Liquid Gold (Ghee)
A fragrant, delicious, and — most importantly — very wholesome fat. According to Ayurveda, ghee is said to promote a long life. From 900 grams of good-quality 72.5% butter, I got 622 grams of ghee — pretty good. From 82.5% butter I got 657 grams of ghee (a 73% yield).
Cooking method
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Step 1:
Unwrap the butter and put it straight into a clean saucepan. You don't even need to cut it into smaller pieces — it'll melt anyway. Any pot works; I used one with a heavy bottom. Melt the butter over medium heat for a while, turning it so it melts slowly, without sizzling or browning.
Have a clean glass jar ready for the ghee.
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Step 2:
5 to 10 minutes in: the butter has almost completely melted. Once it's melted, turn up the heat and bring it to a boil.
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Step 3:
25 to 30 minutes in: once the surface is covered with foamy bubbles, stir gently and lower the heat to very low. The components separate out — the milk solids (protein) rise to the top as a white foam, while the heavier bits settle to the bottom (I'll show them in the second-to-last photo).
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Step 4:
An hour in: you can see the light layer separating from the butterfat. You can already start skimming this foam (the milk protein) into a container. You can add it to oatmeal or eat it right away — it's very tasty.
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Step 5:
An hour in: here I've skimmed off all the protein that had formed.
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Step 6:
90 minutes in: the last of the protein has risen to the surface. This is it — there won't be any more. Skim it off and leave the ghee as is.
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Step 7:
115 minutes in: the ghee is ready. Look how clear it is. On the bottom you can see the residue. Turn off the heat and let the ghee cool a little (5 to 15 minutes) on the stove. Then slowly pour the finished ghee from the pot into the prepared jar through cheesecloth. Pour slowly so the jar doesn't crack from the temperature difference.
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Step 8:
This is the residue from the butter — the milk solids and impurities that cause butter to go rancid. Don't eat it, however tasty it might look.
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Step 9:
Doesn't it look just like liquid gold? And the aroma while it cooks is so good you'll want to taste it right away. After a short while, the ghee firms up and turns into a yellow, grainy solid.
- The butter for making ghee can be any fat percentage; I used 72.5%. The better the butter, the higher your ghee yield and the less waste. In the end you get pure fat that's essentially 100% butterfat and keeps almost indefinitely, because there's nothing left in it to go rancid. That means you can cook with it at any temperature and add it to any dish — it won't burn and its flavor won't change.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Butter 82% - 734 kcal/100g
- Amateur unsalted butter - 709 kcal/100g
- Unsalted peasant butter - 661 kcal/100g
- Peasant salted butter - 652 kcal/100g
- Melted butter - 869 kcal/100g
