Ghee

There is an old saying in India: "Beg, borrow or steal, but somehow or other, get ghee."  In other words, ghee is very desirable.  It is not only the most delicious, healthful cooking medium, it is also used for medicinal purposes in many, many ayurvedic preparations.  So how to get ghee?  If you can get some butter, then you can make ghee.  That's what I do.  Here's how.

First, clean a wok.  Measure how much ghee you want to make, by determining where the ghee will reach when it's poured into the wok.  I make six pounds of butter into ghee at a time, because my wok perfectly holds six pounds of ghee. The finished quantity of ghee will be a little less, because after the ghee's made, a little bit of it is strained out as ghee solids, but for all intents and purposes, you can say it's about equal to the amount of butter you used.

One thing you should know is that the smaller the amount of butter you use, the faster your ghee will finish cooking.  It takes me about an hour to make six pounds of butter into ghee.  So be prepared to take less time than an hour if you are making less than six pounds of butter into ghee.  And if you're making more than six pounds, expect it to take longer than an hour.

Melted butter starting to bubble

Unwrap your (unsalted) butter cubes and put them into a large pot.  Turn on the heat to a medium flame. After a few minutes, your butter will all melt and it will start bubbling.

Scrape the bottom of the pot frequently with a flat-edged spatula.  Allow the butter to continue bubbling until it starts to get a sort of clear spot in the middle.  This will take about twenty to twenty-five minutes (depending on your quantity). 

See how it's starting to look a little bit clear amidst the bubbles?

Turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the hot stove grate.

Note: If you have cooked the ghee too long, the stuff (solids) on the bottom will be brown.  If you have cooked the ghee just the right amount of time, the solids on the bottom will be light-golden colored.  (You can still use ghee that has been overcooked, it's just a hassle to deal with, because it foams up when you try to heat it up in the wok, and can easily spill over into the fire.  So it's really best to catch it before it gets too done, or as my husband calls it, "burnt.")

With the spatula, clear away the bubbles from the center of the surface.  You will be able to see tiny bubbles continuing to rise to the surface for several minutes, maybe ten to fifteen minutes.  Keep clearing the bubbles, guiding them to the edges of the pot. What you're doing is allowing yourself to see if the ghee is clear.  You should be able, after all the bubbles stop floating up to the top, to see all the way down to the bottom of the pot.  The ghee should be very clear, with no cloudiness at all.

Tiny bubbles are still rising from the bottom of the pot

Be patient.  Wait for all the bubbles to stop rising to the surface.  Keep coaxing them out of the way, toward the edges of the pot, so you can continue to check to make sure that you're able to see the bottom of the pot clearly.  After the tiny bubbles completely stop rising to the top, your ghee is almost finished.

There are still just a few tiny bubbles rising to the surface in this photo

After about twenty minutes, the bubbles should be finished rising to the top.

Now the ghee is completely clear!

Next step is to strain your ghee into your wok, or into a stainless steel storage container.  I prefer to strain mine directly into my wok, as we use it frequently for deep-frying.  Drape a tightly-woven square piece of 100% cotton cloth over your wok.  Slowly--SLOWLY--pour the ghee into the cloth.  (If you pour too fast, the ghee can slosh up the sides of the wok.)  Scrape out every last drop.

The ghee is now sitting inside the cloth which has been draped over the wok

Draw up the four corners of the cloth, and tie them around a towel rack or some other hanging fixture so that the ghee can drip through the cloth into the wok.  Like this:

I strain my ghee by hanging it from a towel rod that's fastened to the wall above my counter.

This ghee is not black, it's a beautiful, clear golden color.  But you can't see that, because of my wok.  My wok is black.  It's supposed to be, according to the manufacturer's directions.  When we bought it a million years ago, the owner's manual said to put oil on it and heat it, so we did, and it turned black.  It's been black ever since, but it's a darn good little wok and has done a lot of good kitchen service in its lengthy lifetime!  So don't worry, my ghee is not black.

After the ghee cools, if it's been cooked right, it will turn a gorgeous golden color.

You can cover it and just leave it on your stovetop for instant availability, or store it in a covered stainless steel container.  No need to refrigerate, but if you want to, you can.   

Note: you can use ghee over and over again, until it's all used up, and it never goes bad.  If you like, you can keep your ghee clean by straining it after you deep-fry something in it.  It will be nicer next time you want to use it if it doesn't have a bunch of particles in it from the last time you used it.

To strain: after deep-frying, while the ghee is still hot, loosely drape a tightly-woven 100% cotton cloth over a stainless steel storage container.  Fasten a rubber band or a string around the top of the container to keep the cloth from slipping down into the container as you pour the ghee through it.  Make sure you depress the cloth into the top of the container slightly, so the ghee has some room to puddle as it's straining through the cloth.  Again, POUR SLOWLY.  After all the ghee has been poured through the cloth, and has finished dripping through, carefully remove the soiled cloth.  Scrape the contents into a container and dispose of it.  I always put mine out in the forest for the little animals to eat.  If you like, you can keep your used ghee refrigerated for longer life.  Re-use again and again until it's all used up.

Note: If your ghee becomes rancid, you can heat it to a very high heat, and then use it.