Homemade Ghee Recipe | How to make Ghee at home | Step by Step

I never know an Indian who hates Ghee, have you? Most Indian sweets and recipes call for Ghee and I feel its apt to have a post on how to make Ghee in my space. I love the fragrance and taste of ghee on hot white rice/ sambar sadam but I love it all the more in sweets. If North India are known for sweets using milk, South India is known for Ghee sweets right from the famous Pure Ghee Mysore Pak to the Maavu Ladoos Ghee is adorned. Although I must admit that I am a lazy person who would prefer to pick a pack of ghee from the supermarket, I have made it a point to make ghee at home, just like ginger-garlic paste, coconut milk, tamarind paste and so on. I have to say there cannot be anything near the homemade ghee and the way your kitchen is full of aroma of the ghee is totally heavenly. Reminds me that Amma too makes ghee at home although her version is with curry leaves to give an extra punch but somehow I did not add curry leaves or rock salt to this recipe. Since I love it plain and pure so that I can use it for savory and sweet dishes.

What butter do I use for making home-made ghee? Salted or Unsalted?

This is a frequently asked question. Personally I love to use unsalted butter since ghee can be used for both sweet & savoury recipes, if its salted you would not know how much salt to use in the recipe. So I go for unsalted butter. One other thing is that salted butter when melted foams up too much, so take care while making ghee using salted butter.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE GHEE ?

Ingredients

Unsalted butter - 2 cups or 250 gms

Method

• Unwarp the butter and keep in outside until it comes to room temprature
• In a dry non stick pan on medium heat add the solid butter and wait for it to melt completely this would take 2-3 minutes

• Slowly the melted butter starts boiling, it foams up and starts cracking (you will hear a cracking sound). Make sure the flame is in low and allow it to boil further. You will see the butter clearing up on top 

• As the butter further boils the soft foams turn as bubbles and the bubbles become even more fine. Keep stirring occasionally now you will see the milk solids settling to the bottom of the pan

• At this point the crackling subsides. Switch off. Prep a cleaned and dry bottle or glass jar (remember not to store in a plastic bottle) as you will be pouring the still warm ghee into it. Using a filter/ strainer pour the melted/ clarified ghee into the bottle. Leave it in room temperature to solidify on its own. It took me an hour for the ghee to solidify 

Cooks Wisdom

- I used store bought unsalted butter for making ghee, you can use full fat homemade butter too

- Take care not to burn/ overcook the melted ghee (beyond the subsiding cracking sound) this will give a burnt taste

- Store in a clean and dry bottle without the lid until the ghee comes to room temperature and solidify

- You can add a spring of curry leaves for a fragrant smell but this is totally optional, I have not used it

- This homemade ghee is good in room temperature for upto 2 months you can store it even in the refrigerator.