HOMEMADE GHEE

Amma rarely bought Ghee at home. It was always a big ongoing task of collecting paada for making ghee at home. Daisy mummy is the queen amongst the twins. Their cow produces the fattiest milk that I have ever seen. So, she makes a lot of Ghee from it and sends it to Amma when she runs out of Neyy. We buy packet milk at home,which does not have a lot of fat in it. So Amma skims the fat that collects on top of boiled and cooled milk as well as yogurt. Everything goes into a cute little stainless steel container that's kept in the fridge forever. When that's filled to the brim, it's Neyy making day at home. A very fragrant day,that is!

When I was little, I would get so tempted to taste fresh ghee as it would fill our home with it's aroma. However, the crud that settles on the bottom,to me is very tasteless. Valsamma aunty would make a delicious laddu using that milk solids that gets separated during the ghee making process .

When I first moved here, I was really at loss as to how to make Ghee at home! We would buy a big container of yogurt which never really had fat floating over it.Milk was always in a big plastic jug and if I end up boiling and cooling the milk, it never gets over. Finally, with a heavy heart, I decided to buy Ghee from stores. I never really liked them. They all have that lovely yellow colour and that's pretty much it. It never tasted or smelt like the Neyy Amma made.

Jobin's sister is my Ghee supplier but when I ran out of her supply, I was hesitant to buy more bottles.So, I decided to make my own from unsalted butter, like many of you do here. It's so simple and the whole process is magical,atleast to me.It's also very economical. I really don't understand why are we spending so much for a little bottle of Ghee. Even if you were to make them from organic,grass fed cow's butter,it's much economical to make it home and it only takes about 20 - 25  minutes!

HOMEMADE GHEE

Ingredients:
Unsalted butter

Method: In a tall heavy saucepan / pot,melt the butter on medium high  medium* heat. It will start to splutter and make some noise. When the noise stops (approximately 20-25 minutes), the Ghee is ready. You will see a thin layer of foam on top, gently push it aside and take a spoonful of the liquid beneath it. It will be golden yellow. Do not disturb the brown bits at the bottom. Keep it off the heat and after 15-20 minutes,strain it through a fine mesh sieve into clean bottles.

* Update (27 April 2016): Sminu, a blog reader of mine made Ghee using the above method and mentioned that it got burnt when she cooked in the time frame I mentioned. After many back and forth messages, we were able to figure out what went wrong.

She used 2 sticks of butter. I normally use 8 sticks (2 lbs) since we go through a lot of ghee at home. She mentioned her melted butter stopped spluttering at 10 minutes but she continued cooking because I mentioned 20-25 minutes. She used medium-high heat and her biggest burner.

I would suggest that you go by the look  and smell of your product. Just like ovens, our stoves can vary a little bit. We both used electric stove. If this is your first time making it, use medium heat or even low,if you have the patience. Stop when the melted butter stops spluttering. There will be a foam on top, gently push it aside and see the colour of the ghee and the sediments. The ghee should be golden yellow and sediments a golden brown. Use your gut feeling. Timings might vary a bit.The amount of butter you use, will also lengthen / shorten the process.

So the next time you are thinking about buying some, just melt some butter and make Ghee at home. All it requires is the time that you are getting ready to go to the store! Save a trip and enjoy the delicious aroma wafting through your entire home!