Make Ghee from Scratch ; the real Ayurvedic way :: Making Ghee from Cream / Malai at home

Ghee. That quintessential Indian fat that must make an appearance as a cooking medium or condiment at every authentic Indian meal. I don’t know what arguments I should make in order to prove that it is a healthy fat, but what I can tell you is what a tremendous difference a mere half teaspoonful of good ghee can make to a simple daal or to a bowl of upma. When people turn up their noses at ghee or talk about how they can’t stand the smell of ghee making, it really breaks my heart and I am tempted to start off on a lecture on how ghee should really be made. (I don’t).  And it is quite simple, really–if I can do it, anyone can. A bit time consuming, yes ! But worth every second spent.

Ayurveda teaches us that ghee is a medicinal food that is excellent for good health when used in cooking or added to foods. It is one of the most ancient and “sattvic” foods known, healing to all doshas: best for Vatas, soothing for Pittas, and balancing for Kaphas in moderation. Unfortunately the Ghee that you get in the stores doesnt match with this expectation.  Although big brands do claim their variety is the purest, but the taste and texture of Homemade Ghee is simply the best. Good ghee must have a sweet smell and a uniform gold color. When it is getting made, it should not smell astringent; and when eaten, it should not scratch the back of your throat. When cool, it should form semolina-like granules and should not be only smooth and waxy. 

I have seen people preparing Ghee from Butter. No harm in that, but it still cannot be considered the “real” Ghee  with fermented properties. The “proper” Ghee that comes from butter made from yogurt and not milk. Here in this post, I have gone the lengthy route of culturing my milk into yogurt, gathering the cream from it, beating that to make butter and then finally to ghee. This is the traditional way of doing it and this ghee obtained has numerous medicinal properties.  

Some health Benefits of Using Ghee in your diet :

♥ Shelf-stable-  Due to its low moisture content and lack of dairy, ghee won’t turn rancid at room temperature like butter and retains its original flavor and freshness for up to a year without refrigeration.

♥ High Smoke Point - Ghee’s smoke point – the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke and generate toxic fumes and harmful free radicals – is nearly 500°F, which is higher than most cooking oils and much higher than ordinary butter’s smoke point of 350°F.

♥ Stimulates the digestive system - Ghee stimulates the secretion of stomach acids to aid in digestion, while other fats and oils, can slow down the body’s digestive process and sit heavy in the stomach.

♥ Suitable for the dairy intolerant - Ghee is produced when butter is clarified, meaning all but trace amounts of lactose and casein are removed. Though tiny amounts of lactose or casein can remain, they exist at a level low enough not to cause concern for a Paleo dieter or those with Lactose or casein intolerance.

♥ Rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K- Ghee is rich in the healthy fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are critical to bone, brain, heart, and immune system function.

♥ Helps fighting with Cancer -  Loaded with short chain fatty acids such as butyric acid–a fatty acid which is believed to prevent cancers and tumors – ghee helps restore the integrity of the gut lining, reduces inflammation, has anti-viral properties, and has been shown to benefit those with gut disorders such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease

♥ Increases vitamin absorbency - The fats in ghee aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from other foods, strengthening the immune system.

♥ Purity - Ghee does not contain harmful hydrogenated oils, artificial additives, preservatives or trans fats.

You can read more benefits of ghee, here, here and here

All you need : 1 big bowl full of clotted cream / Fresh cream AND Loads of patience !!

How to make ghee:

• Collect the clotted cream/top of milk from your pot of fresh milk every time you boil the milk. Refrigerate this cream until you have enough. When I was in India, I saw my mum doing this and her home supply of a 1 to 1.5 liters of whole fat milk yielded about 4 cups of cream at the end of the week. So you could do the math as per your home supply 
• Once you have enough cream, add fresh, unflavoured natural yogurt culture. To those 4 cups of cream, Mum added about 2 tablespoonfuls of dahi (yogurt). Leave this to sour for about 6-7 hours. If you live in a cold place, even 10 hours or overnight will do it no harm.

