Ghee

Ghee is butter that has been simmered until all its water has cooked off and the milk solids have browned, then strained. What is left is golden fat with a nutty, toasty taste. It comes from South Asian cooking, where it is used for frying spices, finishing dal and making sweets.

How to do it

1. Melt 500 g (1 lb) of unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Let it simmer gently. It foams, then the foam settles and the bubbling slows as the water cooks off. This takes 15 to 25 minutes.
3. Watch the solids at the bottom. When they turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty, take it off the heat.
4. Pour it through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel into a clean, dry jar.

How to tell it is done

The fat is clear and golden, the bubbling has almost stopped, and the bits on the bottom are light brown, not black. If they go dark, the ghee will taste burnt.

How to use it

• Fry whole spices in hot ghee to make a tadka to pour over dal.
• Sear, roast and fry at high heat. Its smoke point is about 250°C (480°F), far higher than whole butter.
• Brush it on flatbreads or stir it into rice.

Substitutes

Clarified butter is the closest swap. It is made the same way but stopped before the solids brown, so it tastes milder. Plain butter works in lower-heat cooking. A neutral oil works for frying, but you lose the flavor.

How to store it

With no water and almost no milk solids, ghee keeps for about three months in a closed jar at room temperature, longer in the fridge. Always use a dry spoon. Water or food crumbs let it spoil.

Common mistakes

• Cooking it on high heat, which burns the solids before the water has gone.
• Thinking it is the same as brown butter. Brown butter also loses its water, but it keeps its browned milk solids, so it does not keep as long.

Ghee has very little lactose, so some people who avoid lactose can eat it. It is still made from milk, so it is not safe for people with a milk allergy.