What is ghee, you ask?

Ghee is essentially clarified butter, and has a higher smoke point making it great for sautéing and frying.

Ghee is widely used in Indian cooking and valued in the Ayurvedic traditional as a medicinal alternative to butter. By clarifiying the butter, you remove the impurities of saturated fat and milk solids. The Ayurvedic tradition recommends ghee, saying that it lubricates connective tissues and promotes flexibility. Ghee also contains phenolic antioxidants, which aids the immune system.

More than anything else, I think ghee has a deeper flavor than traditional butter.

You can buy ghee in the tofu section of the grocery store, but it's really easy to make as well.

I took 2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter and placed them in a deep pan on the stove. (Read more about the benefits of unsalted butter here)

Cook the butter while stirring occasionally until it starts to foam and boil. A crackling means the butter is boiling.

Reducing the heat to low, continue to simmer the butter until it clarifies. When you part the foam on top, you should see the melted butter getting clear.

Continue to simmer the butter until the crackling subsides (which should take 10 minutes). You'll see the milk solids turn a light brown color, separate and settled at the bottom of the pan.

Let it cool for about 20 minutes, then strain it though 2 layers of cheesecloth (or a very fine sieve, if you have one).

Store ghee is a clean, dry bottle. But don’t put the lid on till the ghee is fully cooled. Keep it at room temperature for up to 2 months, or you can refrigerate as well.

You can use ghee for sautéing, drizzling over popcorn, on toast, and in baking. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!