Preparing Dishes with Clarified Butter (Ghee)

Ghee: An Unbeatable Cooking Fat

Craving something extraordinary for your kitchen? Ghee, our beloved cooking fat, should be your go-to! Its delectable flavor profile and resilience at high temperatures render it a must-have in our pantry.

Dive right in or take a quick peek at: What is it? | Nutrition | Where to Buy | How to Use It

Why we adore ghee!

It's vitamin-loaded. It brims with essential vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vital nutrients supercharge various bodily functions, contributing to healthy skin, improved vision, fortified immunity, and robust bones [1][4].

Being dairy-friendly is another reason we're swooning! With no lactose or casein, it's perfect for those who have a sensitivity towards dairy.

Its rich, buttery flavor elevates every dish, harmonizing beautifully with spices and root veggies.

Heat-resistant, it can handle cooking at high temperatures, making it a reliable choice for sautéing, frying, and roasting [3].

What exactly is ghee?

Originating from South Asian cuisine, ghee is a type of clarified butter. It plays a pivotal role in Indian cookery and Ayurvedic medicine. It has a sumptuous, nutty flavor and a deep yellow-gold color [5].

For centuries, ghee has been revered, not only for its culinary applications but also for its part in religious rituals and traditional medicine. In India, it is frequently used in sacred offerings and esteemed as a symbol of auspiciousness and nourishment [5].

To make ghee, butter is melted over low heat and the milk solids are carefully separated from the pure, golden butterfat. Then, these milk solids are eliminated, leaving behind pure fat [5].

Removing the milk solids and clarifying the butter accomplishes two things. First, it extends the ghee's shelf life. Second, it boosts its smoke point [5].

Compared to butter with a relatively short shelf life, ghee can be safely stored for up to a year at room temperature. Similarly, whereas butter has a smoke point of 302 °F (150 °C), ghee has a smoke point of 482 °F (194 °C) [5].

Is it good for you?

When derived from grass-fed cows, ghee becomes a rich source of fat-soluble micronutrients, including vitamins A, D, E, and K, plus beta-carotene [2]. It is also packed with beneficial fats, including conjugated linoleic acid known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties, and heart health support [1][4].

Ghee is all butterfat, devoid of milk solids typically found in butter. The absence of these components makes ghee more digestible for those susceptible to dairy [2].

What to look for

The most nutritious (and flavorful) ghee is crafted from grass-fed, cultured butter. This means butter sourced from cows allowed to graze freely. The result? A tastier, more nutrient-dense ghee [2].

Choose ghee of a rich golden-yellow hue with no separation. In addition to butter, its ingredients should ideally be limited to herbs and spices for infused varieties [5].

Skip vanaspati or vegan ghee. These "plant-based" alternatives miss the mark when it comes to the nutrient value of true, grass-fed ghee. In many cases, their ingredients are under scrutiny, with some containing hydrogenated palm oil, food dyes, or questionable ingredients [5].

Where can you find it?

Head to your neighborhood grocery store, natural food market, or shop online to locate ghee. Stores specializing in Indian and South Asian cuisine also stock it [5].

Our go-to recommendation

We highly recommend Pure Indian Foods organic grass-fed ghee, a small, family-run business by a 5th-generation ghee maker [5].

How to use it?

Despite being fashioned from butter, cooking with ghee resembles using olive, coconut, or avocado oil. This is due to its high smoke point and pure fat composition [3].

Its high smoke point makes it fantastic for high-heat applications. Jazz up aromatics like ginger, garlic, and shallots with ghee. For a delightful touch, melt some ghee over root vegetables and roast them to perfection [3].

Ghee-infused Recipes

Pan-fried Fish Dish with Lemon and Parsley, also known as Sole Meunière, is a simple yet sumptuous culinary treat.

Savor the aromatic warmth of Garam Masala Chicken Curry, a delectable weeknight dish inspired by traditional South Asian flavors.

Warm up with a hearty and Easy Root Vegetable Soup on chilly days.

References

Badawy, Sara, et al. "Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as a functional food: Is it beneficial or not?." Food Research International, vol. 172, 2023, p. 113158.
Banasiewicz, T, et al. "Microencapsulated sodium butyrate reduces the frequency of abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome." Colorectal Disease: The Official Journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 15, no. 2, 2013, p. 204-9.
Abrams, Susan M. "Clarified Butter (Ghee) Recipe and Guide." Karen's Kitchen Stories, 17 Mar. 2015, https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/clarified-butter-ghee-recipe/.
"Health Benefits of Ghee Butter: The Real Deal." Dr. Axe, 3 Dec. 2018, https://draxe.com/ghee/.
"What Is Ghee and Is It Healthy?" Healthline, 27 Feb. 2019, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-ghee-and-is-it-healthy.
The rich, buttery flavor of ghee, brimming with essential vitamins A, D, E, and K, makes it a popular choice in healthy-diets and food-and-drink, contributing to improved vision, fortified immunity, and robust bones. [Nutrition, vitamin-loaded, healthy-diets, food-and-drink]
Ghee's heat-resistance and ability to handle high temperatures during cooking, makes it a valuable asset in the health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise lifestyle, ideal for sautéing, frying, and roasting. [Heat-resistant, fitness-and-exercise, sautéing, frying, roasting]
By following the science of nutrition and healthy cooking, ghee, a type of clarified butter, can be infused into various dishes, providing an unique flavor profile that enhances the culinary experience and promotes a healthier lifestyle. [Science, nutrition, healthy-cooking, culinary experience]
Ghee, a significant component of the food-and-drink scene, entwines itself in the modern lifestyle, offering a rich source of beneficial fats, including conjugated linoleic acid, known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties, and heart health support. [Beneficial fats, conjugated linoleic acid, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties, heart health support]
In the realm of health-and-wellness, cooking with ghee becomes an integral part of one's lifestyle, offering a pleasant alternative to traditional oils while embracing the wholesome benefits of grass-fed, cultured butter, elevating the overall quality of one's food-and-drink choices. [Cooking, ghee, lifestyle, grass-fed, cultured butter, food-and-drink choices]

Preparing Dishes with Clarified Butter (Ghee)