How to:
Make clarified butter (ghee)
Clarified butter or ghee, as it's known in India, is used when you want to fry something in butter for an extended time or at a high heat. You still get the delicious butter flavour and golden, crisp colour and texture, but without the taste of burnt butter.
For clarified butter (ghee), slowly melt unsalted butter over low heat. Don't let the butter come to a boil, and don't stir it. This allows the milk solids, that burn the fastest, to separate from the liquid butter.
Once the butter has separated into three layers, there will be foamy milk solids on top, clarified butter in the middle, and milk solids on the bottom. Turn off the heat and skim the foamy white solids from the top. Then ladle off the clarified butter. Be careful not to disturb the milk solids at the bottom of the pan.
Clarified butter can be used immediately. Or, let it solidify and keep it in the refrigerator for up to three to four weeks. Just remelt to use. One pound of unsalted butter yields 1-1/4 cups clarified butter.
Tip: you can flavour your clarified butter to use in just about any dish. One example is Ethiopian nitr kibbeh - clarified butter infused with onions, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and turmeric. Cardamom, star anise or fenugreek can also be added. It's used as a spread or to fry off onions or sauté meat and is absolutely delicious.
Use ghee to cook Indian chana magaj
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