Do you love the smell and the sound and taste of sizzling butter? Yes! You always think of something delicious when you smell the aroma of butter, for example, French toast, beefsteak, garlic shrimps, and many many others.
However, there is a big issue with butter: it contains lactose. This means that is not sutable for people who are lactore intolerant.
Thankfully, there is a lactose-free alternative of butter: Ghee.
In this article, you will find out what ghee is, what are the health benefits of ghee, and how to make it at home. Enjoy!
What is ghee?
Ghee is butter, which has been clarified. The product is used mainly in Ayurveda medicine (System for natural and holistic medicine with Ancient Indian origin), because of its many healthy properties.
The water and protein content has been extracted out of the butter itself. Therefore, the ghee consists only of fats, the majority of which- saturated. I have talked about saturated fats and why you should be careful with the daily amount consumed.
Before I continue with giving more information about the healthy properties of ghee, I want to draw the attention to the fact that no matter how many health benefits the ghee has, it is not recommended to exceed the suggested daily dose for the consumption of saturated fats– 25 grams per day. [1] With all that said, let’s jump into the more intriguing part of this article.
Health benefits of ghee
- Ghee is a butter substitute, which can be suitable for people who suffer from lactose intolerance. [2]
- May relieve the symptoms of ulcers, stomachache, and other digestive system problems, when eaten raw. [3]
- May soften your hair and skin when used as a moisturizer or as an ingredient in homemade hair and face masks.
- Ghee is rich in vitamin K. Thus, it may support the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, zinc, magnesium, and calcium in the body. All those vitamins and minerals have a positive effect on the formation of bones and teeth. [4]
- May boost your immune system. Due to its high vitamin A content, ghee can absorb the free radicals damage (damage caused by pollution, stress, smoking, sun radiation, malnutrition, and others) and detoxify the body.
- May boost your energy levels. The liver quickly absorbs the ghee fats and gives energy to the body for an extended period of time.
- Ghee has a high “smoke point”. This means that the product can be excellent for frying, sautéing and baking, as it can be heated to high temperatures without breaking down to free radicals. [5]
- May boost the metabolism and digestive system. Due to its high linoleic acid content ghee can help with food digestion and recover the stomach walls if any internal injuries exist. [6]
- Can reduce inflammation. Linoleic acid helps with fighting inflammation and prevents inflammatory diseases. People that suffer from such conditions often use ghee as their primary saturated fat source. [7]
How to make ghee?
Ingredients: You just need 500 grams high-quality unsalted cow butter.
Cut the butter in small pieces and put them in a ceramic heatproof pot with a thick bottom. The pot may also be made from glass, but it should not be metallic in any case. Put the pot on the stove (on low heat setting), and stir until the butter is melted.
After the butter is all liquid, turn the stove on a medium heat setting until the butter starts to boil gently, then lower the stove temperature to low again.
In the beginning, the substance has white color, and soon enough, you will see that foam starts to form on the top of the liquid butter surface.
Periodically remove the foam from the surface with a wooden spoon (or another non-metal spoon). The butter should boil gently around 50 minutes.
How to recognize when ghee is ready?
Ghee should be removed from the stove when you can see that the butter substance becomes transparent.
You will be able to see white protein particles on the bottom of the pot.
Those particles are the dairy allergens from the butter, and often they look like small balls.
Before storing the ghee, you should strain the substance, in order to remove the protein particles from the clear ghee itself (the protein can be thrown away).
Put the ready product in a glass or ceramic container and leave it without closing the container until the substance is cooled down.
How to store ghee?
Ghee is usually stored at room temperature (and not in the fridge), as it will not go off for months in a row (because the product is 100% fat).
The taste of ghee is very light and very different from the butter taste. The aroma is nutty and slightly sweet, and the texture is airy and creamy.
What to cook with ghee?
You can literally cook anything with it without worrying that the taste of the dishes will change.
Just substitute the butter, olive or sunflower oil in your favorite recipes with ghee. Every dish will be as tasty as it always has been!