![]() ![]() ![]() The process, which takes two days to complete, is now dying off due to the rise of mechanized production. To make ghee, the butter is melted over heat until its water content has evaporated, leaving a clear residue. The resulting fermented curd is then churned the next morning using a bilona, or wooden beater, to separate the butter and buttermilk. It involves boiling and cooling the milk, then inoculating it with curd and leaving it to set overnight. Traditionally, ghee in India is made from cow’s milk using the bilona process, which is believed to have existed since the Vedic times. Ghee in the mountainous Himalayan region, for instance, tastes different from the ghee found in the plains of Maharashtra due to the influence of terroir. The quality of milk matters, and depends on the type of animal feed. This is because the technique, cooking time, and even the vessel used to prepare it vary from one family to another. Ghee in no two households tastes the same. In Bengali homes, it is allowed to caramelize until a deep brown color is achieved. The process yields a pale yellow or amber liquid that transforms into a smooth spread once it cools and solidifies. It is made by simmering butter, and then clarifying it over heat to separate out the milk solids and water. In recent years, ghee has earned a reputation as a so-called superfood, dubbed by the health-conscious as “liquid gold.” For home cooks whose families have used ghee for generations, it’s hard to understand what the fuss is about. Whether it’s used for a tadka, the ingenious technique of blooming whole spices in fat, or for deep-frying sweets and snacks for the gods, or as a final flourish over a bowl of khichdi or chapati, the role of ghee is so critical that traditional home cooks make sure they never run out of it. Its role in everyday as well as festive dishes is critical. It is ambrosial, treasured for its nutty flavor and grainy mouthfeel. In the Indian culinary universe, ghee is a beloved cooking fat, and also a luxurious one. It is used in cooking, worship, and alternative medicine. Ghee holds sacrosanct value in my culture. Steel canisters poured in from their kitchens to ours, enough to last a few months. The sudden invasion was caused by the matriarchs of the family, who wanted to ensure that I fed the infant only homemade, rather than store-bought, ghee. When my little one started eating solids, my pantry was overtaken by an uninterrupted supply of ghee. ![]()
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