ghee

My partner, Lita, makes us ghee in big mason jars.  Ghee is so delicious, I want to weep when I smell it bubbling on the stove.  Ghee is clarified butter, which tastes about a million times better than butter to me (and butter tastes so good!). I can't pretend I make it; Lita does such a good job, that I have never done it on my own, but I'll tell you her process.

She takes 8 sticks of organic unsalted butter - the best quality you can afford.  She puts them in a sauce pan (non Teflon coating is always best) and brings them to a boil over medium heat.  Then she lets it simmer / bubble for about 20 minutes.  This is the water bubbling out.  It will get foamy and then start to get clear and settle down and then it will finally get quiet.  There is a fine line between this clear, perfect, quiet state and the point at which it starts to burn, so take care.  Now it is ready to pour slowly into a mason jar.  You will find that the milk solids have fallen in little pieces to the bottom of the pan.  Don't let these fall into your ghee - this is what you wanted to separate from the ghee.  When the ghee cools it will form a soft solid again and you can keep in in the cupboard (you don't need to refrigerate it).   The milk solids that are left behind in the pan are also dangerously delicious.  I think the most decadent thing is to eat them with a spoon.  But if you don't want to go there, since really this probably isn't good for you, you can give them to your animals, who will appreciate them immensely.

You can use ghee any way that you use butter (it spreads beautifully).  Or you can use it like cooking oil.  Or you can even put a drop into your tea.

So why ghee?  Why alter our butter?

Ayurveda places ghee, or clarified butter, at the top of the oily foods list, as it has the healing benefits of butter without the impurities (saturated fat, milk solids).  It lubricates the connective tissues and promotes flexibility, says Dr. Vasant Lad, director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Traditionally, the preparation has been used to promote memory, intelligence, quantity and quality of semen, and to enhance digestion. Modern science tells us that ghee also harbors phenolic antioxidants, which bolster the immune system.  (yoga journal)

Ghee is one of the most ancient and sattvic foods known.  It does not burn (like butter) unless heated extensively.  It synergizes with the food nutrients and nourishes the bodily constituents.  It also serves as a base for herbal ointments to treat burns, skin rashes, and other such conditions.

It is important to maintain a clean appearance and calm mind while preparing your ghee.  This is one of the most healing food sadhanas when performed with grace.  (A Life of Balance, Maya Tiwari)

Oh, and it tastes better.