staples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kitchen Staples. Show all posts
One thing which has always been on my bucket list to make is Ghee. My sister has been making her own for a while now and has espoused the qualities of using it in her cooking. I have looked at buying it in the past, but it can be quite expensive, so I have kept putting it off.
The other day my sister said that if I got myself a pound of butter and a jar, I could go to her place and she would talk me through making some, and that it was really easy to make. How could I turn down an offer like that! I said sure and yesterday we did just that!
I have to say I was really impressed with just how simple and easy it was to make, and it turned out beautiful! If you can melt butter in a saucepan, you can make ghee!
I haven't used it for cooking yet but watch this space! I have great plans!
WHAT IS GHEE
AND HOW DOES IT DIFFER
FROM CLARIFIED
BUTTER?
You may be unfamiliar with just what Ghee is. It is an ingredient which is used a great deal in Indian cooking, but not just for that. Essentially it is not too awfully different than clarified butter. It is extremely easy to make and much cheaper to make at home than it is to buy. Shelf stable with a high smoke point, it is excellent for frying or roasting things at a high temperature without risk of it burning.
Clarified butter is normal butter heated until it melts and with the dairy and water removed. Ghee is a bit purer than that in that is has ALL/100% of the dairy and water removed. That is the main difference.
They both have an intense butter flavor, but Ghee has an additional slightly nutty flavor due to the light browning of the milk solids, which is quite moreish I have to say.
They both have a golden yellow color and when heated are completely clear. (See photos below.)
They both heat to a high temperature, higher than most oils, without smoking (230*C/450*F) so this makes them ideal for frying and sauteeing.
WHAT YOU NEED
TO MAKE GHEE FROM SCRATCH
- 1 pound of unsalted butter
- a medium saucepan with a thick and shiny bottom
You can use salted butter if you want, but traditionally ghee is made with unsalted butter. That way you don't have to be worried about how much salt is in a particular recipe. Since traditionally it is being used in recipes that contain a lot of seasonings and other flavors, it is important to check the salt, therefore unsalted butter is preferable.
A thick bottomed pan will conduct the heat more efficiently, and a silver bottom will enable you to be able to see the milk solids browning better. You really do not want them to burn.
HOW TO MAKE GHEE
FROM SCRATCH
It really is not rocket science. You will be amazed at how very easy this is to do.
- Unwrap your butter and place it into a medium saucepan with a heavy shiny steel bottom. (So that you can see when the milk solids are golden brown much easier.)
- Place over medium-low heat and leave to melt.
- Once it melts, leave it to simmer for 10 minutes. At five minutes it will begin to foam, at seven minutes, most of the foam will be gone, and by the end of the 10 minutes it should be almost all gone. (Mine took about 15 minute altogether.)
- When it is done the milk solids which settle at the bottom of the pan will turn golden brown. Do not let them burn. (This is why a low temperature is essential.)
- Once they are golden brown and most of the foam has disappeared you are ready to decant it. I did take a metal spoon and removed all of the foam that remained, discarding it.
- Place a double layer of cheesecloth over a mesh colander that you have placed over a large bowl. (I used my batter bowl.)
- Strain the melted butter through the cheesecloth into the bowl. The cheesecloth should catch all of the solids.
- Place a funnel, again lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, over a pint jar. Decant the butter from the bowl into the jar. The cheesecloth should catch all of the remaining milk solids and you will have a crystal clear liquid.
- Cover and allow to cool down. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 year, or on the countertop for up to 4 months.
ESSENTIAL NOTES
- You may double this recipe but do note that it may take a longer time for the water to evaporate from the melted butter and for the milk solids to sink to the bottom of the pan and brown. For larger amounts you can use a skillet, with a larger base than the saucepan, but shallow walls. Just make sure your skillet isn't too large or the butter will be spread too thin.
- You may also cut this recipe in half. Use a smaller saucepan in order to keep the butter from spreading out too thin and make it difficult to monitor.
- It is best to use a saucepan/skillet with a shiny bottom so that you can really see when the butter solids are browning and to prevent it from burning.
WHAT TO DO WITH GHEE
Now that you have your very own ghee, and at a fraction of the cost that you would pay for it in the shops, what can you do with it? All sorts! You will find that this is a very versatile ingredient to have in the larder!
1. You can use it in frying. It has a higher smoke point than regular oil and adds a lovely flavor. You won't get blackened burnt spots in your pan either.
2. You can use it in cooking Indian dishes. Especially curries. This has always been the traditional way to use ghee. I have some exceptionally good curry recipes. Here are a few.
3. Use it to make the best tasting fried potatoes or rosti ever! Even roasted potatoes and vegetables.
4. Use it to fry fish, and to make an elegant Lemon Butter Sauce to serve on it afterwards.
5. Use it instead of regular butter when you are making popcorn. It is the water in regular butter that makes buttered popcorn soggy. No water is left in ghee so your popcorn will stay nice crisp!
6. Use it to fry your eggs. Nice flavor and crispy frilled edges without any burnt butter.
NOTE - It is not recommended for use in baking. Baking is an exact science, and the milk properties of regular butter play a part in that.
HOW TO STORE GHEE
Ghee is pretty shelf stable so it is not necessary for you to refrigerate it, however it will keep much longer if you refrigerate it.
It will keep up to three months tightly covered in the larder or on the countertop.
It will keep for up to one year tightly covered and refrigerated.
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Yield: about half a pint
How To Make Ghee
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Only one ingredient is needed to make this. This is the secret ingredient that many chefs use in place of ordinary butter for extra flavor when frying and an essential ingredient in Indian Cookery. Shelf stable, this will keep 3 months on the counter and up to 1 year in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (250g) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Unwrap your butter and place it into a medium saucepan with a heavy shiny steel bottom. (So that you can see when the milk solids are golden brown much easier.)
- Place over medium-low heat and leave to melt.
- Once it melts, leave it to simmer for 10 minutes. At five minutes it will begin to foam, at seven minutes, most of the foam will be gone, and by the end of the 10 minutes it should be almost all gone. (Mine took about 15 minute altogether.)
- When it is done the milk solids which settle at the bottom of the pan will turn golden brown. Do not let them burn. (This is why a low temperature is essential.)
- Once they are golden brown and most of the foam has disappeared you are ready to decant it. I did take a metal spoon and removed all of the foam that remained, discarding it.
- Place a double layer of cheesecloth over a mesh colander that you have placed over a large bowl. (I used my batter bowl.)
- Strain the melted butter through the cheesecloth into the bowl. The cheesecloth should catch all of the solids.
- Place a funnel, again lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, over a pint jar. Decant the butter from the bowl into the jar. The cheesecloth should catch all of the remaining milk solids and you will have a crystal clear liquid.
- Cover and allow to cool down. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 year, or on the countertop for up to 4 months.
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