Ghee

[Deleted]

I am not at all convinced that there is anything special about ghee, but I feel that I need to find some and try it.

Who uses ghee and what is so special about it?

[imec]

Isn't the term a bit ambiguous? I believe there is vegetable oil ghee (essentially margarine) and "real" ghee which is essentially clarified butter.

[Deleted]

Yes, that's what I mean -- what is the difference in cooking with butter or "clarified butter"?

[spindrift]

I forget the difference. I should know of course since I lived with an Indian family.

There is ghee and there is GHEE! Not long ago I was at a Nepali friend's house where an Indian sadhu had recently arrived from the foothills of the Himalayas. This person actually lives, during the summer months, under the roots of a huge tree. Nearby there are springs and even a hot spring. Here there are flower-filled meadows during the summer months. Around the villages cows graze on the flowery grass. Their milk is made into butter which is made into ghee. So that night at my friend's house, I was offered a spoonful of something I couldn't recognise but I knew came from India and was considered to be a delicacy. I swallowed and tasted the most divine ghee made from those mountain cows. This ghee bore no relation to the household ghee used in everyday cooking all over India.
I asked the sadhu to bring more ghee on his next visit to this country but sadly he said that no, he couldn't oblige me. He had discovered that it is forbidden to import dairy products from the far east and he could bring no more.

So don't be disappointed, Kerouac, if you don't like ghee when you find it in Paris.

[cristina]

Nov 5, 2009 22:29:17 GMT kerouac2 said:

Yes, that's what I mean -- what is the difference in cooking with butter or "clarified butter"?

K2, clarified butter has had the milk solids removed so that the butter has a higher smoking point before burning, useful in sautéing.

[bixaorellana]

I've always had the same question about the difference. Isn't that what ghee is -- clarified butter? I believe removing the milk solids also keeps it from going rancid longer.

Lovely story, Spindrift ~ thanks.

[cristina]

Something else that I just remembered is that if the milk solids are allowed to caramelize a bit before being discarded you end up with brown butter, or buerre noisette which is really good in homemade ice cream. I've never made it (the ice cream) myself but a friend did and it was one of the best ice cream flavors I had ever tasted. I also think that ghee might be a bit closer to brown butter than plain clarified butter, but I'm not certain.

Spindrift, it's really too bad that the wonderful ghee you had can't be imported. I wonder why?

[imec]

Speaking of burnt butter - try is drizzled liberally poured over steamed cauliflower which has been topped with breadcrumbs and maybe some grated parmesan.

[hwinpp]

Nov 5, 2009 23:27:14 GMT cristina said:

Nov 5, 2009 22:29:17 GMT kerouac2 said:

Yes, that's what I mean -- what is the difference in cooking with butter or "clarified butter"?

K2, clarified butter has had the milk solids removed so that the butter has a higher smoking point before burning, useful in sautéing.

Exactly. That's it in a nutshell.

[spindrift]

Christina - the ghee that I was priveleged to eat would only be available in the high Indian villages from comparitively few cows. I compare the taste to Nectar of the Gods.

[existentialcrisis]

Ah ha!

"Two other butter-based options, clarified butter and ghee, are made by removing milk solids and water from the butter over heat. The main difference between the two is that when preparing ghee, you leave the milk solids in to toast a bit before pouring off the clarified butter; this lends a distinctive rich, nutty flavor to recipes - it also allows for higher cooking temperatures."

www.101cookbooks.com