Ghee from Cow's milk -Supreme Satvik food

Cow's milk Ghee is considered by Ayurveda as the top most Satvik food. In India traditionally it is considered as the purest form of nutrition for infants and kids. It not only has physical, but also spiritual or mental benefits. There is a lot of similarity in the benefits of organic butter made from Cows milk and Ghee from the same milk. It contains high quantities of Bytyric acid as butter but, Ghee is considered far more superior to butter. It is rich in various vitamins like: A,D,K and E, and is an efficient  way of delivering and getting them absorbed into the body. It has CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid), a fatty acid with health benefits to the immune system, various types of cancers, diabetes, arthritis etc. Ghee also contains a good balance of Omega3 and Omega 9 fatty acids. These have a long list of health benefits too. It is good for joint lubrication and organ health. It has a cooling effect on the body and should be consumed in summer along with spicy foods. Recently Indian research team, headed by Dr. Vinod Kansal at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), has observed that the initiation and progress of mammary cancer decreased in rats which were fed on cow ghee. 

Unlike butter, ghee has a high smoking point and hence is a great choice for deep frying. Heating fats to a high temperature can modify the structure of the fat molecule and it loses its nutritional value.  It can also turn rancid. Compared to a lot of cooking oils, ghee and coconut oil are therefore a good choice for high temperature cooking. One spoon of ghee a day is within healthy limits. Doctors believe that ghee poses no threat to Cardiac health as long as the total fat consumption is in the prescribed limits.

Similar to what I have mentioned in my article about Butter, there are two ways of making ghee. One is made directly from cream. The other one is the Ayurvedic way, which enhances the nutritional value of the Ghee. This ghee is made from curd culture. The normal butter that you buy in the stores, is not made from curd culture and hence should not be used to make Ghee. You need to either buy butter made from culture or Organic Cow's milk ghee can be bought in stores or online. There are couple of brands in the market in India. Originally people used to make their own ghee. It seems tedious in the beginning but, is fairly simple once you get into the habit. And I still make my ghee at home whenever possible. Recipe:

1. We buy raw full fat milk, bring it to a boil and store it for 24 hrs. in the fridge. This separates the cream and it can be skimmed from the top. This process is done for a month until you have a good quantity of cream. We use this cream for the butter making process and the rest of the milk is low fat and used for yogurt or tea.

OR

1. If you cannot find raw milk locally, buy store bought cream, bring that to a boil and use it for making butter. But make sure it is not ultra pasteurized. Bring this cream to room temperature and use.

2. Add the yogurt culture easily available in any dairy in India, or store-bought probiotic yogurt or buttermilk culture(stonyfield Farms and Organic Valley) or store bought probiotic buttermilk. Keep it in a sunlight window/warm place like your oven with the light on for 24 hrs. 

3. Now the cream will turn nice and thick. Leave this cream in the fridge for an hour and you can start using this. If you do not have the time to cool it down, keep a good amount of ice-cold water ready.

4. Throw the cultured cream into a food processor along with some of the cold water and let it churn. You can also use a manual churner(like the one we use to mash dal) After 3-4 min. you will see that the butter separates and hardens slightly.

5. Drain the water without loosing any butter fat. This drained liquid is actually buttermilk.

6. Repeat the above process 3 times, each time adding some ice water. Remove all the excess liquid and you have clean, soft and healthy butter. This is a good quality cultured butter(loni or makkhan) which can be used as is, on parathas.

7. Add a mineral rich salt to it and you can use it like Amul butter, but with much more nutritional value.

8. The unsalted butter is in turn used to make ghee. Take a clean stainless steel pot, place the butter inside and put it on a very low heat. It will start getting frothy and then eventually clear. Once the liquid is clear and the milk solids have settled down, the butter is ready. It is up to you, how nutty you want the flavor. I wait till it has a slight brown color and a toasty smell.

9. At this point it burns quickly, and needs to be guarded closely. So, switch off the burner as soon as it changes from colorless to light brown. It will have some residual heat and cook even after you stop the heat. Let it cool slightly, strain it and store. 

Interesting links: 
http://www.rebeccawood.com/food-as-medicine/ghee-clarified-butter/