Years ago my Yoga teachers introduced me to Ghee – which is purified butter. It is supposedly healthier then butter, in my opion it is also tastier but more to the Bhudeva-point it lasts longer (much longer) without spoiling. During theh first few weeks here we went with what was familiar to us and got butter and milk from the supermarket. Then we discovered the dairy-room in the market (lapte, lapte, lapte …) and since then we’ve been getting fresh milk and butter.These tend to spoil faster then their industrial counterparts. So Ghee it is.
First – this is what real butter looks like – white, not yellowish. You place in it a pot on a small burner – too large flame will burn it.
As it begins to melt, a foamy later appears which you can skim off with a spoon and throw away.
It will continue to boil for a few minutes and then the boiling will reside a bit. This is the time to keep your eyes on the pot – soon the butter will become clear.
When it does, turn off the heat completely. Though you can pour out directly from the pot, we filter it through a cloth, preferrably into a glass jar or container.
Be careful when you squeeze it – it’s still boiling hot.
After a few hours of cooling – you are left with Ghee. You will lose approximately 1/3 of the volume of butter you had when you started.
It’s not mandatory to keep it in the fridge but we do. It will keep for weeks – supposedly even months (thoughwe never made enough to verify that theory!).
oh and … if you add water and some soap to the pot, throw the cloth into it and boil it all again … it makes for an easy cleanup.
