Ghee?

[longers]

I've started making quite a few dhals and have been using butter for the toasting of the garlic and spices, will I notice a difference in taste if I were to use Ghee instead or is it not worth bothering with? 

[rogerzilla]

Probably, since the milk solids have been removed.  Originally it was just a way of storing butterfat without having to refrigerate it; if Indians had had fridges when they first started cooking, they might have used butter instead.

[Pete]

Ghee is quite a good cooking medium if you can get used to the distinctive flavour and smell, and it is a better base for curry than ordinary cooking oil.  It keeps well and has less tendency to carbonise than oil or butter.  Good quality ghee bought in UK can be quite expensive though.  I suggest you try it out with a small amount.

[rogerzilla]

According to Wikipedia, cheap "ghee" is just hydrogenated vegetable oil 

[Maladict]

According to Wikipedia, cheap "ghee" is just hydrogenated vegetable oil 

Ultra unhealthy then.  Marvellous.   

[saturn]

It's clarified butter. Costs about £3 from asian shops for a 500g tin with a resealable lid. Keeps in the fridge forever. Worth it for the authentic taste IMHO (although of course lots of other things contribute to a truly authentic taste).

[Valiant]

Big taste difference. Don't buy the cheap stuff. Get youself to a proper asian shop and pay not very much. A large tub of ghee lasts us a couple of months (2 curries a day for 8 people) and it gets stored in the cupboard. The cheap stuff is proper horrible even in the way it looks and feels

[longers]

Thanks all, I'll give it a go and will avoid the vegetable oil.

I'll be doing another batch for the freezer in about three weeks or so and will report back. This last one made with butter tastes very good so if this can be bettered then I will be in Dhal Heaven 

[fiendish]

Post your recipe then! 

[longers]

Post your recipe then! 

Ok, this is supposed to serve four but I'd recommend a lot of side dishes and pudding if expecting to be full afterwards. I double or treble the quantities for the freezer (and add a couple more chillies)

Sindh Mung Dal

250g yellow mung dal,
two chopped tomatoes,
2 chopped green chillies,
12 curry leaves (use more if using dried not fresh),
1/4 tsp turmeric,
3/4 tsp salt,
1 tbsp ground coriander,
1 tbsp lemon juice,
pinch of Asafoetida,
2 tbsp butter/ghee,
1 tsp cumin seed,
3 garlic cloves chopped.

Rinse and drain the mung dal and boil rapidly in 700ml of water. Remove the "froth" and discard. The recipe says it takes 15 minutes to get soft but in practice it seems longer and it seems to need more water adding later on.

When nearly done chuck everyhting in except the garlic, butter/ghee and the cumin and stir a few times.

Heat the butter/ghee in a seperate pan and toast the cumin and garlic until the garlic is lightly browned.Add this to your pan and stir again.

The longer I leave it cooking the better it seems to taste, the last one benefitted from being left to heat up again on a low heat for three hours while down the pub the next day 

Perfect for the freezer too.

[Cudzoziemiec]

"Heart attack in a jar."