Ghee is butter cooked slowly until the water evaporates and the milk solids toast and separate. What is left is a clear, golden fat that smells of toasted milk. In Indian kitchens it is simply called desi ghee, and it goes into almost everything, from dal to sweets.
What to look for when you buy it
Good ghee is deep gold rather than pale, and smells nutty the moment it warms. At room temperature it sets grainy and soft. Check the label too: ghee should be made from milk fat and nothing else.
How to store it
Because the water and milk solids are cooked off, ghee keeps in the cupboard in a sealed container. Use a clean, dry spoon every time so no water gets in.
How to cook with it
- Tadka: warm a spoon of ghee until it turns clear and smells nutty, add cumin or whole spices, and pour it over dal once they sizzle.
- Parathas and kulcha: brush a little on the hot tawa. Our kulcha guide shows how.
- Halwa: gajar ka halwa and moong dal halwa rely on ghee for their flavour.
- Sweets: besan ladoo is roasted in ghee, which is most of the reason it tastes the way it does.
Ghee takes a high flame without smoking, so it works for frying and roasting as well as finishing a dish.
Our ghee
The ghee in our kitchen is pure New Zealand ghee, and we sell the same ghee for home in a 2L tub: Pure Desi desi ghee. Two litres suits a household that cooks every night. It sits in the pantry range alongside saffron, masala chai and pickles.
