Ghee /Homemade Ghee / How to make ghee from butter

Homemade Ghee is the clarified form of cow's butter. It is obtained by melting and separating the fat from milk solids by slow heating and straining the residue. It was the traditional method of preserving butter from going rancid by removing the milk content 100%

 A rewarding and satisfying process to awaken your five senses.

Ghee made from cow's milk is beyond an edible ingredient, its a spiritual journey for cleansing the mind and nourishing the body. My ancestors' everyday rituals prove this to be true. Let me take my daughter and you through the authentic story of doors, it is just a matter of opening the right one. Here is the most simplistic yet rewarding chore I grew up seeing on a daily basis..  

History of Ghee - First hand account : (Spiritual and mental health)

  As dusk approaches the centuries old palatial house ( in Kerala, India) gets lively, The hallways are swept again quickly in the evening, all the doors from the different wings of the house that leads outside are shut (about 15 doors). In those days this prevented the stray and wild animals from creeping inside after dark. It traps the good vibe to be produced in another few minutes to stay inside. The large ornate front door with wooden paneling and carvings is left wide open. Then the narrow thick wooden door to the  room with thick wooden walls in the central courtyard is opened. "It's getting dark," says the elderly maternal aunt. She quickly washes her hands and feet, wears a fresh set of crisp cotton clothes as rest of the family members from many generations of the joint family do the same.

Spiritual ritual :

Everyone gathers in front of the dark prayer/ pooja room called (mach) but nobody is allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum. The twilight sets a beautiful ambiance throwing enough light on the whitewashed walls of the inner courtyard. It is a play of light and shadows.

Meanwhile, she tears few thin strips from the clean, washed muslin cloth, rolls it in between her palms and the wicks for that evening's spectacular prayer ceremony is ready. The spotlessly cleaned and wiped, 2 feet tall 250-year superior bronze oil lamp is arranged with the freshly made 7wicks and kept on an ornate brass platter thats as old as the lamp itself.  

The elderly aunt brings a small lighted oil lamp from the kitchen walks towards the tallest lamp placed on the door step of the mach, pours liquid gold aka ghee into the 8 inches wide space on the upper deck of the lamp, lights it from the one she just brought. The aura of the flame lights up the pitch-dark room where the divine deity's weapons rest. Unlike most Hindu homes there is no idol worship happening here. The most important goddess's real swords and weapons are laid on an ornate pedestal. The ones with which the deity fought and won the real war against a neighboring mighty evil King.

Pious believer :

Why is a ghee lamp lit?

Agni Purana states thats ghee has more power to attract sattvic (good) vibrations than oil. The maximum distance the sattvic vibration can travel is up to Swarga lok (heaven). Even if none of the rituals in today's or in the ancient world made sense to you this will. A woman winning over an evil man in a battlefield with mental and physical strength is commendable and worth worshipping. As an expression of our devotion purest of pure ghee is our offering to show our respect. When that burns it opens the right door in our minds, spreads its divine aroma, we inhale the courage and exhale fears.

  Coming to the magic potion for the body.. ghee was consumed only in very limited quantities like nectar.

Daily ghee consumption, the way my ancestors did: (Consumption varies with climate)

• The climate in Kerala is warm and tropical so the people in those days did not have to consume so much fat to stay warm as other parts of India except during monsoons. 
• Though ghee has a high smoke point and can be used to cook or saute about 1 to 2 tsps only was consumed in a day by a  healthy adult or child. 
• Ideally, ghee is taken along with very warm ball of rice and cooked dal/lentil as the first serving for lunch to reap the best benefit out of it then continue with a vegetarian platter after that. Ghee lines the walls of the stomach and aid in digestion on special occasions and a tsp or more on hot rice porridge or gruel for lunch on a daily basis.
• Ghee was used mostly as a seasoning on top of desserts and for pooja prasads (food made for prayer offerings . It was later distributed to worshippers) like neyiappam, neipayasam etc which was consumed in very limited quantities only.
• Note: Excessive use of ghee can lead to indigestion and best avoided during night. Most often ayurvedic detox and cleanse by taking  a tsp of ghee as the first thing in the morning in empty stomach and followed by a strict diet regime. Consult a good practitioner before doing so.  

Benefits of having ghee :

Ghee / Homemade Ghee / How to make ghee from butter

Reference (Yoga Digest)

1. Strengthens the brain and nervous system and promotes memory, intelligence, Agni (digestive fire)  and Ojas (essential life energy).
2. Ghee is a great rasayana (rejuvenator) for the eyes.
3. Enhances the digestive fire while cooling and alkalizing.
4. Binds toxins and pacifies pitta and vata.
5. Enhances complexion and glow of the face and body.
6. Increases physical and mental stamina.
7. Ghee supports learning, retention, and recall.
8. Increases longevity.
9. Ghee cools and lubricates the stomach wall.
10. Nurtures and cleanses blood tissue.

Recipe FAQs

Storing ghee :

Once little cool pour into dry glass jar close when completely cool and store the ghee at room temperature. Store in a cool dry place up to a month or more. No refrigeration is generally needed to store ghee. It stays good on the counter for a month. But if you live in hot and humid climate it is better to refrigerate ghee after few days to improve shelf life.

If the ghee is not cooked properly and the milk solids are present it can go rancid in few days.Hence cooking thoroughly is very important.

Traditional recipes that use ghee are : Semolina pudding (Kesari) , Rice and lentil pudding (Pongal) Sweet lentil crepe (Boli), Coconut burfi , Jackfruit preserve

Hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know how this turned out .Ghee / Homemade Ghee / How to make ghee from butter

Meena