Unless you grew up in a home where traditional Indian cooking was the norm, you may not be totally familiar with ghee, or clarified butter. In fact, you may be thinking that clarified butter sounds awfully artery clogging, and avoid it completely.
However, if you're looking for a great butter substitute, ghee is the way to go. So what is ghee, exactly?Ghee is made by heating butter and separating the butter fat from the remaining moisture and milk fats. The butter fat can also be slightly browned to create a nutty flavor, or simply left alone. It is traditionally used in Middle Eastern cooking as a butter or oil substitute, and is better for you than butter.
Ghee can actually have a beneficial impact on your cholesterol, and has been used in ayurvedic medicine as a detoxifying substance. You can even make ghee at home, if you're so inclined, as it is more expensive to buy at your local grocery.
Now that you have your jar of delicious ghee, put it to work! You don't have to only focus on Middle Eastern recipes and curries; you can cook with ghee in place of butter or oils. In fact, ghee is an oil you can use with high heat without it getting rancid, unlike olive oil.
Some people enjoy spreading ghee on toast for a burst of flavor, which is another delicious way to go. There are endless possibilities when you're cooking and serving ghee. Just plop it down where you used to use butter, and enjoy.
Do you cook with ghee?
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