If you are using fresh Double cream ( store bought ) to make ghee ( like I did ), simply transfer to a bowl and keep it in fridge to chill for a few hours before adding Yogurt and then follow the rest of the procedure 

• Refrigerate the sour cream for 3-4 hours (especially if you live in a hot place). This makes it easier for the butter to come up faster. Making the ghee immediately will yield lesser ghee

• Transfer all the sour cream to your blender and add about ½ cup of cold water. Run at the lowest speed for about 5-6 minutes.  You will see the butter and buttermilk separating. This step requires a lot of patience, since it doesn’t come off easily. Sometimes it takes me more than 10 minutes to get it all out of the jar. 

The trick is both water and the butter should be cold enough and your Jar should be big enough to accommodate the shifting of liquids inside.

• Once the buttermilk looks thin enough and the butter has risen to the top, switch off and transfer to a bowl.
• Now, dip one palm in the bowl and turn once or twice anti-clockwise; this helps the butter to form a ball. Now simple pick up the Butter using your fingers as a strainer and wait for almost all of the buttermilk to strain off. Transfer the butter to another bowl. Use the buttermilk to make a kadhi  or any Butter milk based curry, or drink it just like that with a bit of rock salt and coriander leaves.
• Refrigerate the butter. This butter is excellent to bake with, by the way. And is excellent with your Punjabi Parathas and Sarso ka Saag
• Now, to make the ghee, simply put the butter in an iron wok or kadhai and boil gently until the solids separate and a clear liquid remains. This process will again  take time, and depends on the quantity of butter you have taken. I have given step by step pictures below, from the moment you start heating up the butter till it separates well.

• Strain and store in an Air tight container for upto 6 months. 

Some tips for making  ghee

• Don’t put just the cream on the boil. Adding a natural yogurt culture is important as it gives the butter (and therefore the ghee) the correct taste and texture. Don’t be very stingy with the quantity of culture you add–a little extra will do no harm, less will make your buttermilk bitter and your butter and ghee will have a peculiar smell.
• In hot and humid weathers, give the cultured cream at least 6-7 hours to sour.
• If you are not adding yogurt add pinch of salt to keep the ghee for longer shelf life. 
• While making ghee, start with the medium flame then slowly reduce to low flame to avoid burning.
• Allow the milk solids to turn brown–it will not burn your ghee but instead, will give you a rounded, even flavor and smooth texture. Also, your ghee will last longer.

• The milk solid that settles at the bottom should be in light brown color.  If you allow  it to  become dark brown it means the ghee is burnt then you will end up with a burnt smell in ghee which is not good :( So always keep an eye while making ghee.
• You can always flavor the ghee by adding curry leaves or your favorite herbs(rosemary,thyme) .
• You can use the herbs(roasted herbs in ghee smells yuuuuuumm) mix it with rice and little salt and serve it with your favorite vegetable.

What to do with the solid residue ? 

I love eating the residue milk solids on its own, just by sprinkling some sugar on it. Although this simple combo in itself is heavenly, here are some more ideas collected from the internet .. 

• Add few tbsp of wheat flour or multigrain flour,  roast slightly with milk solid residue (do this in low flame) until raw aroma of flour disappears.  Then put off the flame.  Now add powdered sugar and mix well until everything is blended.  Cool and store in an air tight container.  You can have them as a snack whenever you feel like eating sweet.  It tastes yummy with  nutty flavor. 
• Mix 2 tablespoons of milk solids with 1 clove of minced garlic. Heat on low till the garlic sizzles. Add a pinch of salt. Spread this on toasted pita or baguette slices for a rich tasting, yummy snack
• Heat 2 tablespoons milk solids along with 6 roughly crushed peppercorns. When the peppercorns are fragrant, add 2 cups cooked rice and some salt. Mix well. We call this vennai chatti sadam (butter pot rice) – a recipe specifically created to use up the by product of ghee making.
• Make ghee laddus/barfi: Add handful of wheat flour, crushed nuts, powdered sugar and mix it with the residue. Make small balls or flatten and relish

**Disclaimer - Parts of this post are taken randomly from the internet like the uses of Residue and Ayurveda statements.