Liquid gold – clarified butter or ghee

Ever tasted liquid gold? Seriously, I’m not kidding, if you haven’t you have to try it at least once. I made a batch of this smooth liquid gold for a big celebration. Its super easy to make. There are tons of health benefits in this golden smoothness that you cannot but want to include some of it in your diet everyday.

½ cup unsalted butter

Method

Place butter in heavy bottomed pan on medium high heat. Watch stove carefully, do not leave unattended.

When butter melts and starts to boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to watch while foam starts to form in the pan.

As molten butter becomes golden and clear, you’ll start to see the milk solids separate. you’ll also hear in addition to the bubbling, crackling sounds.  Milk solids will settle to the bottom of the pan. Butter will turn to a clear golden liquid  Its no longer now the visual you are dependent on. Your sense of smell and the aroma of ghee will tell you its ready.

Take off heat. Let cool for about 1/2 an hour. Then using a cheesecloth or fine tea strainer, strain the ghee to a clean and dry jar.

Don’t throw away the brown residue. I use the milk solids to add to my face mask and it makes for nice creamy and soft skin 🙂

Health benefits
Ghee is so good for you. Check out the many ways:
1. Storage
Ghee keeps really well. We’re talking upto 100 years. Seriously ghee does not spoil easily so don’t bother sticking your jar of ghee in the fridge.

2. Deep frying is no problem
With a high smoke point (250 °C  482 °F).You can cook and fry with ghee and it will not break down into free radicals like many other oils.

3. Great buttery taste without risk of dairy allergies
Sure ghee comes from butter, but because you melted it down with heat. You removed the milk solids and impurities. I know several friends who are lactose or casein intolerant who happily eat ghee no problem.

4. Nutritionally, it doesn’t get any better. magic like coconut oil. Weight loss too!
Rich in oil soluble vitamins, A D and E. and also rich in K2 and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) – an antioxidant with anti-viral properties if it is sourced from grass fed cows. Ghee is converted directly into energy like carbohydrates. Rich in medium chain fatty acids which get absorbed directly to the liver (like carbs) and burnt as energy. Athletes can use ghee as a consistent energy source The energy from these medium chain fatty acids can be used to burn other fats in the system and lose weight.

5. Helps improve digestion and strengthens the immune system.
Just eating ghee does a lot. It improves your digestive tract too, makes it healthy. Research shows that adequate production of butyric acid supports the production of killer T cells in the gut, and thus a strong immune system.

6.  Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer
Researchers are using butyrate supplements and butyrate enemas to treat inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.s and ulcerative colitis.  Ayurvedic physicians have been using ghee enemas for centuries to decrease inflammation.

7. Increases a strong Appetite
Ghee stimulates the secretion of gastric acid, thus aiding in the digestive process.so your better digestion means better health and weight loss.

8. Growing energy
Within Ayurveda, ghee is considered one of the most satvic foods. Satvic foods promote positivity, growth and expansion of consciousness. Pregnant women in india are given ghee to promote healthy growth of the embryo. My great grandmother used to spoon out ghee for my mother. She had a palatial ancestral home with hundreds of coconut trees, so she could have just as easily prescribed coconut oil for my mom, instead she relied on the goodness of ghee.

9. Positive energy
This might sound really out there but  Where does ghee get its positive energy from? It comes freely from cows. In India we consider cows holy, believe it or not because they take in tons of good energy from the environment. The milk they contains the essence of all those energies and ghee is the essence of the milk.

10. Lightly saute your spices in ghee.
Last but not least, Many of the medicinal properties of herbs and spices can be absorbed and transported to targeted areas of the body with ghee. That’s why whenever I cook ayurvedic meals, I lightly saute my spices in ghee, not only do my guests get an aromatic treat, but they are getting the medicinal benefits too! This is why Ayurveda uses ghee in thousands of different herbal preparation.
You can do the same thing by frying your kitchen spices in ghee before adding to your dishes.

here are more reasons http://www.care2.com/greenliving/15-amazing-benefits-of-ghee.html

and some recipes to enjoy your valuable and delicious ghee Pongal

hope you enjoyed this recipe and the health benefits, including my personal experiences with ghee. Do comment below on what you think and if you’ve used ghee before, what you like about it.. Enjoy 🙂

-charuyoga-

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