For centuries, ghee (or ghee) is revered in India. In this country, its presence is considered a sign of wealth and wealth. Nevertheless, and with us this product has rightfully earned enormous popularity because of its taste and useful qualities.
Ghee at home - general principles
Ghee is not only healthy and tasty, but also very convenient. Firstly, it can be used as a regular vegetable. Secondly, this product does not burn, so it’s very convenient to fry something on it. It is also stored for a very long time - for about a year and a half it can be completely safely stored in the refrigerator - the oil will be the same as on the first day of cooking.
The product is obtained by heating ordinary creamy. During the procedure, excess moisture, various impurities and milk elements are removed from the cream.
Ghee is extremely useful for maintaining liver health, maintaining youth and beauty, as well as in restoring the body's immunity after diseases.
The procedure for cooking ghee at home is not only the process of heating and melting it in a pan, but also removing the foam of the resulting milk impurities and bringing the mixture to an amber color and a characteristic nutty smell.
It is very simple to prepare ghee at home - it’s enough to buy ordinary butter in a supermarket or in the grocery market. The percentage of fat in it should be at least 70%.
Ghee at home - cook on a gas stove
Regardless of the volume, melted butter at home is always obtained by the same method. The only difference is the size of the pots for heating, the power of the fire and the volume of the containers for storing the product just received.
One of the most popular methods of heating butter is to cook using a gas stove. We will need the following ingredients:
• butter (for example, 2 kg.);
• a pan of approximately 5 liters made of a mixture of heavy metals and having a thickened bottom;
• slotted spoon;
• 0.5 L glass jar;
• ladle;
• a sieve pre-laid with gauze layers;
• a container with a tight-fitting lid.
The following step-by-step instructions should be followed in order to make ghee at home on a gas stove:
• cut the butter into small pieces, each of which should weigh about 100 g;
• put chopped pieces into a metal pan;
• drown the oil over medium heat, make sure that the melting process is slow;
• after the oil has completely melted, add fire to a maximum and bring the mixture to a boiling state;
• as soon as bubbles of foam begin to form on the surface of the melted oil, you need to take a slotted spoon or an ordinary spoon and stir a little, reducing the fire on the gas stove to the minimum;
• leave the mass to boil (you do not need to stir the butter or cover the pan with a lid) until the milk protein begins to settle on the bottom of the pan - the beginning of the process will be noticeable by a change in the color of the protein mass from white to golden and the formation of an almost immovable oil on the surface thin crust - almost transparent;
• then remove the dry thin crust from the surface.
At the last stage of the manufacture of ghee at home, pay particular attention to the color and smell of clear butter. In the case of the formation of a sediment not of a golden color at the bottom of the pan, but of a darker shade, as well as the presence of a very strong odor, this means that the oil was heated for a long time or over very high heat. In the case presented, it is recommended to throw away precipitation, but the oil itself is possible to use. However, when preparing the product the next time you need to carefully monitor the power of fire.
Ghee at home - cooking in the oven
This method is most optimal if you need to produce a considerable amount of melted butter at home. In this case, the heating procedure will be carried out almost without human intervention - since the heat in the oven surrounds the container with oil from almost all sides, and not just at the bottom.
The size of the container depends on the initial amount of oil that will need to be melted. In any case, filling the pan to the edges is extremely undesirable - there should be at least 8 cm free space from the surface of the oil to the edges of the dishes.
So, how is ghee cooked at home in the oven? There is the following algorithm of actions:
• warm the oven to a temperature of 150 degrees;
• take butter and cut it into small pieces, the weight of each of which is approximately 100 g;
• place the pieces in a pre-cooked metal pan with thick walls and a thickened bottom;
• we leave the mass in the oven and carefully monitor the implementation of the process - at the time of heating the product will be slowly cleaned of impurities, and finally formed into an amber-golden mixture with a thin crust on the surface and a light golden tint of sediment at the bottom;
• as soon as the melted butter at home is ready, remove the pan from the oven (the cooking time depends on the mass of the initial product - to melt half a kilogram of butter, it will take about one and a half hours, 15 kg. Of butter will be heated for about half a day);
• then remove the hardened film from the surface with a spoon or a special slotted spoon and transfer the mass to a small jar;
• the next step is to strain the transparent oil through a sieve with gauze - pour as much oil through it as is possible to overfill without affecting precipitation;
• scoop out the remaining oil (about 2.5 cm from the bottom of the pan) with a spoon;
• wait until the oil cools down a little;
• pour the melted butter at home in a storage container, and after it cools to a temperature equal to room temperature, close it with a tight lid;
• the remaining ghee, along with the sediments, should be poured into a small jar, where hardened foam was previously poured, and used to prepare various dishes.
How to make caraway flavored butter at home
The oil made in this way will give any dish - it doesn’t matter whether it is steamed, baked or raw, it smells good and tastes good. A similar means of flavoring is sesame oil, which is widely used in oriental cuisine.
But since ghee is not as heavy as sesame, steamed with caraway seeds can be used to add a sophisticated aroma and taste, which cannot be achieved with other spices and oils.
Ghee at home using a seasoning such as cumin can be made both in the oven and on a gas stove, using the following ingredients for every one and a half kilograms of oil:
• 3 tablespoons of caraway seeds;
• 6 to 8 curry leaves (if available).
Cooking method:
• take the cheesecloth and wrap the appropriate seasoning in it;
• tie the cheesecloth into a knot;
• after the oil in the pan has completely melted, put cheesecloth with caraway seeds there;
• prepare the product according to the instructions given above for the selected method - in a gas stove or oven.
Homemade ghee made with black pepper
Using pepper will allow the dish, which is cooked in ghee, to acquire a slightly island flavor without a sense of bitterness.
Cooking oil using pepper should be carried out with the following ingredients for every one and a half kilograms of butter:
• 2 tablespoons peas of black pepper.
To prepare, you need:
• take gauze and wrap pepper in it;
• melt the butter in a pan and put a gauze nodule in it;
• prepare ghee in accordance with the above algorithms.
Since ancient times, ghee was considered as an exclusively healing product. Over time, the tradition of eating it began to be forgotten. Now, in connection with the widespread propaganda of the cult of a healthy lifestyle, this tradition has come to revive. And it's good that anyone can cook ghee right at home without much effort.
