Last summer I worked at the Slow Food festival in San Francisco for a friend of mine, Peter, who makes Ghee. Ghee is made from butter, which is boiled for several hours until all of the milk solids settle to the bottom and eventually burn off. What is left is ghee. It is lactose free, easy to digest and delicious. I was deeply immersed in ghee for 3 days- selling it, talking about it, cooking with it and eating it. In that time I learned a lot from Peter, who is an Ayurvedic doctor and a magnificent story teller. By the end of the festival I was so hooked on the magnificence of ghee I was eating it with a spoon!
"This is the secret name of ghee:
'Tongue of the gods', 'navel of immortality'.
We will proclaim the name of ghee;
We will sustain it in this sacrifice by bowing low.
These waves of ghee flow like gazelles before the hunter...
Streams of ghee caress the burning wood.
Agni, the fire, loves them and is satisfied." - The Rig Veda
For thousands of years in India life revolved around ghee. It was used in cooking to increase the flavor and nutritiousness of food, as a medium for herbs and medicines to make them more absorbable, on the skin as a moisturizer and protector, as an offering of grace to the gods, and in temple lamps, which are said to emit the most beautiful light in the world. The light of burning ghee is said to ward off negativity and evil influence. Throughout the texts of ancient India are stories of the gods fighting over this divine, life-giving substance. It is described in the Vedas how ghee is believed to be the source of the entire universe. Before the world was created there was only a vast sea of matter. It was only after this undifferentiated mass was churned, like butter, that the world took form.
Milk is considered divine because is made entirely from the sap or 'life blood' of plants- which are made entirely from sunlight. Milk is then condensed into butter- which
is about 80% fat, and 20% milk solids and water. This is then condensed further to make ghee. So ghee is essentially condensed sunlight!!!
In Ayurveda, ghee is viewed as completely
satvic, meaning that it is deeply cooling and balancing. It tonifies the tissues and organs and is slightly cleansing. It is the ideal cooking oil because it can be heated to high temperatures, but won't burn or turn into a trans fat the way olive oil will.
When ghee is massaged into the skin, it bypasses the digestive system and allows the qualities of ghee to penetrate directly into the deeper tissues. It is said that sixty per-cent of what is placed on the skin is absorbed into the body. We literally ‘eat’ what we put on our skin.
It is imperative that one eats only organic ghee. Non-organic ghee contains a concentrated amount of any hormones, or pesticides or antibiotics that were in the milk. The fat we consume becomes stored in our tissues and cells, therefore unlike for instance, non-organic lettuce, which may contain some pesticides, but will largely pass through the system, any hormones or pesticides in fats will be stored in the body.
Ghee is delicious in almost any way you would use butter. Look for ghee (or butter) with the brightest yellow color, because this will indicate how much green, fresh grass the cows had access to. Peter's ghee is Ancient Organics. It is made from Strauss butter- which was voted the best in world, (but I happen to know that the butter my father makes is actually the best!) Strauss's butter is excellent because they have mostly Jersey cows, which produce milk higher in beta-carotene than normal Holstein milk cows (the black and white cows). Also their cows are roaming around the hills of Marin eating grass, so you will notice in the winter the butter will be a slightly deeper yellow color because the cows are eating greener grass!
My dad uses Guernsey cows, which are even better than Jerseys. (The reason everyone doesn't use Guernsey or Jerseys is because, although their milk is better, they produce significantly less of it). He molds it in old, wooden butter molds and tops it with a clover!
You can make your own ghee if you feel inspired. It is important to use the best unsalted, organic butter you can find.
In fact you can make your own butter too.....or milk your own cow...but that's considerably more work....
RECIPE:
1 pound unsalted butter
Put the butter in a heavy, medium-sized pan. Turn the heat on to medium until the butter melts.
Turn down the heat until the butter just boils and continue to cook at this heat. Do not cover the pot. The butter will foam and sputter while it cooks. As it boils, moisture evaporates off and it will begin to clarify and the butter will turn from cloudy yellowish liquid to a more golden color. Whitish cloudy milk solids will rise to the top and sink to the bottom. Do not stir. After a half hour an hour your ghee will be ready. The ghee will be a clear beautiful golden color with a wonderful smell that some have compared to popcorn. The moment ghee is ready is critical and lasts only a short time. If the ghee is cooked too little, moisture will remain in the ghee and it will lack in exquisite taste and qualities. Also, because of the moisture, it will tend to spoil or sour. If ghee is cooked too much, it will burn, turn slightly darker and have a certain nutty flavor. After the ghee is ready, skim off the top light crust of whitish milk solids. Whitish curds will begin to form on the bottom of the pot. Keep a close watch on the ghee, as it can easily burn. After a while it will become a clear, golden color. You will have to take a clean, dry spoon to move away some of the foam on top in order to see if the ghee is clear all the way through to the bottom. Let it cool until just warm. Pour it through a fine sieve or layers of cheesecloth into a clean, dry glass container with a tight lid. Discard the curds at the bottom of the saucepan.
Ghee can be kept on the kitchen shelf, covered. It does not need refrigeration. The medicinal properties are said to improve with age. Don’t ladle out the ghee with a wet spoon or allow any water to get into the container, as this will create conditions for bacteria to grow and spoil the ghee.
Two pounds of butter will fill a quart jar with ghee.
Peter talked a lot about the atmosphere that the ghee was made in. He makes it in the traditional method- only on the waxing or full moon, while singing traditional mantras- you don't have to do this though!
