Since the time I got married I understood the benefits of homemade ghee. This is called Desi Ghee in India. Apart from using it in cooking food and making rotis, we use homemade ghee to light the lamp in our pooja room or the scared room where we worship God. It also has numerous health benefits. I use it on my lips when I get chapped lips in winter season. It is rich in antioxidants and helps to absorb vitamins and minerals from other foods.
When I was small or during my school days or even college days, I used to see my aunt making ghee at home. I and all my cousins used to run away from the kitchen when ghee was being made due to the smell in the house. We used to say that it was dirty smell, though it was a peculiar type of smell. At that point in my life I did not know the benefits of homemade ghee.
After my marriage when I actually entered the kitchen and started handling my household, I learnt from my Mother-in-law to collect the milk cream to make ghee. She told me not to discard the milk cream but to collect and make ghee out of it. Even if you don't eat you can use it to light the sacred lamp in pooja room.
Initially I used to churn milk in the mixer by changing the blade. But since the time I got a food processor, my task became simple. I really love to make ghee at home. I no longer feel that the smell which comes while melting the butter is dirty and I love the smell of homemade ghee.
Many of my friends ask me how I make ghee. So today I thought of explaining in a step-by-step way. I am sure this blog post will benefit a number of people.
Procedure:
1) Keep on collecting the cream of milk in a container, preferably a glass container. The cream shown below is collected over 7-10 days. You should store the collected milk cream in fridge to ensure that it does not get spoiled. You will get thick milk cream, if you boil milk and refrigerate overnight. In the morning you will get thick milk cream.
2) The milk cream collected over time will start separating from the water. Water will go to the bottom and cream will be on top.
3) Transfer the entire contents of the container, i.e. the collected milk cream in a food processor. Fix the blade used to churn milk and keep it on speed 1 for 5 minutes.
4) You will observe that the butter has separated from the milky water or whey. The milky water is known as whey or buttermilk and the solidified part is butter.
5) Transfer only the butter in a deep bottom pan. Preferably an Indolium pan or a non-stick pan.
6) Retain a little buttermilk. Wash the container and transfer the buttermilk into it.
7) Now keep the container in which butter is present on the gas or stove. Keep it on medium heat.
8) The butter will start melting.
9) Soon clear bubbles will start getting formed. Now lower the heat.
10) Heat it little more till you see clear ghee on top. Now switch off the gas. The milk solids/fats will get slightly burnt, but that will be discarded.
10) Pass the ghee through a strainer or filter and collect the pure ghee in a clean container. I collect this in glass container as I love it that way.
11) Notice that you got pure ghee now. You can smell it and enjoy the aroma of the ghee.
