Ghee: If the Hindu Gods Approve, Then So Should You!

Ghee, the favored cooking medium for Indian cooking, is essentially clarified butter. Clarifying butter is a simple process of cooking butter until the milk solids essentially disappear and a clear liquid is left behind. While fairly easy to make at home (although many folks do not like the intense smell of butter being cooked), nowadays ghee is available online or at most organic and specialty grocers. Organic ghee is preferable, or you could opt for the more mainstream choice… the mother of all ghee brands, Amul. Amul is India’s largest dairy producer and the brand of milk, butter, and ghee that most Indians like myself have grown up on.

Ghee is a gift from God. Here’s why:

1. Ghee is pure, stable, and nontoxic. This cooking medium stands up to high temperatures, whereas other oils, such as olive and canola, do not. In fact, most oils when subjected to high heat, release free radicals that are potentially toxic to the body. Therefore, if you’re cooking a recipe that calls for medium to high heat (which, for example, is the case for most Indian recipes), you should use heat-stable oils such as ghee or coconut oil. Ghee is considered to be so pure that it is even used in Hindu religious ceremonies… not just to prepare the food and sweets to be consumed after the ceremony but for and during the actual religious rituals as well. The morale of the story: if ghee is good enough for the gods, it’s good enough for you and your family!

2. Ghee is mild-tasting. The great news is that ghee doesn’t hugely affect or overpower the taste of a dish like many other oils (including our stable friend, coconut oil) tend to do, which means that your family members will likely not object to ghee or even notice its presence. In fact, many folks love its mild buttery taste. Unlike coconut oil and other healthier nut oils, ghee doesn’t impart a strong smell or flavor. Raw ghee tends to have a strong smell, but once heated up, the smell of ghee tones down and, in fact, leaves behind a slight buttery flavor and fragrance that works well with most cuisines and spices.

3. Ghee is hardy. Many of my cooking class students ask how best to store ghee; ghee will not spoil easily and you can just about do as you please with it! You can leave ghee out on your countertop (covered with a tight lid) for as long as you want... just use a clean, dry spoon. Even in hot, humid climates, ghee won’t spoil. In fact, ghee’s medicinal properties are known to improve with age. If you are going to be away on vacation or away from your ghee for a while, then you may choose to refrigerate it, but keep in mind that it will solidify.

4. Ghee has a ton of medicinal benefits. Ayurveda is an ancient form of Indian medicine that hails ghee as the ultimate healer. As per Ayurveda, ghee should be consumed daily to lubricate the tissues and organs within the body (keeping everything moving in there!) Ghee is also considered to be a wonderful base for herbal ointments, serves as an energy booster, has immunity-boosting properties, and works as a powerful digestive and gut healer. Wowzers!

5. Ghee is lactose-free. In the process of making ghee, the milk solids are cooked off, and therefore, ghee is essentially dairy-free. There may be extremely minute quantities of milk solids present in ghee, but research shows this will not affect those who are lactose-intolerant. Dairy haters and moms with allergic kids, rejoice!

I ghee all the time!

In my kitchen, we use ghee for just about everything. I make scrambled eggs for my three-year-old in ghee, I sear salmon in ghee, I add it to basmati rice (toss some whole spices, such as cinnamon, cumin seeds, and a cardamom pod in a dollop of ghee that has been heated in a stockpot, stir for a minute or two, then add the soaked rice and water). I cook all my curries and vegetables in ghee. I even treat my occasionally dry, scaly skin with it. Yes, I’ll admit that I’m obsessed with ghee, and I’m excited that ghee is making a major comeback in the nutrition and culinary world.

It’s important to remember that a little ghee goes a long way. Ghee is, after all, pure saturated fat, and therefore it’s important that we use it judiciously. The good news is that ghee is so pure and potent, you don’t really need to use more than a dollop.

PS: Daal is a true testament to ghee. A popular and well-known Indian dish, daal is essentially lentil soup. But boiled lentils don’t taste like much until you temper with ghee and spices. The process of adding spices, such as cumin seeds, to hot ghee is known as tempering, or tadka. The hot flavored ghee is then added to the boiling lentil soup, transforming it into a flavorful and comforting daal. Daal is the perfect example of a dish that must include ghee.

My cookbook Cooking with Indian Spicebox, available on Amazon.com  features a fantastic and simple “Everyday Daal” recipe.

This article originally appeared in Sassy Mama—Singapore: Cooking with Ghee