22 Sep Product Spotlight: Glorious Golden Ghee!
Smooth and golden buttery ghee is such a coveted ingredient; it’s a dairy-free butter that’s filled with flavour, and perfect for all your favourite Paleo recipes. Find out more about the goodness of ghee, what makes it special and how you can use it!
What is Ghee?
Ghee is a type of clarified butter that originates in India; it is made by simmering regular butter over a low heat, until most of the liquid content evaporates. During the process of making ghee, all the water and the milk solids are removed from the butter, leaving behind a smooth golden-yellow substance that’s high in nutrients but free of impurities and dairy allergens (lactose and casein).
Ghee has been widely used as a key ingredient in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali and Sri-Lankan cuisine. It’s also regarded as a powerful Ayurvedic healing food.
Culinary Benefits of Ghee:
1. Clarified butter has a high smoke point; that means you can cook, bake and fry with it, and it won’t break down into nasty free radicals like many hydrogenated cooking oils do.
Did You Know? The smoke point of ghee is around 250°C (482°F).
2. Ghee has a long shelf life, doesn’t spoil easily and doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
3. Ghee has a rich buttery taste and texture, but with none of the allergens found in ordinary butter!
4. A little ghee goes a long way, so it’s more cost-effective than butter too.
5. Ghee is wonderfully versatile! You can use it as a cooking oil, or as a butter substitute when baking; spread it on bread and crackers; add it to sauces and dips; or even sprinkle it over your popcorn!
Nutritional Benefits of Ghee:
1. Suitable for those with lactose intolerance.
2. Suitable for people with casein allergies.
3. Ghee is easier to digest than butter, as it contains no milk solids.
4. Ghee has a slightly alkalising effect on the body, while butter is slightly acidifying.
5. Ghee is high in carotenoids, and full of vitamins A and E. That means it boosts your immune system, cell regeneration AND heart health! When you consume it in small amounts, ghee helps to lower bad cholesterol and protect your heart.
6. It is naturally rich in vitamin K2, which is hard to come by in other food sources! K2 promotes healthy arteries and strong bones.
7. A rich source of CLA fatty acid, which promotes a healthy metabolism and gives you an antioxidant boost.
8. The medium chain fatty acids in ghee help with the metabolism of other fats in your system – so it’s better than butter when you’re watching your weight.
9. Unlike most other cooking oils, ghee is full of a substance called butyric acid; a short chain fatty acid that should naturally be present in a healthy digestive tract. Butyric acid strengthens the intestinal walls and boosts the metabolism (by promoting the production of killer T cells in the gut).
10. Ghee improves your body’s absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.
Please Note: While ghee contains no lactose and no casein, it is still derived from an animal product (cow’s milk), so although it is suitable for people with dairy allergies, it is NOT a vegan food.
Ghee in Ayurveda & Healing
In Ayurvedic healing, ghee is highly prized as a food that stokes the body’s Agni, or digestive fire. The digestive benefits of ghee make it a great cleansing agent in Ayurveda.
Did You Know? Ghee also makes a luscious, hydrating cuticle cream, massage oil or lip moisturiser!
Making Ghee at Home
Making your own ghee is easier than you think; take a block of the best quality unsalted grass-fed butter you can find, and melt it down until it separates into three layers; milk solids at the bottom, foam on top, and clarified butter between them.
Let the butter simmer until it becomes fragrant and the milk solids start to brown. Then, skim off the entire top layer of foam, turn off the heat, and leave the remaining mixture to settle.
Carefully pour the clarified butter layer into a sterilised glass jar, leaving the milk solids at the bottom of the pan. If it’s properly made, your ghee should stay fresh for 2-3 months at room temperature.
To save you some time however, why not simply treat yourself to a jar of our ready-made Earth Products Ghee? It’s free of additives and preservatives, and made with milk that’s been humanely sourced from grass-fed cows in South Africa’s picturesque Midlands. And you’ll find no end of creative ways to use it.
Recipe for Exotic Indian Almond Fudge!
This is a delicious sweet treat! Also known as Badam Ka Halwa.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 1 cup whole milk or almond milk
- 3-4Tbsp ghee
- 3-4Tbsp sugar
- ¼tsp cardamom powder
- Pinch of saffron (optional)
Method:
- Blend the almonds in your food processor with a little milk, until you have a smooth paste.
- Warm the ghee in a non-stick saucepan. Add the almond paste & the rest of the milk.
- Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
- Stir in the sugar. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to boil.
- Add the cardamom & saffron, with a little more ghee (1tsp-1Tbsp). Cook until the mixture is thick & slightly golden (approx. 30 minutes), stirring regularly.
- Pour the mixture into a pan; leave to cool & slice into fudge squares. Enjoy – perfect with a cup of Indian chai tea!
No Comments