How to Make Ayurvedic Ghee
If you haven't tried ghee yet, you are in for a real treat! Not only is it delicious, it comes with a long list of health benefits, and it's extremely easy to make.
What is Ghee?
Simply put, ghee is clarified butter; butter that has been heated to remove the milk solids. The result is fine golden oil that can be used for practically anything from stir frying vegetables to skin care. It has been used medicinally in Ayurveda for thousands of years and is revered in traditional Indian cooking.
Ayurvedic properties of ghee: sweet rasa, cooling virya, and sweet vipaka. Light, oily, and smooth guns. In moderation, useful for all doshas (VPK). Excessive use increases kapha. It promotes digestion (agni), is strengths body tissues, promotes intelligence and memory, and is useful in transporting herbal influences to tissues.
Benefits and Uses:
Ghee can be used any way that you use butter and oil: cooking, baking, on popcorn, toast, veggies, etc; yet the health benefits of ghee go far beyond its delicious buttery taste. First of all, because the milk solids have been removed it can be enjoyed even by the lactose intolerant. Ghee has one of the highest smoke points of all oils (485 degrees), making it a great choice for stir frying and roasting vegetables. It is an excellent source of healthy fats, and unlike other oils that can clog the liver ghee actually strengthens liver function. Ghee kindles the digestive fire and stimulates metabolism, which promotes digestive health and therefore the health of the entire body.
Ghee is nourishing to deep tissues like bone marrow, nervous tissue and the brain. In Ayurveda, herbs are often infused into ghee as a way to both potentize and carry their healing properties deeper into the bodily tissues. Combining ghee with with nervine herbs like Ashwagandha and Gotu Kola you get a powerful medicine for rejuvenating nervous tissue and promoting mental intelligence and stability.
Ghee is naturally cooling and soothing in nature and when combined with cooling herbs like shatavari or licorice you get an excellent medicine for the skin, both internally and externally. It can soothe and strengthen mucous membranes within the gut wall, as well as calm burns and rashes when used externally.
Traditional Ayurvedic cleansing uses ghee for aiding the detoxification of the body. It is used for softening and lubricating hardened channels and tissues, which helps to loosen and release accumulated toxins called ama. Ghee helps flush old, thick bile from the gallbladder, while stimulating new bile production in the liver. This cleansing process helps reset fat metabolism giving us the ability to tap into a more stable source of energy.
With so many benefits why not give ghee a try. I have been enjoying ghee for years now, and would love to share the easiest method I have found to make it at home. If you really want to enhance the subtle healing qualities of ghee, try making it on a full moon!
The Easiest Method of Making Ghee:
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb of unsalted, preferably organic butter
Equipment:
1 medium-sized, heavy bottomed pot
Small mesh strainer or cheese cloth
Pint-sized jar for storage
Directions:
Over medium-low heat begin to melt 4 sticks of butter in a medium-sized pot.
After a few minutes thick white foam will appear and the butter will begin to slowly boil with thick bubbles. There is no need to stir or remove the foam.
Allow the butter to boil. At this point much of the foam begins to disappear. Look closely and you will see the milk solids beginning to separate and float around in the liquid. Eventually these will sink to the bottom of the pot.
After about 10-15 minutes the boil will become very slow. This is the time to start watching closely as the ghee is almost finished. Once the milk solid sinks to the bottom of the pot the ghee becomes translucent. Keep the ghee on the heat for just 1 or 2 more minutes to gently toast the milk solids, which will give the ghee a wonderful flavor.
How do you know when it's finished? You should be able to clearly see the bottom of the pot, as if looking into clear pond. It is okay if a little foam remains on top, it will be strained off later. (Note: If the ghee begins to foam heavily it is likely the milk solids on the bottom of the pan are beginning to burn - immediately remove from the heat to save your ghee!)
Remove the pot from the heat and set aside a few minutes to cool.
Using a small mesh strainer or cheesecloth, pour the ghee into a pint-sized jar. Allow the ghee to completely cool before putting on the lid (placing it on too soon can cause condensation and may cause your ghee to mold). The milk solids can be discarded, however, they are delicious, especially when combined with cardamom and cinnamon and stuffed into medjool dates!
Ghee will solidify at room temperature. It can be stored on the counter top, no need to refrigerate. When made properly, ghee can last over 100 years so no need to worry about it going bad.
