Ghee

Ghee.. where to start. So we met a guy studying at Hebrew University who is from India. Through some conversation at lunch one day he offered to come over and prepare for us some authentic Indian dishes. He asked us to try and find ghee because he could not find it in Jerusalem. I didn’t even bother to look in Tel Aviv, and instead looked online how to make it. Using techniques from a few sources I tried my hand at it. Lo and behold, its easy to make and AMAZING! No seriously, it’s aroma, its properties for cooking, health benefits.. it’s amazing stuff. I’d encourage you to look into it, but for myself it’s a new staple.

— How To —
Any amount of Butter

Completely melt the butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Stir and keep it going until it starts to foam a bit and the milk solids separate and come to the top. After about 10 minutes or so lots of foam will start to form, keep stirring. Keep it going until the solids sink to the bottom and start to turn golden brown. When the solids are golden and there is a good deal of foam it’s done!

Let it cool then pour into a strainer lined with several layers of cheese cloth to filter out the solids. The clarified butter is now ghee!

Zulfi told me there is a really good dessert that the solids are traditionally used in.. I forget the name.

— An Aside —

It turns out that Zulfi not only can cook, his family is known for good cooking and he’s a master.The ghee adds some amazing flavor complexity. This turned out to be one of the best meals I’veĀ ever eaten.

Here is his Chicken Masala

Lamb Dum Biryani … simply amazing.