Ghee

[Biff]

I've never prepared a 'proper' Indian meal, and a couple of recipes I've found online list ghee as an ingredient. Never having heard of it I Googled, and it seems to have a certain amount of bad press re levels of saturated fat. Any opinions/recommendations?

[Flying_Monkey]

I find that a good vegetable oil with some butter added has much the same qualities.

[Hot Flatus]

You can make your own.  It is melted butter with the solids skimmed off.  Draw your own conclusions as to the healthiness of it.

Personally I never use it.  Decent quality oil, such as groundnut (but not olive) do the job very well.

[SteveC]

It is very high in saturated fat, being basically butter (clarified as per Flatus' instructions above).
It's good in India as it keeps rather better than ordinary butter in hot weather.
The other advantage is that you can heat it to very high temperatures before it burns (much higher than cooking oil for instance).
(and it tastes good)

If you want to be authentic use it.
If you want to have lots of Indian style food, you may wish save ghee for special occasions.

S

[Biff]

Thanks for the info. I might give it a go. I shan't use it often, and if it keeps for a long time so much the better. If I don't like it I'll give/hurl it away. Now all I've got to do is find some. The girl in Morrisons gave me a blank stare when I asked where it is situated.

[Jules]

Thanks for the info. I might give it a go. I shan't use it often, and if it keeps for a long time so much the better. If I don't like it I'll give/hurl it away. Now all I've got to do is find some. The girl in Morrisons gave me a blank stare when I asked where it is situated.

There's a choice of brands in my local Tesco - Large local Indian population.

[Charlotte]

It comes in tins, isn't expensive and transforms even the most basic food into a glorious nomathon.

It also widens your arse, hardens your arteries and greases your pipes like nothing else...

[Moloko]

The girl in Morrisons gave me a blank stare when I asked where it is situated.

"Could you show me your ghee?"


*slaaappppp!!!!!*

"security to aisle six please."

[Tewdric]

It's the only thing that will get onions properly brown - always the first step in making a Tewdric curry!

[Kathy]

I also recommend it for a Good Curry. My local supermarkets don't stock it (the Sainsbury's is too small, and the local Tesco's idea of "Round the World Cuisine" is a sweet-n-sour Pot Noodle), so I usually find it in Waitrose. 

[nicknack]

Mmmm... ghee.

Yum.

Avoid the veggie stuff.

Gotta be butter.

[Valiant]

Ghee is wonderful stuff in moderation. We cook between 3-4 curries in my house on a daily basis, and usually just use Sunflower or Vegatable oil. On special occasions, it's time for to take out the ghee.