What is ghee ? glossary, uses, recipes, benefits 

Ghee: The Golden Essence of Indian Tradition

Ghee, or clarified butter, is more than just a cooking fat in India—it’s a cultural icon. Made by simmering butter to remove impurities, it yields a pure, golden elixir with a rich, nutty aroma. Revered for centuries, ghee holds sacred status in Indian cuisine, Ayurveda, and rituals, symbolizing purity, prosperity, and nourishment.

Culinary Versatility
From North India’s flaky parathas and creamy curries to the South’s ghee-laden dosas and rice, its uses are boundless. A staple in sweets like halwa and ladoos, ghee enhances flavor while its high smoke point makes it perfect for frying.

Sacred & Medicinal Significance
In rituals, ghee lights diyas (lamps), embodying divine purity. Ayurveda hails it as a rasayana(rejuvenator), believed to aid digestion, boost immunity, and promote vitality. Rich in butyric acid and fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, K2), it’s a traditional remedy for skin and gut health.

Iconic Ghee-Centric Dishes

• Ghee Rice – Fragrant, buttery rice.

• Ghee Roast Dosa – Crispy, golden delight.

• Dal Makhani – Creamy lentils finished with ghee.

• Halwa & Ladoos – Sweets elevated by its richness.

A Legacy of Flavor & Wellness
Ghee transcends the kitchen—it’s a thread woven into India’s culinary, spiritual, and holistic fabric. Whether drizzled over a humble meal or used in grand feasts, its golden touch epitomizes comfort, tradition, and timeless nourishment.

Ghee can be prepared at home using the following method:

• Take off the cream after boiling milk.

• Once the cream is cold, take a wooden stick and churn it.

• The water separates and the rest becomes unsalted butter.

• Melt the butter over low heat gradually in a heavy-bottomed pot. Do not stir.

• Cook until it is a clear golden liquid.

• It may bubble and foam may form on top, which youll need to skim off and discard.

• Remove from heat while the liquid is a clear gold. Any darker and its overcooked.

• Take a large sieve and line it with 4 sheets of cheesecloth or muslin. Place it over a clean dry pot.

• While still hot, carefully strain the ghee through the cheesecloth-lined sieve into the pot.

• Transfer the strained ghee carefully into a clean glass jar and shut tightly. Ghee at room temperature looks semi-solid.

How to select Ghee 

• It is best to prepare the ghee at home.

• If you buy from a store, then look for a well-known branded ghee as commercially-prepared ghee may have adulterants and added animal fats.

• Any pure ghee would be uniformly homogenous and not semi-solid on top and fully-caked and hard at the bottom.

• Organic ghee is also available in select markets.

Culinary uses of Ghee 

• Since ghee doesnt spoil easily, it preserves the original freshness of herbs and foods.

• It has many favourable culinary properties too, such as the aroma and flavour it imparts and the fact that one needs to use only half as much as other cooking oils.

• It doesnt burn or smoke during cooking and combines excellently with a wide variety of spices.

• Ghee is used for tempering on dals and vegetable preparations or for preparing rice dishes like pulao and biryani.

• Ghee is also added on hot Indian breads or steaming hot cooked rice for its distinct aroma and taste.

Ghee Rice Recipe | How To Make Ghee Rice | Ghee Bhat |  Ney Choru

How to store Ghee 

• Ghee can be stored for extended periods without refrigeration, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.

• Always use a clean utensil to scoop out ghee.

Nutritive Information for Ghee:

1 tbsp of ghee is about 13 grams

RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.

Energy - 117 calories

Protein – 0 g

Carbohydrate – 0 g

Fat – 13 g

Fiber – 1.3 g

117 mcg of Vitamin A = 2.4% of RDA (about 4800 mcg)

0.3 mg of Vitamin E = 1.5% of RDA (about 20 mg)

1.1 mcg of Vitamin K = 1% of RDA (about 120 mcg)

7 Health Benefit of Ghee

1. Ghee is a Bundle of Fat Soluble Vitamins: The above table itself is self-explanatory. Other than calories and fats, the only nutrients that ghee is rich in are the vitamins – all of which are fat-soluble. All the 3 vitamins (Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin K) are antioxidants which have a role in removing free radicals from the body and protecting our cell as well as help in maintaining skin health and glow.

Each of the vitamins have individual function to perform as well. Vitamin A is crucial for vision, Vitamin E for reducing inflammation in the body and Vitamin K for blood clotting in case of injuries and promoting bone health. So why deprive your body of this wholesome fat? Try Palak Toovar Dal to benefit not only from the ghee but to stock up on protein by way of dal and iron by way of spinach.

2. Ghee Reduces Inflammation: The presence of butyrate (a short chain fatty acid) in ghee bags the credit for this benefit. Reducing inflammation in the body is very important to prevent the onset of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer etc. Cook healthy for your body with ghee.... Mooli Moong Dal and Bajra Methi Khakhras are flavourful choices to please your tongue and body.

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